With
such geographic advantages, Thailand is ideal for rice cultivation. Its
ubiquitous network of streams, swamps, canals, and basins provides a constant
source of freshwater fish for the locals. The southern coastal waters of
the Gulf of Thailand on the east side of the panhandle and of the Andaman
Sea on the west make for a further source of marine fauna.Agriculture is the principal occupation engaged in by over half of the population, and half of these are rice farmers. Likened to the "backbone of the nation," the farmers grow rice to feed the entire population and export the rest to feed many more millions around the world. Other cash crops that make up the agricultural economy include sugar cane, maize, cassava, and an immense variety of fruit, and there are many animal products.
The Long History of Thai Agriculture
Thailand
owes its ideal agricultural conditions to its alluvial valley and plentiful
water supply. Importantly, most of the staple food crops are often found
in abundance in the tropical zones, including rice. Rice has always sustained
the Thai people and formed a close bond with the way of life of the Thais
for over 5,000 years. The grain cereal crop not only feeds the people throughout
the land but also plays a very significant role in the history, culture,
society, and economy of the Thai nation.In an agricultural society, rice, as a cereal, is the staff of life and the source of traditions and beliefs; it has played an important role in Thai society since time immemorial, providing a strong foundation for the evolution of all aspects of society and culture. Rice is regarded as a sacred plant with a breath (spirit), a life, and a soul of its own, just like that of human beings. To the Thai people, rice is guarded by the goddess Phosop, who acts as its tutelary deity, and rice itself is considered a "mother" keeping guard over the nation's young and watching over their growth into adulthood.
It may be said that Thailand is one of the world's oldest rice-based civilizations. The evidence of a good quantity of rice in pottery fragments beneath a grave unearthed at Non Noktha village, Nong Na Kham subdistrict, in Khon Kaen province attests to the fact that rice had long been cultivated in this part of the world - for no less than 5,400 years. In the North, at Pung Hung Cave, Mae Hong Son province, rice husks were found in pottery, similarly dating back no less than 5,000 years.
Rice-Sustaining and Shaping Thai Life
Growing rice has been the way of life of Thai farmers since ancient times. Their lifestyle is sifted, molded, and forged in the cradle of a rice civilization, to give rise to exquisite cultural traditions and customs between man and to an immense diversity in its genetic strands. Countries the world over nurture and grow as many as 120,000 varieties of rice.
Rice is a most versatile plant. Normally considered a tropical cereal grain, rice thrives in a variety of extreme conditions and climates, including the temperate zones, for it can grow in lowland or upland environments and can withstand the hot sun and the cold equally well. No doubt this biological adaptation and species diversity are its dominant features - any plant or animal that can readily adapt itself well in a variety of extreme conditions stands a good chance of survival in unpredictable nature.
There are two principal kinds of domesticated rice: Oryza sativa, a species grown in Asia, and O. glaberrima, domesticated in West Africa, but the most prevalent rice varieties grown and sold in the world market come almost exclusively from Asia. By area of cultivation, rice may be classified into three subspecies:
- The indica variety is characterized by a long, oval grain and is grown in the monsoon zones of Asia, primarily China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, India, and Sri Lanka;
- The japonica variety is characterized by plump, oval grains and short stems, and it is grown in the temperate zones, such as Japan and Korea;
- The javanica variety is characterized by a large, plump grain, but it is planted much less than the other types because of its lower yields. It is grown in Indonesia and the Philippines.
In Thailand, there are about 3,500 varieties, ranging from wild rice, local varieties, and breeds newly created by man.
Of the cultivation land utilized by farmers, rice takes up more land than other food crops, making up about 11.3 percent of the entire area of the country. The Central Plains and the Northeast possess larger areas of rice cultivation land, followed by the North and South respectively. Each region grows different types of rice, depending on its geographical conditions.
Thai Fruit, Available the Whole Year Round
The optimum climatic conditions for agriculture and husbandry allow the Thai population to enjoy agricultural produce all year round and to have the reputation of a country known for export produce. The variety of Thai fruits continues to attract perennial interest from people around the world.
Eating seasonal fruit has almost become the national pastime and part of the Thai identity, a reputation befitting Thai fruit, considering that Thai fruit holds longstanding associations with the Thai family. For example, mango comes out in the summer season, durian in the rainy season, longan in the winter.
