Tough times down on the farm ...

[Smiles]

" ... Would not lower gas prices help your guy? And everyone else?

Of Course.

But evidently, you think I am absurd ...

Not in the least. I think your analysis of the situation is absurd. (You're trying too hard). ... "

So we can agree to disagree. Right?

Cheers ...

With the high prices of agricultural products - esp. rice - the Thai farmers should make a killing this year.

Alas, most are too poor to have the capital to invest heavily in their crops right now and don't have a large enough landholding to make it worthwhile.

Boyfriend's family goes to the Bank of Uncle Kenny where they get a generous rate of 0% on no money down loans with infinitely long repayment scheduals.
This year they sold the damn cows (at a loss) and used the money to buy a new rice tractor, rent out 10 more rai of land and buy seed. ( My contribution was the fertilizer).

I certainly hope smiles sent him a nice big fat money transfer to cover all those "hardship". A condo for a country gentleman? Isn't he spending more and more time "down park" potting up curcuma?

Ethiopia is of course a different story and again raising its bony ribs from memories of past horrific tragedy. Crops goats Camels and then people are dying as I type. Drought the last insult on a people well used to extreme hardship.


ps Cost of fuel has gone down here yesterday, think this might happen across Asia

Lucky Suphot and the rest: fuel prices down with approx. THB 4 per liter!!

So Suphot, tonight's Tom Yam Kung night!!

[lo-so]

Is the family not benefiting from the even bigger percentage rise in the price of rice? (assuming they are rice farmers)

I can't think of a single year over the past twenty years where rural families didn't complain about how tough they were having it. Kind of the same thing with Pattaya bar owners.

[lo-so]

A rising tide lifts all boats - a number of bar boys have gone home in the prospect of a slightly better financial position. I do wonder in which country do farmers say they are doing ok??

[Davey612]

However, lots of teenagers seem to prefer polar bears over human beans.

It will be interesting to see how this all plays out.

Henry, human beans? Do you mean the bean counters, aka, accountants?

Is it me, or Henry is actually the founder of gaythailand in disquise. That is the only other person who can have a harem of guys around him.

Oh, Smiles, regarding what is going on over there. Yes, it is tough, but then I doubt it has ever been easy. Remember the 1997 crisis?

...and regarding the comment about food products bringing a better price for farmers. No. The cost of production has gone up. Guess which company is one of the best performers in the U.S. stock market? Potash. Yup, a company that produces fertilizers.

I seem to remember the Thai government telling farmers not to go mad and plant more rice simply because of the rice shortage, as the price would come tumbling down with the surplus expected this year. Lets hope they didn't cut all the mango trees down to make more rice fields. Then again the remaining mango farmers will be smiling.

We were expecting a shortage of rice, it never came. Tons of Thai rice on the shelves. The biggest fear would be that we would be forced to eat Chinese rice, far lower quality than Thai rice to the discerning Hong Kong palates.

Is the family not benefiting from the even bigger percentage rise in the price of rice? (assuming they are rice farmers)

The money is made by middlemen; most rice farmers are mired in poverty whatever the retail price is.

Well they could if a) they have a few hundred rai of land and b)they have irrigated land and thus can get 3 crops a year. But then we're talking about central plains farmers who benefitted from the vast irrigation projects of King Chulalongkorn. When you fly into Bangkok haven't you ever noticed the long streches of large rectanglular farms that seem to go on forever and are criss-crossed by canals? That didn't just fall out of the sky that way. It was all built early in the last century. Oh, and by the way, that land was then handed out to the elite Princes and well connected politicians and businessmen.
And have you ever notice flying over Isaan how that regularity disappears and all the farms look like small crazy-quilt patchwork with no canals? No canals=no regular water=only one crop a year dependent on the monsoon rains.

Middlemen always take a cut, but with small farms and little product the cut hurts a lot more.

I can't think of a single year over the past twenty years where rural families didn't complain about how tough they were having it....

Maybe because they are having it tough? Have you seen the way the Peasants live? Do you ever get out of the Castle?

.... I do wonder in which country do farmers say they are doing ok??

Uh, the United States? Ever since Nancy Pelosi clicked her Ruby Slippers together (not golden slippers Henry Cate) and passed the biggest boondoggle Farm Bill in history. A bill, I might add, passed overwhelmingly by both Democrats AND Republicans.

Pity the only Thai politician in 1000 years to try to do anything for the rural poor was Thaksin and looked what the Old Guard did to him. And the huffing and puffing about him by the Farang community probably had more to do with his closing the bars early than any of his other policies.

Instead of being so eager to pass judgement try listening to what the boys are saying about their family life. Try reading between the lines. And if you really care, go for a visit and see how they live.

But then again, maybe just fcuk 'em and pay 'em and don't worry about it.