Persimmon farmers in Mae Chaem district of Chiang Mai have been dumping their harvested fruit, since prices have fallen to rock bottom and there are very few buyers.
The farmers complain that prices this year have dropped sharply, to only 4-5 baht/kg, while the labour for fruit picking averages 2 baht/kg. When added to the cost of transportation from farm to market, there is no profit at all.
One farmer, Busayarat Inthararacha, said that the prices are the lowest in many years, adding that, in previous harvests, she could sell 2-3 pickup truck-loads of persimmon per day. Now, however, she can sell only one truck-load every 2-3 days.
She also said that some farmers are simply leaving the fruit to rot and fall from the trees, because it is not worth hiring workers to pick it.
Wattana Songpornpaisal, leader of large-scale persimmon farmers, said that the yield this year is estimated at about 500 tonnes, but only 20% of that is expected to be sold, due to a reducing number of buyers, adding that he hopes that some steps will be taken to help the farmers.
Other fruits producers in northern provinces are facing a similar problem this year. For instance, the price of mangos dropped to 4-5 baht/kg during the March-April harvest season, while the price of AA-grade longan fell to 7-8 baht/kg, with a production cost estimated at between 10-15 baht/kg.
