The Thailand farming and cultivation thread

[buksida]

Thought I'd start a new thread on this for a couple of reasons:

1) We don't have one
2) There maybe a number of members with experience (especially those resident in the northeast)
3) I am considering venturing into it myself

I notice that big visa forum has a complete farming section which has some useful stuff scattered amongst a bunch of stupid comments, so maybe this one can be a constructive addition to HHAD.

We have a small chunk of land in the south with its own natural water source that currently has 14 coconut trees and bamboo on it. Have yet to get any yield from it as I haven't been bothered before and locals keep pinching the crop so the plot was recently secured with a nice fence and will be looked after a bit more now.

Have had a few ideas which included pineapples (very popular in that area), rubber trees, coconuts, fertilizer and mushrooms. Has anyone ventured into farming and has it been worth the efforts ... share your experiences and let the farming thread grow!

[Terry]

When we originally bought the first plot of land at the Lodge it was 6 Rai and full of pineapple. (With further aquisition it is now just under 10 Rai)
We tried for two years to farm the pineapple with Mrs.T having local help
It was bloody hard work and the rewards were small
It does seem that to make pineapple pay, you have to farm it in huge quantities

[Spitfire]

Firstly, yes, good call on having this type of thread. If it takes off then you could, at your leasure, turn it into a "Sticky."

The idea of farming is a seductive one for many, for many of the Thais also have fantasies/aspirations about returning to the land and living a eutopian existance through farming their land in the later years after the city life's endeavours, it's in their cultural images of songs/movies etc.

However, it needs to be flung under the microscope properly and considered/investigated seriously if you ever hope to make money, unless of course it's just a hobby or for private comsumption.

A couple of things to consider from what you say........

- Soil type and what it supports, not the same everywhere.
- Might have to remove the coconut trees, messy.
- Natural water source is good, positive for sure, get the ph value tested.
- What are people around you growing? Can you grow other things or are you limited to what you can cultivate?
- What is locally desirable to buy. Who are you going to sell it to?
- How labour intensive is it going to be? Will you need anyone other than yourself or the Mrs?
- How involved or committed are you to the project? How much time do you have for it?
- What tools or machines do you need to aquire?
- What is viable on the size of land available?
- How are you going to pass on/sell stuff or is it for personal comsumption?
- If you want to sell it then there are two choices really, the local market or a small outlet shop attached to the piece of land unless it's for personal use of course.

I could go on but in essence it needs to be planned very much. You'll find that most Thais make money from it by having little other choice, not spending hardly anything and working their nuts off.

Also good to let others throw in some stuff before carrying on.

It is possible to do but you should give it some strict thought, make your plans properly and you could pull it off.

There is so much to say/give input on this one.



Edit- Clarity

[Takiap]

I for one think it's a great idea although of course I have never been directly involved with farming. If I had the money for it, I would certainly be farming, but for me it would be livestock. Hey I already keep myself supplied with eggs and I only have a handful of hens. From what I've been told and from what I read, chicken/egg farms are to be avoided. A lot of farang raise pigs as you've more than likely already discovered, and I think most do it via the contract farming approach. The problem with livestock farming is that it really is a "hands on" business. If you want, you could also look into rabbit farming. My sister-in-law's sister raised rabbits in South Africa and she supplied many Italian restaurants. South Africans in general don't eat Rabbit meat. With quite a few varied restaurants in Hua-Hin, you may be able to turn a profit.

Rubber is apparently quite good but it takes a few years before you start seeing any profits. And, don't overlook some of the obvious things such as chilies, which if my memory serves me correctly, were just recently selling for 180 per kilo. Durian is also good money, but again, it takes time before you see profits.

Anyway, I have to go but I will be following this thread

[STEVE G]

My partners was given a couple of fields by her mother a few years ago and tried growing Cassava for a while but it was a lost cause as the price you get for it goes up and down like a yo-yo.
For the last two years she has grown rice on it, more to give some of the family employment than anything else. I've actually found this to be a big advantage in having farming as you can help people out by giving them a days work instead of hand-outs when they're broke.
Due to the small, if any, profit you seem to get out of small scale farming and due to the escalating world food prices at the moment, I'm starting to think that perhaps the best thing to do would be to turn it into a small-holding just to grow food for the family rather than trying to make money out of it, with some pigs, chickens and vegetables, some fish in the irrigation ponds and just enough rice to eat.
If you have land down South you might be in a better situation as Issan doesn't get enough rainfall to grow anything like rubber or palm oil.
It's all been a bit of a learning curve for me as I was brought up in a suburban area of the Midlands and have spent my whole working life in aviation.

[caller]

I know of a feller up near Korat that has 6 Rai and with his wifes family rears chickens, pigs and Cattle (all brand new western style facilities), also some banana plants and a fair sized 'fish pond', When I was last there his ma-in-law was making 5k per month just selling the chook eggs.

Mind you, he's from a farming background and knows what he's doing. The local authorities were promoting the diversity as the way to go.

So maybe the answer is in animals and not crops?

[STEVE G]

The advantage of having some cattle is that you get some natural fertilizer which you're going to need plenty of for trying to grow vegetables after the lands been used for rice farming.
I was thinking of a couple of kwai, a few pigs and chickens and we also have two quite large irrigation ponds that we could stock with fish.
One thing that has been brought to my attention is that if you get a rice winnowing machine, you can use the chaff for feeding chickens.
I'll freely admit that I'm an amateur when it comes to agriculture and I get the locals to do the technical stuff, I'm just trying to steer them away from trying to grow cash crops that end up making a loss half of the time.
The big problem with growing a large amount of anything is that you're then at the mercy of having to sell it to dodgy chinese-thai merchants who make all the profit.
You seem to be better off growing small amounts of various produce that you can sell directly to the locals or just subsist on.

