Saturday, July 2, 2011
Land Dept claims 90% of prime Phuket land controlled by foreigners
PHUKET: Phuket leads all of Thailand in the amount of land held by foreigners, with up to 90 per cent of prime beachfront land being illegally held through Thai nominees, claims one of the country’s top land officials.
Speaking at a recent seminar on legal issues relating to land ownership, Land Inspector Sriracha Charoenpanit said Thailand’s positive characteristics, friendly people and hospitality made it an attractive place for foreigners to want to live, work and acquire land.
The cumulative effect of this had been a growing problem of land ownership though Thai “nominees”, he was quoted as saying in a Thai-language report on the state-run MCOT website.
Thailand was one of many countries experiencing this problem, he said.
“Thailand must rectify these problems by tightening up existing laws and adding stricter conditions regarding land ownership by foreigners. This must include penalizing violators, including the nominees,” he said.
In response to the problem, new legislation is currently being drafted and expected to be made law in August. The new legislation will make it easier to prosecute violators, the head of the Land Department said.
Mr Sriracha explained that the law being drafted will be similar in principle to the anti-money laundering laws.
The law would also expand legal measures, better define what constitutes a violation, specify penalties and make it easier to prosecute violators, he said.
Penalties for Thai nominees could as much as double existing punishments, while foreigners found guilty will have their land seized before being deported, he said.
Mr Sriracha said foreigners had already acquired about one-third of all Thai land, about one billion rai.
The land grab was most prominent in resort destinations such as Phuket, Koh Samui and Koh Chang, where foreigners currently hold land to run resorts or have second homes, he said in his speech.
Failure to stop the problem would put Thais at a competitive disadvantage, restricting their access to land and putting the national food supply in jeopardy, he said.
The bill should be ready in August. If passed into law, inspections would follow, he said.
After the speech Mr Sriracha confirmed in an interview that initial surveys by land inspectors found Phuket had more land controlled by foreigners than any other province, with the figure reaching to 90 per cent in beachfront areas.
Similar situations existed in Pattaya, Cha-am, Hua Hin and parts of Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, he said
Land Dept claims 90% of Phuket land controlled by foreigners
Land Dept claims 90% of Phuket land controlled by foreigners
Atheists have no need of a god. Our lives are not based on fear or guilt. We are moral because we know it's right.
Never attribute to malice that which can be explained by stupidity. R J Hanlon
Never attribute to malice that which can be explained by stupidity. R J Hanlon
Re: Land Dept claims 90% of prime Phuket land controlled by
That's great news for anyone wanting to retire or have a holiday home here!“Thailand must rectify these problems by tightening up existing laws and adding stricter conditions regarding land ownership by foreigners. This must include penalizing violators, including the nominees,” he said.
My brain is like an Internet browser; 12 tabs are open and 5 of them are not responding, there's a GIF playing in an endless loop,... and where is that annoying music coming from?
Re: Land Dept claims 90% of prime Phuket land controlled by
He doesn't have much credibility while making statements like this:
Mr Sriracha said foreigners had already acquired about one-third of all Thai land, about one billion rai.
May you be in heaven half an hour before the devil know`s you`re dead!
Re: Land Dept claims 90% of Phuket land controlled by foreig
This story is two years old and gets brought up every now and then for political gain, this time to gain the votes of farmers, those sympathetic to farmers and nationalists etc. It's about the genuine (imo) concerns over the influx of foreign agri-giants buying up tracts of farmland (seriously impacting future generations of farming communities), not to mention controlling food supplies. The original Thai article in MCOT was all about preserving farming and national resources, and only mentions Phuket beachland in the 2nd half of the article because it has a nice dramatic impact, numbers and profile-wise.
8th August 2009 this came out...
'Thailand Government Concerned About Illegal Foreign Farmers':
"Concerned Thai officials will continue monitoring whether foreigners have violated law on buying or renting farmland to engage in agriculture in the kingdom…Farming as an occupation is reserved for Thais only and the probe was conducted following an outcry by some farmers that foreigners have bought numerous plots of farmland here."
24th August 2009 this followed...
Bangkok Post: 'Foreigners own 90% of Phuket Beach Land':
Report says land grab rife in tourist spots - About 90% of beach land in Phuket is controlled by foreigners through Thai nominees, a leading research body has found.