Famous Thai fruits favored in the country and overseas are numerous:
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Today agriculture in Thailand strives to respond to the major trend in society: awareness of alternative agriculture that relies on organic farming to escape the former vicious cycle of chemical-intensive agriculture. The conventional way has been shown not only to degrade soil quality but also to leave toxic residues and wreak havoc on natural ecology. The main features of organic farming include soil enrichment, ecological balance, and the ability to combat crop enemies with natural materials of biological origin to enhance plant vigor and resistance to natural enemies, such as diseases and pests. The new agriculture aims to serve the growing health awareness among consumers as well as environmental awareness. The new movement gives rise to chemical-free vegetable cultivation that helps to protect farmers from exposure to pesticides and to improve the ecological conditions of the vegetable garden. Farmers can save energy and reduce investments for crop production and yet are rewarded with chemical-free vegetables that taste so much better, are produced in larger quantities, and are in big demand in domestic and overseas markets.
Growing chemical-free vegetables combines techniques for protecting plants and destroying vegetable pests in ways that rely on the reduced use of chemicals and thus produce chemical-free vegetable crops. The popular vegetables include varieties of mustard greens and lettuce, shallot, coriander, morning glory, parsley, kale, and mung bean. The leaves of these vegetables may have holes as a result of insect bites, but they keep fresh for quite a long time and taste so much better than chemically treated vegetables. And when they eventually go off, they do not give out strong smells from pesticides.
In addition, Thai agriculture is turning increasingly to hydroponics, a process of plant cultivation that does not rely on soil for plant growth. The new method represents a timely response to the trend of consumers' demand for pesticide-free vegetables. In the process, plant roots are immersed in water or nutrient solutions. The soil-less cultivation method produces good-quality farm yields that are in big demand. Several agricultural farms in the country are set up specifically to grow cash crops using the hydroponic system. Another system, called "aeroponics" and similar to hydroponics, relies on the spraying of nutrient solutions on the roots periodically throughout a 24-hour period. The method allows plants to receive all the nutrients needed and in sufficient amounts, encouraging speedier plant growth and leading to shorter harvest time and higher yields on a similar scale.
Thai Vegetables and Fruits of Export Quality
In
exporting agricultural produce, the exporters of vegetables and fruits must
obtain a certificate from the Department of Agriculture under the Ministry
of Agriculture and Cooperatives guaranteeing that it is chemical-free. The
officers of the Department of Agriculture must make a random sample check
of the produce before such a certificate can be issued. The amount of sampling
depends on the amount of pesticides expected to contaminate the vegetables
and fruits. Nevertheless, the vegetables and fruits are likely to undergo
another random sample check at the destination country even after the export
has been cleared of the chemical contamination at home; this practice varies
with the conditions, stringent or otherwise, set by each country.
Furthermore,
the Department of Agriculture issued a directive ordering certain categories
of vegetable and fruit exports (whether refrigerated, frozen, or dried,
and whether whole, peeled, or sliced, depending on the type of vegetable
and fruit) to be subject first to inspection for chemicals by the department
even if the importing country does not clearly specify the necessity for
producing such a certificate in the first place, in order to ensure that
all vegetable and fruit exports to various countries do not run into any
trouble. The details on the vegetables and fruits that must undergo inspection
for chemicals are given below:- Twelve kinds of vegetables and fruits to be sent to the European Union and six other countries - Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, China, Malaysia, and the United States: green okra, ginger (tender and mature), baby corn, chili (including dried chilies and cayenne pepper), asparagus, longan, durian, litchi, mangosteen, mango, tamarind (sweet, sour, and young), and pomelo;
-
Twenty-one kinds of vegetables for export to Japan: kale, phak khayaeng,
Asiatic pennywort, phak phraeo, cha-om (acacia), kaffir lime
leaves, okra, coriander, fennel, holy basil, sweet basil, lemongrass, mint,
parsley, khuenchai, hairy basil, sessile joyweed, Holland bean, cabbage,
phak chilao, and water mimosa;
-
Frozen vegetables and fruits, such as asparagus, pineapple, mangosteen,
pigeon peas, potatoes and baby corn; canned vegetables and fruits, such
as various beans, asparagus, and sweet corn, as well as pineapple-stuffed
rambutan, litchi, longan, guava, and various kinds of fruits in syrup; processed
vegetables and fruits, such as dried, preserved, and crystallized or candied;
and pickled vegetables, such as ginger, cucumber, Chinese-style vegetable
pickle, eggplant, and bamboo shoots.
In
addition to the standardization and quality measures for the agricultural
produce of Thailand, as executed by the Department of Agriculture under
the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, a consortium is entrusted
with the job of regulating and strengthening the export position of Thailand.