[lomuamart]

What about a turkey farm? Might do well with Xmas, Thanksgiving and year round as well. I think some foreigners have done OK with this idea before.

[PeteC]

A garden shop can also make money, a lot of it if the only one in an area. Plant and grow your own shrubs, small trees, bushes of many varieties, flower and vegetable plants, the selection is endless. Supplement with pots, accessories, bagged dirt, manure, sod etc. Then just put out a sign and wait for the cars. I think this is an especially good idea in areas that are prime for future housing development. Pete

[usual suspect]

On the wife's family farm over in Nong Ki the trend now is to grow sugar cane on rice land..its a bit of a gamble as regards the rain & drainage but its paying well..even after paying for cutting,loading & hauling to factory.
Her youngest son saved his Baht, bought some ducks, & is selling eggs at the gate for 2b each..not much, but
all done on his own back bless him.
Cow-muck (key whoa) is good, but dries out to fast in the baking sun if not ploughed under.

[Takiap]

I know Steve has commented that rubber cannot be grown up in Isaan, but from what I've seen, it can. In fact, my wife's grandmother just recently sold off her 10 rai rubber plantation, and the only reason why she sold it was because none of her kids are willing to help out. She also has several other businesses so the rubber was really just for the sake of it rather than an only income. Ih that part of isaan, rubber farming seems to have surpassed rice farming, which to some extent is quite alarming.

Anyway Buksi, your land isn't in Isaan is it? Of course you could be a right lazy bugger and simply grow eucalyptus. From seedling to harvest in about two years, hence the reason why so many Thais are growing it. It takes no care or looking after, and when you cut them down, they just grow again, but let if you choose to go that way, you'll be damaging the country even more because they quite literally rape the earth. I'm sure some of the Aussies on here can comment.

As I said in my first post, I would go with livestock. Even chickens, but then it would be contract farming. That way at least you know you will get X amount for each bird, irrespective of what the market price is at time of slaughter. I know of one guy up in Isaan who's this and he makes about 50,000 per month, and that without having too big of an operation.

If you don't fancy the idea of contract farming, then I would raise regular "Thai" chickens rather than commercial broilers, simply because they cost less to raise, and they sell for more believe it or not.

Ducks are okay as well, and no, you don't need a lake or any such thing. Ducks sold for meat are usually slaughter at just over 7 weeks, so quite a quick turn around. The problem here is, you would need to sell them independently or else it's the middle man that rakes in the cash.

As for turkeys.......there was a chap here in Hua-Hin doing that but he went bust and as far as I know, he has now returned to the UK. Those birds eat a lot so you can't afford to keep them if they're not selling. Ducks on the other hand hardly require any feed if they are free ranged on a large enough piece of land.

Hey, this is a great thread, so I hope people continue posting.

[buksida]

Yes, good thread and good feedback.

The plot is 2.5 rai with a lake, so not big enough for anything substantial such as pineapples (though people are growing them on similar sized plots in the area). Palm oil is also very popular but again you need a lot of land.

The garden shop is also a good idea however there are already a few of these in the area. Fertilizer maybe another option - has anyone done any composting here?

I have also done a little research into mushrooms, there is a definite demand in the area, they are very popular and quite expensive at local markets. It would probably be an idea to do it on a small scale first for experimental purposes and home consumption.

[STEVE G]

I know Steve has commented that rubber cannot be grown up in Isaan, but from what I've seen, it can. In fact, my wife's grandmother just recently sold off her 10 rai rubber plantation, and the only reason why she sold it was because none of her kids are willing to help out. She also has several other businesses so the rubber was really just for the sake of it rather than an only income. Ih that part of isaan, rubber farming seems to have surpassed rice farming, which to some extent is quite alarming.

I looked into rubber and palm oil and the rainfall figures I found quoted for commercial plantation were over 2500mm a year.
The area of Buriram where we are only gets about 1200mm a year which is why it's so poor.
Other areas of Issan in the more upland areas must get more, as I found this paper on Issan rubber growing which shows that you're right in what you're saying. Either the rainfall is higher or they have access to other water sources, such as rivers or streams as I notice that the paper states that the area is surrounded by hills.
http://www.scipub.org/fulltext/jss/jss53216-218.pdf

[PeteC]

So this one doesn't die.....what is the ultimate goal Buks? Is this to be a money maker, or a hobby?

Another idea I had is a campground if it's near anything of interest, or the beach. You could supply the tents, power points, bathroom/shower etc. Many Thais are into camping.

I also await the day when caravans make their debut here. Then caravan parks would be a good investment. Pete

[poosmate]

Not exactly farming but. Several times this year I and neighbours have had plagues of worms? ( Thais call Norn?) that eat the green from my grass. I have tried several recommended insecticides with varied results. The only one successful is a tomato plant insect killer. This will also kill birds and domestic animals so need to be used carefully. Has anyone else had this problem and found a better solution? It is expensive as well at 350 Baht enough for around 600 m2.The cheaper recommendations just made them hide.I have had to do this three times this year - I think the rain must trigger the buggers into life