Farming in Isaan/Is it worth it?

[Admin]

Some village pictures : http://www.buriramexpats.com/gallery/?album=1&gallery=5&nggpage=4

Do you own a farm?

Invested in a farm?

Is it worth it to invest in a farm? If yes,what's the best thing to grow?

Tell us about it !

[Bicko]

Some village pictures : http://www.buriramexpats.com/gallery/?album=1&gallery=5&nggpage=4

Do you own a farm?

Invested in a farm?

Is it worth it to invest in a farm? If yes,what's the best thing to grow?

Tell us about it !

Rice is without a doubt the obvious for land that has been developed for rice padi. Our total harvest of Jasmine rice this year has been about 150 x 80+kg bags. We sold 3 bags (total 266kg) this morning just to test the market and received 14.2 baht per kilo which is pretty good. For years the Isaan farmers have struggled along on 4 to 5 baht per kilo. Last year it went as high as 22 baht per kilo late in the year and of course there was not much left to sell by the time it hit it's peak. The lady at the rice merchant godown told my wife this morning to hold our rice for as long as we can as the price will improve dramatically and may exceed last years high.
A very good dryland crop is Makua. This is the golf ball size white/green hard skinned eggplant (aubergine) used in green curries. This plant belongs to the Solanum family and is very easy to grow. I have about 20 plants in my garden and they produce about 1 kg every day. There is a good market for them in the fresh food market in most towns. They are fairly drought tolerant - we don't water ours much now as we can not use all the produce but still they flourish. They seem to be insect and disease resistant. The experts recommend growing individual plants in buckets to minimise water and fertiliser useage. i believe that there is quite a lot of info available from the Dept of Agriculture on growing makua.

[Admin]

Can somebody here explain why it's so hard to find The black Eggplant ("Makua sii dam"  ) ?

Is it the climate or what? Even in "Makro" it's hard to find them. 

I like to make my own eggplant salad and it's hard to do it with the small eggplants found here.

[wernerseuros]

Can somebody here explain why it's so hard to find The black Eggplant ("Makua sii dam"  ) ?

Is it the climate or what? Even in "Makro" it's hard to find them. 

I like to make my own eggplant salad and it's hard to do it with the small eggplants found here.

Good morning,
my name is werner, living in Germany and sometimes the year in area Buriram. If you like I can bring you in may 09 some seet of the eggplant. My meaning is that it must grow perfect here in this area just you have to care water.
So please let me know,you like to have it, Have a nice day. See you.

Werner 

sorry tha following information is only in german

Aubergine Picola F1 Hybride
(Solanum melongena)
Mini-Aubergine, schmackhaftes Gemüse

Aubergine, ein exotisches, schmackhaftes Gemüse aus dem Mittelmeerraum. Gedeiht bei uns auch an geschütztem, sonnigem Platz. Sie liefert kleine, halbrunde, schwarze und glänzende Früchte mit einem Gewicht von 50 - 180 g. Die Kultur ist ähnlich der Tomate. Auspflanzen an geschütztem, vollsonnigem Platz in guten, nährstoffreichen Boden ab Mitte Mai. Am besten auf schwarze Mulchfolie (kreuzweise einschneiden und hineinpflanzen). Zusätzlich Verwendung eines Folientunnels oder Pflanzung n Frühbeete empfehlenswert, bis die Pflanzen sich voll entwickelt haben. Ausbrechen auf 3 - 4 Triebe. Reichlich wässern und düngen.

Aussaat unter Glas
Februar - März

Saattiefe
0,5 cm

Keimdauer
10 - 20 Tage bei 22° - 25°C

Erntezeit
August - September

[Mr.Steve]

Hi, it's been a while since I've had time to post.
Regarding Bickos post about rice prices I would advise caution regarding prices going to the highs seen last year. That was very much an anomaly caused by the Phillipenes government over estimating their needs ( they are the largest importers of rice in the world)  combined with crop failures in Vietnam and India. In the time that I have been involved in Hom Mali production the price of rice has peaked in the third week of April for the last eight years, the past year being an obvious exception! Previous to that various government policies (not only Thailands) made it difficult to track rice prices outside of the North American market.
Cheers

[Admin]

Will it help? Only time will say.

Isaan irrigation development 'a big boost to rice farming
By ACHARA PONGVUTITHAM
THE NATION
Published on June 16, 2009



The government should focus on developing the irrigation system in the Northeast, which would increase rice production in the region by 30 million tonnes from second- and third-crop farming, an expert said recently.Such a plan would ensure a sufficient water supply to farmers to maximise the use of their plantation area, said Thai Rice Millers Association president Chanchai Rakthananon.