Local officials and legal experts have helped clear the way for foreign investors to take control of the country's rice farms and property in resort provinces, according to research on foreign land ownership by the Thailand Research Fund. There recently has been speculation that foreign businessmen, particularly from the Middle East, were snapping up rice fields in the central plains and elsewhere through proxy local companies. Some farmers are leasing land they previously owned but have since sold to the foreigners' proxy firms.
(Phuket land office director subsequently denied this in '09, releasing a schedule of owners showing most were Thais which was never disputed).
This time round the main thrust of the originating interview printed in Thai in MCOT (sorry about poor translation), which the English language media have spun to their target audience... reads more like it's a plot to 'get the white sunworshippers & barhoppers out of the beach resorts and take back their 1/4 rai plots, they're a big threat to us'...
.
28th June 2011, originating MCOT interview:
Mr. Sriracha Panich said "the concern and efforts are to preserve natural resources, as well as conservation of land in Thailand for Thai children, Focus should be on creating as much green space as possible. People were proud of their land with regard to agriculture, the need to promote and protect the farmers who are abandoning agriculture. The plant used as food for human consumption, is also a green oil, such as biodiesel. If the state got into the factory and farming crops, this or green oil the farmers could have either way. Singapore expatriates now buy in various forms about 1 in 3, or about 100 million hectares of the economy such as Phuket, Koh Samui, Koh Chang beach. He said that if Singapore did not immediately resolve the problem there may be a chronic problem in the future and affect the public as a whole".
SJ
8th August 2009 this came out...
'Thailand Government Concerned About Illegal Foreign Farmers':
"Concerned Thai officials will continue monitoring whether foreigners have violated law on buying or renting farmland to engage in agriculture in the kingdom…Farming as an occupation is reserved for Thais only and the probe was conducted following an outcry by some farmers that foreigners have bought numerous plots of farmland here."
24th August 2009 this followed...
Bangkok Post: 'Foreigners own 90% of Phuket Beach Land':
Report says land grab rife in tourist spots - About 90% of beach land in Phuket is controlled by foreigners through Thai nominees, a leading research body has found.
Local officials and legal experts have helped clear the way for foreign investors to take control of the country's rice farms and property in resort provinces, according to research on foreign land ownership by the Thailand Research Fund. There recently has been speculation that foreign businessmen, particularly from the Middle East, were snapping up rice fields in the central plains and elsewhere through proxy local companies. Some farmers are leasing land they previously owned but have since sold to the foreigners' proxy firms.
(Phuket land office director subsequently denied this in '09, releasing a schedule of owners showing most were Thais which was never disputed).
This time round the main thrust of the originating interview printed in Thai in MCOT (sorry about poor translation), which the English language media have spun to their target audience... reads more like it's a plot to 'get the white sunworshippers & barhoppers out of the beach resorts and take back their 1/4 rai plots, they're a big threat to us'...
.
28th June 2011, originating MCOT interview:
Mr. Sriracha Panich said "the concern and efforts are to preserve natural resources, as well as conservation of land in Thailand for Thai children, Focus should be on creating as much green space as possible. People were proud of their land with regard to agriculture, the need to promote and protect the farmers who are abandoning agriculture. The plant used as food for human consumption, is also a green oil, such as biodiesel. If the state got into the factory and farming crops, this or green oil the farmers could have either way. Singapore expatriates now buy in various forms about 1 in 3, or about 100 million hectares of the economy such as Phuket, Koh Samui, Koh Chang beach. He said that if Singapore did not immediately resolve the problem there may be a chronic problem in the future and affect the public as a whole".
SJ
Re: Land Dept claims 90% of Phuket land controlled by foreig
It's already done and decided, ie there won't be such large communities in the rural areas in the future. Many may want to go back to their land, but not as farmers, it's bloody hard graft and the moder Thai kids aren't up fo that, too difficult.It's about the genuine (imo) concerns over the influx of foreign agri-giants buying up tracts of farmland (seriously impacting future generations of farming communities), not to mention controlling food supplies.
The Thais are kidding themselves if they think the farming communities are just going to carry on as it has been for the last 50 years, La La Land imo.
Few of them want to be farmers anymore, they have all seen the 20th century and don't want a future in the villages, hence the recession proof nature of the education business here. So many colleges/universities in the towns and cities are stuffed full of 18-22 year olds that are fresh from the high schools in the rural areas, everyone that can leave, does. And 'Mom n Pop' will funnel everything, including putting the family land in the bank, into ensuring their lives are different.