Composed of the Department of Internal Trade under the Ministry of Commerce,
plus other government and private sector agencies, the agencies join hands
in setting up the Perishable One Stop Service Export Center of Thailand
(POSSEC Thailand). The center aims to find the best options for exporting
vegetables and fruits, whose volumes have considerably expanded as a result
of free trade agreements, such as the one between Thailand and China, and
dealings with other major markets, such as Hong Kong, Taiwan, the USA, and
the European Union. The center provides a one-stop service, which helps
to keep transport costs down by as much as 20 percent for operators. The
cost-efficient measure in turn makes Thai produce more competitive in overseas
markets. The new center is now open for 24-hour service at Thai Market in
Pathum Thani province, and has the capacity to handle 1,000 tons of vegetables
and fruit a day.Fishing and Livestock Farming in Thailand
Nowadays the dairy, pig, and chicken farming industries employ modern farming technology based on sound technical principles, not traditional, peasant farming as in the past. Animal husbandry in Thailand has progressed to become an integrated enterprise that combines the ready-to-eat food industry, canned food, retail and wholesale operations, and exporting in one package.
Dairy farming is mainly found in Muak Lek district, in Saraburi province; Chiang Mai province; Phra Nakhon Sri Ayutthaya province; Nakhon Pathom province; Nong Pho subdistrict, Ratchaburi province; and Prachuap Kiri Khan province.
Pig
farming in Thailand mainly serves domestic demand, amounting to 98-99 percent
of the production, with only 1-2 percent available for export, which is
restricted to Asian countries. Pig farming is concentrated in the Central
Plains and the western part of the country, particularly Nakhon Pathom and
Ratchaburi provinces, and is also spread out evenly, though to a lesser
extent, throughout the other provinces and regions of the country.Chicken is an economic farm animal with very high global consumption figures, second only to pig. Thailand ranks at the top of the list of chicken exporting countries. Thailand's main chicken export markets are Japan and the European Union. Heavy chicken farming areas are in the Central Plains and the western region, such as Ayutthaya, Suphan Buri, Lop Buri, Chachoengsao, Nakhon Nayok, and Chonburi.
Thailand ranks among the world's top ten countries that engage in deep-sea fishing in terms of catches. Thailand's main coastal waters for fishing activities are in the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea.
Great Prospects for Thailand's Food Processing Industry
With
its geographical advantage and largely agricultural production base, with
the agriculture-based land being 45 percent of the entire area, Thailand
ranks among the top of the world's food producing countries in several food
categories, such as rice, cassava, potatoes, sugar, chicken, lobster, canned
fish, and fruit. Thailand is therefore considered one of the world's important
food exporting countries. The fast-growing demand for food by the world's
population bodes well for the limitless expansion of the consumer market.
Thailand exports approximately three million metric tons of food to various countries, valued at one billion US dollars. According to data supplied by the Trade and Economic Information Center, the Ministry of Commerce, the main groups of food export are as follows:
- Frozen seafood group, such as frozen fresh prawn, fish, fish meat, and squid; canned seafood, such as prawn, crab, and baby clam; processed seafood, such as prawn, squid, fried fish in batter, fish patty, and shrimp patty; and processed seafood, such as sweet and sour shrimp, fried fish, tuna green curry, and tuna phanaeng curry;
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Fresh chicken, frozen chicken, and processed chicken group, such as chicken
sausage, chicken meatballs, and other chicken-based products;- Other food groups (including ready-to-eat food and semi-cooked food), such as rice porridge or boiled rice; canned cooked rice; noodles; ready-to-eat egg noodles of myriad flavors in packets, cups, or bowls made of heat-resistant materials; sauces, soy sauce, fish sauce; ready-to-cook curry paste, shrimp paste, processed coconut cream, tom yam (hot-and-spicy soup) mix, ready-to-eat chili pastes; and health and nutritional beverages, such as herbal juices;
-
Halal group, or food and food products for Muslims and prepared as prescribed
by Muslim law, that is to say, food that is not to be cooked in a manner,
or with anything added to the food, or prepared or processed or preserved
with any utensils not allowed by Muslim law; presently there are foodpreparing
premises or plants that pass the stringent halal inspection and produce
halal food for export to Muslim countries around the world;- Frozen vegetable and fruit group, such as asparagus, pineapple, mangosteen, pigeon pea, potato, and baby corn; canned vegetables and fruits, such as beans, asparagus, and sweet corn; pineapple-stuffed rambutan, lychee, longan, and guava; canned fruit in syrup; processed vegetables and fruits, such as desiccated, preserved, crystallized fruits; and vegetable pickles, such as ginger, cucumber, Chinese vegetable pickle, egg plant, and bamboo shoots.
With an abundance of food sources as raw materials in the manufacture and preparation of food and foodstuffs, and the enormous potential and ready capacity of available modern production technologies that meet cleanliness and safety standards, Thailand stands poised to enjoy a bright future as the kitchen of the world. The Thai food industry and the unique flavor of the Thai cuisine are ever ready to respond to the popularity trends and growing demand of global consumers in the present-day world.