Thread: Thai farmers poorest in ASEAN

Thai farmers are the poorest among other farmers in Asean countries with their net profit after rice sales falling to1,555.97 baht/ton.

Besides, production cost of Thai farmers is also the highest among other rice growing countries in ASEAN.

According to the survey of the Centre for International Trade Study of the University of Thai Chamber of Commerce, Thai farmers have the least profit from rice sales because of higher production cost.

It said production cost/ton of rice paid by Thai farmers is 9,763.40 baht while rice harvest yields 450 kilogrammes per rai.

They obtained 11,319.37 baht/ton from rice sale. After cost deduction Thai farmers earned just 1,555.97 baht as net profit from a ton of rice sold or 28,035.50 baht earning per year, or 51.08% less than Vietnamese farmers.

For Vietnamese farmers, the survey found that production cost is 4,070.76 baht/ton while rice yield is 900 kilogrammes/rai.

Vietnamese farmers get 7,215.50 baht/ton from rice sales. But after cost deduction, they earned 3,180.74 baht/ton from rice sales, or 54,217.23 baht per year.

Earnings of Thai farmers are also lower than Myanmar farmers.

It said Myanmar farmers have rice production cost of 7,121.76 baht/ton, but they get 10,605.86 baht/ton from rice sales. After cost, they still have 3,484.1 baht as profit, or 55.34% higher than Thai famers’ earnings.

Thai farmers poorest in ASEAN | Thai PBS English News

I wonder how that came about...

Doesn't mention what costs, can't imagine that fertilizer or fuel costs vary that much throughout SEA.
Could be cost of machine harvesting, verses hand harvesting. Jim

Also, probably most inefficient and lazy

Maybe that'll teach them to accumulate bad karma in their past lives.

The problem with these stats is that a comparison reflecting the Thai table position is actually quite misleading and probably pointless. Thai farming is split between two camps, those in Isaan and those who ain't.

In Isaan, and I mean that region ENE of Khorat where the escarpment slopes towards Cambodia, it is the usual practice for farming to be limited to one rice harvest a year because it simply doesn't rain for 6 months plus and water is at a premium. Based on that restricted yield and the fact that the soil is poor and requires more and more fertilser to replenish lost nitrogen etc it is scarcely surprising that his profit ratio to investment is piss poor. The Isaan factor drags down the average yield overall of Thailand hence the distorted picture.

But the inference that the Isaan farmer is perforce the poorer is deeply flawed since three important factors are ignored:

1. He has time to work in the year elsewhere earning income from construction etc.

2. His daughters provide a ready annual source of fodder for the Thai leisure industry and remit home. Sons of course can provide a contribution but in the main they are too feckless and indolent to be relied upon to any statistical significance.

3. Foreign remittances received by Isaan farmers from successfully exported daughters and from their ensnared farang.

Silly article really and of little use.

Originally Posted by flyfisher davis

I wonder how that came about...

Control and suppression.
Vacancy to have the freedom to create business on the open and free market.

Agriculture mafias.

never mind , we have just learnt that their happiness has increased by 88.6 %