All the kids want Hi5/Facebook, tech gadgets, living on an estate, cars etc etc. Imo, I wonder where the next generation of farmers is coming from to be honest. When you go to the villages, generally you find the old and the very young with not much in between. Some do stay but it's not enough to continue in the same vein as before, you'll probably find larger and larger farms coming into existence.
What they should address is trying to change things in the country side so that the exodus to the cities slows down.
I agree with you about the foreign agri-giants trying to swallow up swathes of land, Arabs seem to be intent on that.
Trouble for Thailand is that few of the Thais want to be farmers anymore, the next generation all want the office lifestyle and the 'face' attached to it.
Resolve dissolves in alcohol
Re: Land Dept claims 90% of Phuket land controlled by foreig
Spitfire....I agree 100%.The younger generation aren't interested in farming. In fact, the change started happening quite a while back really. In my father-in-law's family, only one of 7 kids grew up to be a farmer (his youngest brother). The rest all moved to the cities.
I also think this land office article is published every so often, not only to sway voting, but also to let farang know they can take the land away anytime they wish.
I also think this land office article is published every so often, not only to sway voting, but also to let farang know they can take the land away anytime they wish.
Don't try to impress me with your manner of dress cos a monkey himself is a monkey no less - cold fact
Re: Land Dept claims 90% of Phuket land controlled by foreig
Yeah and the Chinese and towellies are buying up large tracts of agricultural land here and food manufacturing companies - now that's long term planning something the Thais are a little reluctant to embrace.
I do like Srirachas empirical correctness but does it include the good mates of the Thais the Chinese and Japs?
Given the parlous state of keeping records here he should be complimented on his basic arithmetic and deductive skills.
I do like Srirachas empirical correctness but does it include the good mates of the Thais the Chinese and Japs?
Given the parlous state of keeping records here he should be complimented on his basic arithmetic and deductive skills.
Re: Land Dept claims 90% of Phuket land controlled by foreig
I agree that most youngsters want the modern city lifestyle and all that goes with it, and that more and more are taking this route over staying on the farms each year, but I can't see how it's occuring to the extent that you feel and I can't see who is creating all the extra jobs for them. Plus it is natural that less bodies will be required each year as farmers utilise modern machinery and improved working methods, they have been going that route even if slowly. But everything I ever read about the Thai economy says how the agriculture industry is growing year on year (while decreasing as a % of GDP for obvious reasons), and how farmers are diversifying into new and more profitable 'products'.Spitfire wrote:It's already done and decided, ie there won't be such large communities in the rural areas in the future.It's about the genuine (imo) concerns over the influx of foreign agri-giants buying up tracts of farmland (seriously impacting future generations of farming communities), not to mention controlling food supplies.
Few of them want to be farmers anymore, they have all seen the 20th century and don't want a future in the villages, hence the recession proof nature of the education business here. So many colleges/universities in the towns and cities are stuffed full of 18-22 year olds that are fresh from the high schools in the rural areas, everyone that can leave, does. And 'Mom n Pop' will funnel everything, including putting the family land in the bank, into ensuring their lives are different.
When you go to the villages, generally you find the old and the very young with not much in between. Some do stay but it's not enough to continue in the same vein as before, you'll probably find larger and larger farms coming into existence. What they should address is trying to change things in the country side so that the exodus to the cities slows down.
I had a read about it today and apparently agriculture still employs 40% of the total workforce (15 million out of 37 million), and has actually increased by 1 million over the past decade, ie: it was only 14 million a decade ago. No ages given though so in theory 4 million 'youngsters' could have left with 5 million older family members stepping in!? But if all these youngsters are quitting the farms in drastic numbers then I can't see who's creating the jobs for them in anywhere near these numbers!? I would have thought the economy would need to go through some fundamental industrial-based growth to create sufficient additional jobs for the rural masses that are in, or go into agriculture. The 'industry/manufacturing' sector that has been behind Thailand's economic growth over recent decades, from 10% to 40% of GDP, only employs 14% of the total workforce.
And whenever I read stuff about the economy it always says how much the agriculture sector is growing (declining as a % of GDP for obvious reasons), and how farmers have diversified into new and more profitable 'products', for example this...
"Thailand, which once exported largely rice and teak, has become a world leader in exports of crops such as cassava, pineapple, rubber and shrimp. In 2008, around 27 million tonnes of cassava was produced, compared with 1.65 million in 1962. Thailand has taken over from Malaysia as the world's leading rubber producer, production has grown at above 7% annually since the early 1980s. In 2007, the country exported over 2.8 million tonnes, worth an estimated $5.41 billion (170% of the value of rice exports)."
