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Scottish Gary

Its aways interesting to see the different variations of farming that members on here indulge in. We've had rice,cassava, potatoes, pigs, fish, rubber, mushrooms, bananas and probably a few more that i cant remember. So what is the NO1. What one brings in the most bucks.

jojo333

Palm oil

Thetyim

Prices vary, harvests vary, demand varies.
I very much doubt there is a best crop.
The best you can do is to grow 2 or 3 to help even it out and stop having any disaster years

hillbilly

I have looked and looked for such a product. Basically, I found out there is no such crop. But, I still have not given up yet.

tsicar

ask the thais:


they make their only profit when there is a disaster.
government loans, bailouts, etc.

all farming in thailand is very small profit stuff; enough to pay for some basic electricity and booze. for the rest of the year you do ok if you are prepared to eat lizards and rice and shit.
trick is to do it cleverer than the thais do. not difficult, and ok as a sideline, but it's probably not gonna support a farang lifestyle.
i saw some do ok on rubber, but you need vast tracts of land and lots of time.
to get back your initial investment may never happen.

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Attilla the Hen

Manow (Thai limes).
The price increases every year.

dirtydog

Dragon fruit, but you need to be in a high rainfall area, ie Chanthaburi, too much work if your in Isaan.

Perota

A neighbor just rented 100 rais to grow ... water melons.

If everything goes according to plan he expects to make a nice profit within a couple of month.

hillbilly

When I go upcountry to P-Lok we have a truck come by weekly loaded with watermelons. B5 per melon. I do not see much profit.

Nawty

Perota....why not start a thread and document it....get some ideas of what his costs are and what he is putting on it.

Would love to know how much poisons and what type they use in particular.

Take pics.

jandajoy

Pomello!

Harvest time here, pretty much.

Being sold for 10-15 baht ea.

retailing at 45 +

blauton

what`s with vanillabeans, or medical herbs for traditional chinese medicine....

aging one

Wifes family has always padded the farm with baby corn. Always turns a nice profit. Now we are hoping to clean the whole thing up for export.

Lum Khaan

Gecko farm…..

According to today’s Thai Raith Newspaper (original posting at http://www.thairath.co.th/content/region/94134') which tells the story of how a remote Issan village in Nakhon Phanom province is defying the drought problems and current economic downturn by exporting dried gecko, earthworms and leech’s. This business model currently has a turnover of more than 10 million baht per month.

China and Taiwan appear to be the primary customers where the ingredients are cooked up and made into a tonic.

Not many rai or heavy machinery is needed to setup a gecko farm, you just need quick reactions and a long stick to keep whacking those gecko’s over the head.

Perota

Sorry I'm not there full time. Just what I now : specially selected seeds, seeds are first grown in nursery before being put in the soil. No weed killer, workers work every day with the iron buffalo to remove the weeds between the rows.

I should go back in a week or so, I will take and post more pictures then

And the guy is a businessman, not a local farmer (land is rented), he has all the right connection to sell his fruits.

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nevets

The farms around us went over to long banana but i didn't want to , it seems it was a good idea as we are getting 20b a hand and it will go up my wife said.
Our small banana are bringing in a nice little income on the side which is nice. We have 15000 sqm.

sabang

Sugar cane is a star performer the last couple of years.

El Gibbon

Just curious. How many stalks of bananas from a single plant? It was/is my understanding that you only got one fruiting per plant and then it was useless. It must be quite a process to continue removing non-productive plants so that the others on the rhizome can produce.

E. G.

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genghis61

the family far I'm staying on is managed by gf's b-in-law, smart guy he also works for (sp) or bor tor 3 days a weeks as some kind of farm advisor/inspector so well in touch with trends/prices.

Diverse. They have a mix of crops - some rice, but more sugar, cassava, eucalyptus at 5 and 7 years that they won't sell for another few years, a big new planting of euc last month. Also mushrooms and corn on land they lease out on 40/60 - or is it 60/40 profit share basis.

But the best income of all has come from the big blue tractor - contracting work. Whenever the $ from a crop comes in it's spent on another gadget/attachment for the tractor - sugar payment a few months back bought some big rippers, and a new Honda for their daughter. Very fortunate that they're in no debt. It blows away the myth of subsistence farming there's no great extravagances but they're certainly not hard-up.

Bung

I read an article in the BP about these farmers growing earth worms around Phitsanolouk. Seems they started small and then couldn't keep up with demand selling them to the market gardeners. Easy to look after, may be worth looking into.

jamescollister

If you have the time, money and the will to keep going rubber is the way to go. We started tapping our first trees last year and opened another 1000 this year. We now make enough that I have given up work in OZ. Not making a fortune [yet], but will open more trees as the years go by. Just have to hope the price stays over 90 baht and life will be good. Jim

dirtydog

earth worms seem to be catching on big here in Pattaya, should be easy to breed as they are both sexes, or is that all 3?

Nawty

Always wondered what rubber trees make....tell us per rai what you put in your pocket.

Also, best not to ever rely on a 'price' to stay the same to be profitable, it will tank one day for sure, has in the past, will again.

Loy Toy

Mushrooms, and the expensive Chinese type are becoming quite popular here and apparently get a good return at the markets.

My wife has been on to me about doing something and my partner in Bangkok has a farm growing them. Best I get off my mushroom arse and learn more about it.

Norton

Always thought Durian would be a good profitable crop. Anyone know if it is?