The region has a plantation area of 30 million rai, but the area covered by rice fields declines by 10 per cent annually because many farmers have turned their attention to growing fuel crops and drought-resistant plants.

As the world's biggest rice-exporting country, Thailand should focus on developing its plantation area so as to enjoy a rich outcome in both high yield and high quality, Chanchai said.

Global demand for rice and other food crops is increasing but supply and stocks are falling due to a swelling population as well as rising demand for energy, and hence for fuel crops.

Chanchai said an irrigation development programme would allow farmers in the Northeast to grow second and third crops each year. The plan would also provide poor farmers in the region with higher income through increased cultivation.

He said farmers in the Northeast had only recently been able to grow a second rice crop. Moreover, farmers living close to an irrigation system can grow both second and third crops.

"It is the hope of farmers in the region to grow second-crop rice. It will also encourage them to focus on commercial cultivation rather than just feeding their family," said Chanchai.


If the government were able to develop the irrigation system throughout the 19 provinces in the Northeast, it would increase rice production by 30 million tonnes.

Second- and third-crop rice is expected to yield 800-900 kilogrammes per rai.

So far, farmers in Karasin and Roi Et who are situated around the irrigation system from the Lampao Dam, have been able to farm second and third crops each year.

However, this cultivation is mainly focused on white rice rather than jasmine rice, as the latter requires a longer harvest period.

While data show global rice consumption reaching 433 million tonnes last year, the world stockpile plunged from 170 million tonnes to 80 million tonnes. Global rice trading is 29 million tonnes a year, of which Thailand exports about 30 per cent.

Chanchai said Thai rice growers should concentrate on high-yield crops in order to reduce production costs, as this would strengthen the Kingdom's export competitiveness.

Lower production costs would allow Thai rice exporters to quote lower prices and also allow developing countries that are major rice consumers greater access to a key staple food.

He added that rice prices in the second half of the year should be brighter.

[bankadon]

We have a cricket-farm. We breed crickets indoor. There is some work involved but the profit is about 50 procent. We were worried in the beginning to find enough people who wanted to buy them every 2 months, but now we can't even produce enough crickets. At the moment we produce 100 kg every 2 months but that will raise every cropp.
I built the farm for my wife as an insurance. The investment in building the farm I considder as lost.
The farm is big enough for a production of 400 - 500kg. We hope to reach 250kg within another year.
You find some pictures on our website: www.bankadon.info
Always welcome to take a look. Better phone first.
Ludo and Yai

[freshy]

Some village pictures : http://www.buriramexpats.com/gallery/?album=1&gallery=5&nggpage=4

Do you own a farm?

Invested in a farm?

Is it worth it to invest in a farm? If yes,what's the best thing to grow?

Tell us about it !

My opinion is Rubber farm making good money.
Started to make money from the rubber's water when the rubber trees is about 7 years old and can make money from the rubber's water for about 15 years, after that can sell the rubber trees for the funiture factory.

[freshy]

We have a cricket-farm. We breed crickets indoor. There is some work involved but the profit is about 50 procent. We were worried in the beginning to find enough people who wanted to buy them every 2 months, but now we can't even produce enough crickets. At the moment we produce 100 kg every 2 months but that will raise every cropp.
I built the farm for my wife as an insurance. The investment in building the farm I considder as lost.
The farm is big enough for a production of 400 - 500kg. We hope to reach 250kg within another year.
You find some pictures on our website: www.bankadon.info
Always welcome to take a look. Better phone first.
Ludo and Yai

I like it and most of Thai people like it also. High protein & Calcium.
 

[isanbirder]

We have about 85 rai under ordinary white rice (not Hom mali);  the lowest price we have ever had is Bt. 8 per kilo.  Last year we got about Bt. 14-15.  If you hold it and sell at the right time you may get Bt.20.  Considering the cost of land, and the risks (as I write we have several rai under water... I mean water over the top of the rice), this is a miserable return.  I would be happy to change the crop, but like most farmers we need an annual income from the land, so cannot grow rubber or eucalyptus, which take several years to produce a money-yielding crop.  For vegetable crops, we would need more labour... and the labour available in our village is unreliable, to put it mildly.  Our best profit-maker is our pig farm, which currently has about 80 breeding sows.