But I may well be misinterpreting it all from what I read about it... I've never spent time up there sniffing round college students like you do
SJ
Re: Land Dept claims 90% of Phuket land controlled by foreig
Well, as usual SJ, you have looked into the subject, but would mention that the effect of current attitudes of the youth will still not be fully felt yet, or for as much as another 15 years, as most of the family land growing rice farms are still managed by the 50 plus lot and they may well be still doing it when they are 75 +.
So, perhaps what could be called a 'managed decline' is more likely for the next generation.
Many of these villages exist in their present form with remittances sent from the kids working in the cities.
When the folks 'kick the bucket' I find it hard to imagine lots of people returning to the family land after they have been in the cities for the last 30 years. Just what I foresee.
There is also the improving technology factor as in the proliferation of mechanical harvesters and the resulting few numbers of actual physical labourers required, yes.
As for sniffing out young college girls..............in my dreams, those days are long gone. Enough complications being married to one woman here, not a glutton for punishment but the view is nice though.
So, perhaps what could be called a 'managed decline' is more likely for the next generation.
Many of these villages exist in their present form with remittances sent from the kids working in the cities.
When the folks 'kick the bucket' I find it hard to imagine lots of people returning to the family land after they have been in the cities for the last 30 years. Just what I foresee.
There is also the improving technology factor as in the proliferation of mechanical harvesters and the resulting few numbers of actual physical labourers required, yes.
As for sniffing out young college girls..............in my dreams, those days are long gone. Enough complications being married to one woman here, not a glutton for punishment but the view is nice though.
Resolve dissolves in alcohol
Re: Land Dept claims 90% of Phuket land controlled by foreig
I don't personally see that, there's plenty of youngster's in my wife's village but then I don't get up very much. Also all our builder's (mostly under 50 years old) just drop their tools and head back whenever it's farming time, if threatened with being replaced or offered overtime to stay, they'll still go back and do their family duty.Spitfire wrote:as most of the family land growing rice farms are still managed by the 50 plus lot and they may well be still doing it when they are 75 +.
But you did mention that the young leaving the villages was already a done deal, and that everyone that can leave already has. Considering 40% of all school leaver's that get work normally go into farming, then if there really is not many under 50, then can you tell me what industries these millions have gone into over the past 30 odd years? Is there any data/proof anywhere, because I can't find it?
SJ
Re: Land Dept claims 90% of Phuket land controlled by foreig
I don't think they publish, or even gather, much reliable data on these issues and if they do then it could be considered as sensitive and therefore hard to unearth, rather like a few other subjects that would be interesting to get some national stats on.
I do remember reading a couple of years ago that it was now official that more people lived in the cities than in the rural areas, think it had got to like 52% to 48% in favour of city habitation.
I agree that many will 'pop-off' back home at rice growing time and for what they consider important family gatherings at times like Songkran/New Year etc and quite a few, including builders, would fall into a difficult classification of where they exactly live, certainly on the registered place factor.
Many of your builders will work and live where you are building something but they officially live in the village and are on the blue book of the family home but rarely go, and if they do, then only for important stuff. So, I'd guess that any stats found on this would be somewhat misleading anyhow as to actual demographics of where people really are living. A large section of Thais are very mobile and migratory withing the borders of the country in the search for work/money, they pop-up all over the show but are registered with 'Mom and Pop' usually at the family land.
I also see at the universities/colleges I've worked at in the time I've spent here teaching that almost all of the students trying to get degrees in 'Public Health' or 'Computer science' etc are all fresh from the villages and when asked they say their folks are farmers in a wide spectrum of areas. That has to be a transformation from the past unless of course the birth rates have rocketed.
Funnily enough, when you asked about where the jobs all are for them when they leave higher education, I too have wondered that, and I often see students from the places I have worked at in completely unrelated fields of employment when they finish and have left. For example, girls with a degree in 'Public Health' working in the beauty section of a mall selling Christian Dior perfume or working in the 'Body Shop'.
