On first arriving, we sat at the meeting room for the background of the rice researches and the result to farmers. Finding that, all rice farmers have acknowledged a lot of technology released by our researches particularly selected variety seeds, seedling broadcasting method, soil and cultural management, etc.
Mrs. Directors of the rice research Institute and the Patunthanee Rice Research Centre. They talked about how fruitful farmers get from their organization but the very limited budget have been allocated to them. Rice will always be the most important commodity forever. Many countries recognize Thailand as the world main rice producer.
In the past, we had about 10 million tonnes paddy annually but recently it comes up yearly to 30 million tonnes. The main factors to increase yield are water irrigation, the cultivars and other favourable environment. Besides, private sectors and non-government organizations also play the roles to up yield contribution.
Mrs. Director presented some souvenirs and technical books to Pee Mor Suvit. The souvenirs were jasmine white and brown rice, Germinated brown rice[GABA] powders, etc. GABA and oryzanol contain the anti-oxidants which reduce risk of many diseases particularly cancer and cardiac diseases
The space of rice field in front of the farmers' house in Nongjoj area, the fresh air breezed through the area. The sight of trees and water made our minds in rest. The local people usually are stronger and healthier than the ones in the city
Nong Joj is the main rice producing area, yield could be up to 1,000 kg/rai[0.16ha] or more. A problem is about rice weed which have just come to this area not long ago. They were the wild varieties which might have mixed with the local rice seed coming from other area. Other problems are Cherry Shell and rat's urine[which release some viral diseases]
Our researcher team accompanied with Pee Mor Suvit was meeting a farmer team who pioneer to the seedling broadcasting in this area. This team would volunteer to any requested farm to broadcast rice seedling. The wage was about 1,000 baht per rai including the seedling germination. The farm owners just handed them some seed and they would manage the rest. The seedling length was about 10 centimetres or about 10 days germination
Rice seedling pod base. it was imported from People Republic of China which it's price was cheaper than the one if it was produced in Thailand. By farmers idea, saying that the seedling broadcasting method was better than seed broadcasting by seed quantity. Seedling broadcasting needed only 4-5 kilogramme seed whereas the seed broadcasting needed about 30 kilogramme. And, another idea, the wild variety rice weed was less in seedling broadcasting area.
Farmers said that this was a new method in the area and many farmers still watched the result before adopting. However, they sometimes travelled to other districts to demonstrate this method with the same wage they got from their neighbour farms. Asking about the competitors in the future, they were not afraid of having competitiors because this method could be expanded in this area widely.
Firstly, farmers must have the flat soil ploughing. On the day before the broadcasting, farmers should flood the land for one day and then drained the water out, just left the land wet. After broadcasting was done, the farm should be irrigated again but the water level should not be too high, just about a few inches above the soil level. At first sight, farmers thought, rice growing in the land were so thin. But when the seedling came up it looked so good
This was the farm which the seedling broadcasting was done. Rice canopy will cover the whole area soon. The target yield was set over 1,000 kg.per rai.
Look closer. Plants look healthy. The varieties in this area were Patumthanee and Pitsnuloke. The performance of these two varieties were appropriated to this area. As saying, yield was around 900-1,000 kg.
Team gathering between researchers and farmers. We said good bye to each other and left.
Back to the research centre, this was the rice demonstration. They looked quite uniformed. There was no pest or any disease showing.
Various varieties were performed. This could be the local specific varieties, e.g. for low or up land, low and high water level, early or late maturity, etc.
Rice varieties could be the open pollinated variety which they mostly were over 90 percent self fertilization. The hydrid variety for high yielding[with high input particularly fertilizers] was testing and would be released to the farmers soon. But the growers have to compare about the cost of input, the yield and net income including it's qaulity. Some countries need high yielding varieties for feeding the big and dense population and they therefore adopt the hybrid vigors. But Thai poeple have some desire of the taste and aroma.
Finally, I drove back to Bangkok. On the way back, the traffic were smoothly. But I missed the way again. On the Rangsit Junction, I was to go to Sear, a computer's centre by the way back to Bangkok. When I saw the left flyover, I took it and anticipated that it went to the left outer way to Sear Rangsit but, instead, it was the transit to express way. It was fast to pass through the sign and it was not clear to me. Laughingly, this was the third time I missed the road at this area and many times which I missed the road in Bangkok. It is not good to get old.
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