All farming in Thailand is a bad idea IMO.Originally Posted by GracelessFawn
All farming in Thailand is a bad idea IMO.Originally Posted by GracelessFawn
Last edited by Pragmatic; 09-10-2016 at 06:28 AM.
Hmmm, I like pigs. Could be better than growing Pomello.
Growing bananas is another alternative. Its way better than cassava, as its production starts 1.5 years after planting, and will be in production til 5-6 yrs old. After that, you have to start planting new ones coz production level of very old bananas will diminish, and the banana fruits that it will produce will not be up to par with acceptable market standards. You have to keep in mind that bananas are meant to be inter cropped with another plant like rubber. At least, you start seeing a bit of income after 1.5 yrs, rather than waiting for 5-7 yrs for the rubber to be in production. It won't make as much as rubber trees, but its still a quick source of income, none the less. By the time the banana production slows down, your rubber trees will be ready or almost ready for production.
I am so unlucky that if I fall into a barrel full of D*ick**s, I'd come out sucking my own thumb!
Pigs if farmed as fatteners for meat in the market, usually generate income in four months time. One pig, if given proper care and the right amount of nutrients, will make you 2-3k net profit. That's after you deduct operational expenses, food, injections like Dectomax, Belamyl, ADE, etc.
Unlike banana farming, wherein most work are done routinely like the clearing, fertilizing, and harvesting, pigs require loads of time, attention and work on a daily basis. You have to clean and feed them at least, twice a day. This is assuming that you've provided a water drinker for them to suck on. If not, you will need to manually provide them with water, throughout the day.
The best part about pig farming is that you don't need a big stretch of land to start one. You just need a bit of land to build your farm on. Banana farming, on the other hand, would need a considerable stretch of land, which could be very expensive.
The downside to pig farming is that you have to repeat the process every four months, in order to make profit. The bananas, once they are established, you just clear them routinely every four months (maybe, even six months if the dry season is approaching), and harvest every two weeks, making money every two weeks, for 5-6 yrs.
In the end, it all boils down to your preferences and the resources you have at hand.
Can't you just grow pigs in a box like the good old days?
Well done ,finally somebody has answered the OP question, can you make a living out of livestock.
Moo dam is the latest craze - farm raised boars.
They grow slower and are very shy, fetch a much higher price.
I guess, one can. I wouldn't advice it though. Boxes are too hot, hard to clean, and does not have enough air circulation. If your pigs are not happy, they are irritable, their appetite is affected, they become restless and they create way too much noise. These factors could slow down their growth.
If you have a problem with space, keeping them in narrow pens make sense. Also, it minimizes their movements to some degree, maintaining their metabolism on the low side, encouraging faster growth. Pens are also easier to clean and have better air circulation.
Over the years met many who have tried pig farming, none where successful, lots of reasons.
Generally, farangs and Thais know little about pigs, it's a complex business, not only figuring out costs, pigs eat a lot, so food cost can out way sale prices.
You need to be well up on how to keep the pigs healthy, one sick pig will infect the whole sty, very easy to lose any profits if the pigs start dieing.
The only farang that I have met that made pigs profitable, was forced to shut up shop by the Government.
This, no problem, no one cares works fine, until someone complains, then you find that the limit for subsistence farms is [think] 10 pigs, after that you are a tax paying business and all the regulations come into force.
All types of farming have a size, turn over limit, that means you are no longer a peon, subsistence farmer, but a business, once a business, all the regulations, environmental, health certificates and planing permission etc come into force.
My advice to anyone trying any farming here, is don't listen to the locals, get government information, be legal, be safe.
+1 ^ What Jim said
Very, very few make any money farming here.
The theory and the practise do not align.
In 'theory' you could possibly turn some coin, but in reality, you are just pissing into the wind.
A commercial piggery is out of the questions, as outlined by Jim above.
Ditto a commercial Turkey Farm, who was run out of business by local competitors.
Mushroom Farming shows some slight promise. Met a Thai Mushroom Farmer who happily shares his secrets (a rare breed) and he turns a modest profit.
Us? ... we are Fish Farmers and turn a profit. A very modest profit.
Went a Farmers meeting in Thailand. Chock full of professional farmers back in the West. No-one ... not one was turning a profit. There was talk of 'next year' ... maybe. In two years ... 'sure' ... I'm not holding my breath.
When you breath, shit and live on a Thai Farm, the realities of same hit home.
Thai Farmers ... incredibly resourceful at reducing their input costs, as it's one of the few variables they have control over.
Couple of guys making some coin in Rubber ... Jim rules the forest there.
BTW ... check out the pleasures of making charcoal ... https://teakdoor.com/living-in-thaila...al-making.html (Thailand - Charcoal making)
It's a shame isn't it.
Every now and then she comes up with some land that's for sale and my answer is always the same; Can we make any money out of it?
The answer is invariably "No".
So, why would we bother.
Our valley is incredibly fertile producing masses of Pomello and also rice, corn, tobacco, etc etc.
But, inevitably, the productive profit making land is never going to be sold and why take on the risk of a loss making few rai that will just sit there and become overgrown.
We've talked about fish farming but it seems like a disaster waiting to happen. I remember Daltons reports on his fish farm and it all sounds like too much work for very little return.
I would consider getting 3-4 rai and digging out a bit of a lake which we'd stock and then sell off once a year. There are 2 or 3 round here and it's a great weekend of partying and celebration. No profit but bloody good fun. She knocked that idea into touch saying that the locals would steal all the fish ! Oh well.
All good. If in doubt, do nothing.
Not all, but they will help themselves while you're not looking. Even from our small basin in front of the house.Originally Posted by crackerjack101
Indeed. She pointed out that the other 2 lakes in our area where they do this, the owners live on site and guard the fish with their lives. Fuc that for a laugh.Originally Posted by stroller
A few of these, strategically placed, should provide an ample learning experience:
I thought after a banana tree fruits you cut it back after you take the ripe bananas . And it then automatically grows a new shoot at the base. That's how they grow here. Are you in England?Originally Posted by GracelessFawn
Last edited by Pragmatic; 09-10-2016 at 07:50 PM.
Around here the elephants push them over for you!Originally Posted by Pragmatic
Coffee is an easy growing plant, good prices for the dried or roasted beans. Always a market for coffee, it's a hard drug to kick. That is unitl the elephants get the taste for it.
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