The yield of rice in Thailand
A while back there was a reader question about the yield of rice cultivation. I can tell you something about that because this year I helped my Thai girlfriend with the rice harvest.
My girlfriend grew rice on about 6 rai of land. The yield was a total of 25 bags of 85 kg, so a total of about 2.125 kg. From articles in the Bangkok Post, I know that the government's guaranteed price is 12 bath/kg. If you are registered as a grower, the government pays a better price. A family member sold for 18 baht/kg. This may be reduced by a tax assessment now and in the future.
Registered farmers can sell up to 400.000 baht to the government. I have not read the exact regulation but heard it said. My girlfriend is not registered but is completely happy if she gets 15 baht per kilo.
She sells about 20 bags, so 1.700 kg. The rest stock to eat for a year. If she has 1700 kg x 15 bath = 25.500, she has earned about 5000 bath and can eat all year round. She has invested approximately 20.000 baht. Tractor, seed, fertilizer, machine for pick-up, transport home, jute bags, etc. Of those 5000.- baht, she still has to pay for the transport to the Depot. This is possible with the local bus, you pay per bag. On November 25, 2013, at a depot along road 218, I saw that 12,5 bath/kg was offered.
I hope my information is clear
Antonius PJ Steehouder
Yes bags of 85 kilos that I have not yet come across that can be lifted, they must be very heavy for a Thai even for me and I am a big guy after all.
And count on a price of 14 baht brown rice thought those sacks weighed around 25kg and not 85kg.
Yes bags of 85 kilos I have not yet come across ???? where do you sit ???? Have you seen those bags on the back of pick up trucks? You may be confused with supermarket bags. I can guarantee you that those burlap sacks of rice weigh at least 80-85 kilos. The price of rice depends on the type of rice, moisture content, etc. There are many different prices for the different types of rice, just like yours in the Netherlands, you have different potatoes that do not all have the same price. Just go into a rice field and see how those bags are loaded on a truck …. still old-fashioned in pairs and not like in Holland 25 kg per bag. If you know what I mean .
Dear JM, you ask where I am now in the middle of rice fields. My wife has 11 rai rice fields, I have 4 next to the house, the rest are sold for 14 baht per kilo of glutinous rice.
Now I'm 200% sure that they weigh 25 to 28 kilos, did you put it on the scale yourself today??
So don't come with bags of 85 kilos I haven't seen those in 14 years here in the isaan I don't know where you are but I'm sure.
Dear Robert, as you can read in the story, 1700 kg is sold in 20 bags, which means if you divide 1700 by 20, you get 85, ie 1700 kg divided by 20 is 85 kg per bag. I don't know where you put the rice in bags, but I would just ask your wife what kind of bags they put the rice in, Earlier in the story there is talk of 6 rai times 25 bags of 85 kg is 2125 kg. Not for one thing or another … but do check with your wife, maybe you have lost a few pounds in all those years.
Small detail, as Mr. Steehouder said his land is on 218 or at least close to it, which is between nangrong and buriram and I think Buriram is still in the isaan.
Dear reader/writer,
Every month I buy a number of bags of rice from a wholesaler.
Of course I don't know if the bags of rice from the farmer to the wholesaler are the same bags as they are sold at the wholesaler.
The large bags of rice that I buy contain 49 kilos.
Hua.
The government pays 15.000 baht for a ton of white rice and 20.000 baht for a ton of Hom Mali (jasmine rice). But that amount depends on the humidity level, the presence of impurities and the type of rice. In practice, farmers receive less. A maximum of 350.000 baht of rice may be surrendered per family. In the second crop, 13.000 baht is paid for white rice up to a maximum of 300.000 baht.
Earn 6 bath with 5000 rai of land. And eat free rice all year round. So much effort for so little money. Isn't it more profitable to grow something else?
Below the story written 15.11.21013 about the harvest of the mother of my Thai girlfriend.
Is very similar to the posted article and a strong piece of Thai arithmetic:
Mama van Nan grows rice on a small plot.
The result is about 45 sacks of brown rice, which makes 40 sacks of hulled rice.
40 bags of 50 kg is 2000 kilos x 15 baht => 30.000 baht.
The purchase of rice plants and fertilizer 10.000 baht
The cost of harvesting 5 men x 300 baht 7 days 10.000 baht
That has to be deducted from the farm costs for storage and milling into normal white rice. approx. 6.000 baht.
Income 30.000-/- incurred costs 26.000 => 4.000 baht net profit.
Nan was in bed this afternoon and came up with the comment that it was much smarter to buy the rice at 15 baht per kilo, because much of the rice is now given to the relatives for free.
So no planting and harvesting, no traveling to the North and no getting tired.
Finally the coin has dropped.
Every time we have to conclude that Thais like to do things because they get money for it, but they never take into account the costs incurred for this.
Moral of the story: our Western influence is finally coming through, but we still have a long way to go.
The words “enlargement of scale” and “cooperation” have yet to be implemented.
A Thai entrepreneur explained to me about all the costs and from this I could conclude that plots must be at least 100 rai (160.000 m2) in order to work profitably and to harvest mechanically.
PS: This calculation example does not take into account the quality of the rice or humidity.