The Price of Rice

A

AussieBill

Guest
Since there has been such a fall in the prices received by farmers for their rice harvests in the past few months, do I assume that the same reduction applies to the retail price of buying a sack of rice (50kg or 100kg)?

Who are the lucky ones? Our Members who don't have a rice farm or is it the middle men pocketing greater profits?
 
There is certainly a massive Chinese influence in the business world of Surin. I thought they ran gold shops and emporiums (Tasmanians do not enter gold shops that are painted red and yellow), but it seems they have their noses into just about everything at the profitable levels.

Does anybody know how much a sack of rice costs, compared with last year?
 
I can only predict that a sack of rice (c. 80kg) will be sold for 1/10th of the price that you will eventually be required to buy it in Tesco-Lotus.
 
The headline rate yesterday on the Buriram Road Mill out of Prakhonchai was 11bt.. Given that they will find something wrong with the rice being sold to them, sellers can expect 9.50/10.00bt kilo.

Bought (on Tesco promotion) good jasmine rice last week at 169bt for 5kg
 
We bought 3 x 25 kg bags of Thai Jasmine rice on our return to Darwin.
Using todays exchange rate, we paid 60 baht per kilo.
 
I guess the short story is that the price crash is not being passed on to consumers at all. So the poor village farmer sells most of his rice at a pittance to cover debts and then has to buy it back later for consumption at a much-inflated cost. Asked around last night and it seemed that 50kg could cost 1,300-1,500 baht retail, depending on quality.
 
AussieBill said:
I guess the short story is that the price crash is not being passed on to consumers at all. So the poor village farmer sells most of his rice at a pittance to cover debts and then has to buy it back later for consumption at a much-inflated cost. Asked around last night and it seemed that 50kg could cost 1,300-1,500 baht retail, depending on quality.
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That is not a bad summation AB, about being ripped of by middle men. But one thing at least you are wrong about. No rice farmer goes to the shop and buys rice. We always keep some for our own consumption in the year. Each tambon has a community rice mill for this purpose.
 
Rice said:
That is not a bad summation AB, about being ripped of by middle men. But one thing at least you are wrong about. No rice farmer goes to the shop and buys rice. We always keep some for our own consumption in the year. Each tambon has a community rice mill for this purpose.
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I have seen rice farmers go to the shop to buy rice.
 
AussieBill said:
I have seen rice farmers go to the shop to buy rice.
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I guess who said they were smart? If they were they would not be rice farmers. I only do it because I MUST ! The families heads would explode if they did not.
Dear leader says we grow too much rice and should diversify, but into what he has no idea, as there is no market for other stuff. Rubber well that's stuffed. Sugar cane. How do you grow that in low laying rice paddy? I think the only answer is Soy Bean and that is grown in the rice of season. I think you would need a ship load of water in storage for that even.
 
For us, growing rice is just a hobby and a means of my GL getting plenty of rice to eat. I try to get her to actually tabulate the sums on total costs vs income + value of rice retained, but she always seems vague and irritated if I push the issue.
 
AussieBill said:
For us, growing rice is just a hobby and a means of my GL getting plenty of rice to eat. I try to get her to actually tabulate the sums on total costs vs income + value of rice retained, but she always seems vague and irritated if I push the issue.
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I have done this many times AB and I can tell you hitting a profit is marginal at best. Your GL would know this as well, and does not want to burden you with this knowledge, as it would.
Because being a smart girl she knows you will say "Why the hell do it" Because we all know it is more economical if you have other income source just to buy your rice from the shop.
But then again her head might explode if she did not farm rice. There we have dear leader saying DON'T grow rice. I am still trying to work this out.
 
It is that time of year again. I just had a talk with the Father in law. He tells me 5 Baht will be the norm this year. He does not know how people will break even this year.
With classic Thai farmer stoicism he said they will muddle on somehow. He seemed a bit despondent though and he is backed by a farang!
How are others going to cope that don't have such backing? On the bright side he said "if the rice is A1 you will get 6 Baht", Oh Gee!
 
6 n KC and 7 n Surin. Thank You Bitch LuckYing. May all of your c**t hairs be pulled out by the roots.:eek::rolleyes::D
 
gotlost said:
6 n KC and 7 n Surin. Thank You Bitch LuckYing. May all of your c**t hairs be pulled out by the roots.:eek::rolleyes::D
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That is popularism takes you. Dead end polices. They seem to of buried the debt bomb story of the new car saga.
I bet that one has not gone away either.
 
I was watching a UK food program this morning in which they asked why is risotto rice twice the price of long-grain rice. The Italian producer interviewed explained that the yeild from Arborio and Carnaroli is significantly lower than long-grained rice. Has anyone grown this in Thailand? Would it survive the conditions here? (the Italian said that he grows rice in paddies simply to maintain the correct temperature for growth; day and night, and season to season.) I know nothing about rice growing, nor do I intend starting now. I do buy risotto rice though - when I can find it! There's a high-end supermarket stocking it in the Promenade mall in Bangkok, but I haven't seen it on sale locally.
 
Merlin said:
I was watching a UK food program this morning in which they asked why is risotto rice twice the price of long-grain rice. The Italian producer interviewed explained that the yeild from Arborio and Carnaroli is significantly lower than long-grained rice. Has anyone grown this in Thailand? Would it survive the conditions here? (the Italian said that he grows rice in paddies simply to maintain the correct temperature for growth; day and night, and season to season.) I know nothing about rice growing, nor do I intend starting now. I do buy risotto rice though - when I can find it! There's a high-end supermarket stocking it in the Promenade mall in Bangkok, but I haven't seen it on sale locally.
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There may be a farang somewhere that talked his boss into a rai or so but over all no such thing happening in Thailand. Isaan is known for Jasmine and that is all that counts for them. You may find some organic rice but not much as it is cost prohibitive.
 
gotlost said:
There may be a farang somewhere that talked his boss into a rai or so but over all no such thing happening in Thailand. Isaan is known for Jasmine and that is all that counts for them. You may find some organic rice but not much as it is cost prohibitive.
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Just a side note. SWMBO made up by her own secret recipe about 5 tones and yes I said 5 tones of organic SHIT of the finest quality. She originally was going to use this for 6 rai of organic rice but with the screwing by Yingluck she decided to us this very fine shit on the rest of her 8 rai organic garden. There is no profit only lost again this year for rice at 5 to 7 baht per kilo you figure.
 
Merlin said:
I was watching a UK food program this morning in which they asked why is risotto rice twice the price of long-grain rice. The Italian producer interviewed explained that the yeild from Arborio and Carnaroli is significantly lower than long-grained rice. Has anyone grown this in Thailand? Would it survive the conditions here? (the Italian said that he grows rice in paddies simply to maintain the correct temperature for growth; day and night, and season to season.) I know nothing about rice growing, nor do I intend starting now. I do buy risotto rice though - when I can find it! There's a high-end supermarket stocking it in the Promenade mall in Bangkok, but I haven't seen it on sale locally.
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Never say never. I have a farmer friend who grows the Southern Thailand variety of pineapples here in Isaan. Everyone said it couldn't be done including the local farming/horticultural big wigs. He invited them all back a year later to see a field full of pineapples.
Guess what..........
They are growing them now in the Adult Education School!


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