Rice prices these year for local farmers selling their excess rice is 8.5 thb per kilo for sticky rice. Jasmin Rice is 14 thb per kilo.
With the rising cost of seed, fertilizer and planting, farmers are left with rice to eat for their families and lucky to break even financially on the cost of planting.
Excessive rain this year has wiped out many farmers rice fields, who may have to get be with a 50% annual yield this year.
Rice is a main staple here of low income farmers. Growing rice is important to feed extended families.
However, the additional money to be made is getting less and less each year.
Farmers use to be able to count on this money as enough income to make it through year to year, but rising costs is putting a huge dent in any profit.
The main issue is the low prices being offered.
(100) 50 kilo bags of rice is only 42,500 baht for example. Subtract the planting costs and farmers may be lucky to have 20,000 thb to live on for a year.
Rice seed, fertilizer, gas, harvesting costs are on on the rise leaving little for farmers to survive on.