Strangely, as I'm sure you're aware, Thais need a BA in something to work as almost anything other than real casual labour, like be a receptionist at a half decent hotel, work in a franchise shop in a mall, work at the post office or a bank etc. It doesn't matter what degree they have, it seems just to be a requisite of having that type of job, ie anything with any prestige attached to it at all. So, I reckon many just go to study anything at all so they can have a job such as has been mentioned and are not really bothered if they get something in the field their degree is in, seems like it's just an accessory to have for the 'face' of it all, a required thing to have to step up the social ladder a bit.
Guess that I was making observational opinion on the matters above from experience, as opposed to 'dishing-out' divine gospel.
However, I would stick with the diagnosis that the villages are somewhat quieter than they used to be as people need more and more money these days and it will continue to get higher, I guess. We all know that many of the villages and the lifestyle attached to it is supported through remittances sent back to help the folks as life in the village for things like petrol etc can be expensive (47 baht a liter) last time I visited for 91 benzine as it has to taken to these remote places in the first place.
We, you and I, also might have a geographical difference factor in our experiences as we are separated by about 500-600 km, probably slightly different, but not that much.
Doubt you'll find much in the way of concrete stats on this sort of stuff as it might be a subject the local government don't want to bandy the truth about around as it might result in lower budgets for something or another, or just that they don't want everyone to know stuff like that, or simply don't consider it as important enough info to collect in the first place........who knows?
Edit - Typos and tidying up
I do remember reading a couple of years ago that it was now official that more people lived in the cities than in the rural areas, think it had got to like 52% to 48% in favour of city habitation.
I agree that many will 'pop-off' back home at rice growing time and for what they consider important family gatherings at times like Songkran/New Year etc and quite a few, including builders, would fall into a difficult classification of where they exactly live, certainly on the registered place factor.
Many of your builders will work and live where you are building something but they officially live in the village and are on the blue book of the family home but rarely go, and if they do, then only for important stuff. So, I'd guess that any stats found on this would be somewhat misleading anyhow as to actual demographics of where people really are living. A large section of Thais are very mobile and migratory withing the borders of the country in the search for work/money, they pop-up all over the show but are registered with 'Mom and Pop' usually at the family land.
I also see at the universities/colleges I've worked at in the time I've spent here teaching that almost all of the students trying to get degrees in 'Public Health' or 'Computer science' etc are all fresh from the villages and when asked they say their folks are farmers in a wide spectrum of areas. That has to be a transformation from the past unless of course the birth rates have rocketed.
Funnily enough, when you asked about where the jobs all are for them when they leave higher education, I too have wondered that, and I often see students from the places I have worked at in completely unrelated fields of employment when they finish and have left. For example, girls with a degree in 'Public Health' working in the beauty section of a mall selling Christian Dior perfume or working in the 'Body Shop'.
Strangely, as I'm sure you're aware, Thais need a BA in something to work as almost anything other than real casual labour, like be a receptionist at a half decent hotel, work in a franchise shop in a mall, work at the post office or a bank etc. It doesn't matter what degree they have, it seems just to be a requisite of having that type of job, ie anything with any prestige attached to it at all. So, I reckon many just go to study anything at all so they can have a job such as has been mentioned and are not really bothered if they get something in the field their degree is in, seems like it's just an accessory to have for the 'face' of it all, a required thing to have to step up the social ladder a bit.
Guess that I was making observational opinion on the matters above from experience, as opposed to 'dishing-out' divine gospel.
However, I would stick with the diagnosis that the villages are somewhat quieter than they used to be as people need more and more money these days and it will continue to get higher, I guess. We all know that many of the villages and the lifestyle attached to it is supported through remittances sent back to help the folks as life in the village for things like petrol etc can be expensive (47 baht a liter) last time I visited for 91 benzine as it has to taken to these remote places in the first place.
We, you and I, also might have a geographical difference factor in our experiences as we are separated by about 500-600 km, probably slightly different, but not that much.
Doubt you'll find much in the way of concrete stats on this sort of stuff as it might be a subject the local government don't want to bandy the truth about around as it might result in lower budgets for something or another, or just that they don't want everyone to know stuff like that, or simply don't consider it as important enough info to collect in the first place........who knows?
Edit - Typos and tidying up
Resolve dissolves in alcohol
Re: Land Dept claims 90% of Phuket land controlled by foreig
I think that perhaps the reason that no hard figures exist for employment statistics is due to the fact that so many people from the villages drift backwards and forwards to the cities, mainly working in the casual sector.
We have relations who run small shophouse type industries in Bangkok, one rewires electrical appliances and another makes some type of upholstery and they take back people from the village to work for them for a couple of months at a time. Others work in construction labouring or unskilled factory work.
