rchapstick Posted February 28, 2004 Report Share Posted February 28, 2004 Obviously rice farming is VERY profitable. Thats why so many rice farmers' daughters wind up selling their tails in Nana Plaza to support their otherwise rich families. Seriously, the only people who make decent livings farming operate very large scale farms (5000+ acres) growing highly subsidized or price controlled commodities (e.g. sugar) or grow highly specialized crops (organic heirloom tomatoes) that command premium prices. I cannot imagine why anyone would willingly invest in a sub-scale agricultural business, given the uncertainties in weather, commodity prices, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckwoww Posted February 28, 2004 Report Share Posted February 28, 2004 <Obviously rice farming is VERY profitable. Thats why so many rice farmers' daughters wind up selling their tails in Nana Plaza to support their otherwise rich families.> It also explains why you don't see too many Thai/Chinese up to their knees in hot mud. They prefer selling pumps and pesticide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belem Posted February 28, 2004 Report Share Posted February 28, 2004 LaoHuLi said:Well Lanna Thai (land of a million rice fields) has done ok with it. Thai rice is a premium product in the west and a smart marketer could do some things with even a small operation ....... same with coffee. Here in the US, jasmine rice from Thailand is very expensive. Every time I look for it at my local supermarket, it is almost always sold out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 28, 2004 Report Share Posted February 28, 2004 >>>I cannot imagine why anyone would willingly invest in a sub-scale agricultural business, given the uncertainties in weather, commodity prices, etc. <<< small scale farming - forget profits. but there is a model that works, a subsistence farming systhem. there won't be any profits than subsistence plus a small amount of cash from whatever can be sold. the reason to invest into such a model is to stop further social erosion, to bring back stability into families who have no other usable skills, so that their children might have a chance to finish school, get an education and maybe have one day the opportunity to become members of modern globalised society. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 28, 2004 Report Share Posted February 28, 2004 Belem said: Here in the US, jasmine rice from Thailand is very expensive. Every time I look for it at my local supermarket, it is almost always sold out. yeah, but it's the ricemills and the exporters and importers who make the profits. the small farmers are scraping by, most are heavily inebted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 28, 2004 Report Share Posted February 28, 2004 >>>I imagine being a rice farmer is a bit of a precarious occupation. Interestingly the wifes family left Petchabun 10 years age when the crops failed repeatedly.<<< precarious? :: most ricefarmers are absolutely fucked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 28, 2004 Report Share Posted February 28, 2004 OK, so set up a small co-operative, insure #1 farming methods including Certified Organic, keep it small enough to avoid the bureaucracy and then market it to specialty distributors and retailers in high end markets. A lot of work ..... damn straight, but big rewards all the way around as well. If major financing was necessary, approach the ethical growth funds .. etc. etc........... these things can be done if people really want to out the effort in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thalenoi Posted February 28, 2004 Report Share Posted February 28, 2004 From what I hear from the gf her parents grow rice to eat. Their children work elswehere to provide for their other needs. Very sad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 28, 2004 Report Share Posted February 28, 2004 LaoHuLi said:OK, so set up a small co-operative, insure #1 farming methods including Certified Organic, keep it small enough to avoid the bureaucracy and then market it to specialty distributors and retailers in high end markets. A lot of work ..... damn straight, but big rewards all the way around as well. If major financing was necessary, approach the ethical growth funds .. etc. etc........... these things can be done if people really want to out the effort in. the huge problem with that is that so many families are far gone already. traditional structures have eroded almost completely, and a family who has been for a ecade or two reduced to being lanless farmlabours have a completely different outlook on life. it takes years to change that way of thinking back into the one of a farmer who has to plan seasonal as opposed to the farmlabourer who thinks just day by day. a true sysyphus work... a major headache for me the last years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 28, 2004 Report Share Posted February 28, 2004 understood .......... but then.. what else are you doing with the next 10 or 20 years of your life ......... DON'T answer that ............. I KNOW you have other plans Just saying that these things can be acomplished, just needs someone to guide the path. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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