It can work the other way as well, two other relations have permanent jobs in Bangkok but still buy up plots of farm land that they get other family members to work. Actually around our part of Issan, sugar cane is becoming profitable but on a larger scale which obviously doesn't require as many workers.
The men can still get farm work on gangs that go around cutting cane for big companies who buy it out of the field.
We have relations who run small shophouse type industries in Bangkok, one rewires electrical appliances and another makes some type of upholstery and they take back people from the village to work for them for a couple of months at a time. Others work in construction labouring or unskilled factory work.
It can work the other way as well, two other relations have permanent jobs in Bangkok but still buy up plots of farm land that they get other family members to work. Actually around our part of Issan, sugar cane is becoming profitable but on a larger scale which obviously doesn't require as many workers.
The men can still get farm work on gangs that go around cutting cane for big companies who buy it out of the field.
Re: Land Dept claims 90% of Phuket land controlled by foreig
There is detailed data on permanent employment, by economy sector, by industry, even by general job description, it does also indicate 'casual' farming workers. Obviously it's accuracy is up for debate, but as I posted earlier it shows one million new farm workers joining the industry over the past decade rather than everyone leaving the 'sinking ship'. And for the sectors most likely to catch the millions leaving if agriculture is fast becoming a thing of the past, 'industry/manufacturing' and the 'services industry', I don't see any trend towards them creating substantial quanitities of new jobs over the past decade.
Industry/manufacturing the sector that has exploded the most over the past few decades growing from something like 15% of GDP back in the 70's to 45% of GDP now... but only employs 14% of the population. Agriculture employs 40%, a hell of a lot of bodies to be relocated if it's really dying a death.
Agriculture certainly employs far less than it used to 30 years ago, and will continue to as the country becomes more developed/industrialized, and agriculture becomes more sophisticated & mechanised with modern technology, but EVERY indicator going says agriculture is growing, more manpower (although relatively less to total employment), more land being 'planted', more being harvested and greater productivity rates.
And more importantly becoming more diversified than rice crops despite being the world leader in rice exports, stuff like this amazed me when looking for a downturn... "Thailand has taken over from Malaysia as the world's leading rubber producer, in 2007, the country exported over 2.8 million tonnes, worth an estimated $5.41 billion (170% of the value of rice exports)."
SJ
Industry/manufacturing the sector that has exploded the most over the past few decades growing from something like 15% of GDP back in the 70's to 45% of GDP now... but only employs 14% of the population. Agriculture employs 40%, a hell of a lot of bodies to be relocated if it's really dying a death.
Agriculture certainly employs far less than it used to 30 years ago, and will continue to as the country becomes more developed/industrialized, and agriculture becomes more sophisticated & mechanised with modern technology, but EVERY indicator going says agriculture is growing, more manpower (although relatively less to total employment), more land being 'planted', more being harvested and greater productivity rates.
And more importantly becoming more diversified than rice crops despite being the world leader in rice exports, stuff like this amazed me when looking for a downturn... "Thailand has taken over from Malaysia as the world's leading rubber producer, in 2007, the country exported over 2.8 million tonnes, worth an estimated $5.41 billion (170% of the value of rice exports)."
SJ
Re: Land Dept claims 90% of Phuket land controlled by foreig
Many decent points raised........
As an aside, regarding Malaysia anyhow, maybe the farmers there are too busy trying to grow palms on their land to satisfy Thailand's need for cooking oil. Remember the shortage earlier this year?
Not sure which one is more profitable or whether it's a case of what soil quality is where and what can be grown in it in a certain area. Thailand, in many areas, is constrained by this red (iron oxide rich) soil and what can be grown in it in many, but not all, regions. The red soil is great for building on though, strong stuff for a base foundation after being left to settle, but don't need to say that to you as you know more about the building factor than myself.
As an aside, regarding Malaysia anyhow, maybe the farmers there are too busy trying to grow palms on their land to satisfy Thailand's need for cooking oil. Remember the shortage earlier this year?
Not sure which one is more profitable or whether it's a case of what soil quality is where and what can be grown in it in a certain area. Thailand, in many areas, is constrained by this red (iron oxide rich) soil and what can be grown in it in many, but not all, regions. The red soil is great for building on though, strong stuff for a base foundation after being left to settle, but don't need to say that to you as you know more about the building factor than myself.
Resolve dissolves in alcohol