Over the generations, Thai farmers have developed traditional rice varieties endemic to their land, culture and community. These strains have unique characteristics in terms of texture, taste, aroma and nutritional values, yet many are now being lost, relegated to the past by so-called high-yield strains or destroyed by chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
In an effort to preserve indigenous rice varieties, the Rice Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, is encouraging farmers to recognize their value and potential to become Geographical Indication (GI) products.
Charanchit Phengrat, Acting Rice Product Development Specialist with the Rice Department, acknowledges that increasing the value of rice cultivation remains a challenge due to pressures on the land, the ever-changing environmental conditions and market demand. The department, he adds, will also support farmers to create added value by processing GI rice into various products.
Photo: Charanchit Phengrat, Acting Rice Product Development Specialis, visits the participating rice projects in the South.
More than 20 GI rice varieties are currently grown across the country. The South is particularly rich in diversity, with Khao Rai Dok Kha in Phang Nga, Khao Sangyod in Phatthalung, Khao Hom Kradang Nga in Narathiwat, and the Khao Bao Yod Muang in Trang now forming the basis for a wide range of rice products.
Photo: Khao Rai Dok Kha in Phang Nga
Mee Sen Bangkinnam Community Enterprise in Tambon Bang Riang of Phang Nga’s Thap Put District, is among the communities working to develop rice products. Thanks to support from the Rice Department, Phang Nga provincial Agricultural Extension Office, and educational institutes, the farmers have been taught how to create products from rice, brand building, packaging as well as marketing channels.
Photo: Khao Rai Dok Kha in Phang Nga
Withan Ajkarn,70, President of the Mee Sen Bangkinnam Community Enterprise in Tambon Bang Riang, said she and 11 community members were inspired by Wat Bang Riang's abbot to set up a group that would focus on making khanom jeen (dried rice noodles) using traditional production methods.
Two years ago, the group became a community enterprise making the rice noodles from white and Rai Dok Kha rice and packaging it with curry in a convenience food format. The easy-to-cook Khanom Jeen Pak Tai (southern-style rice noodles) is selling well.
Khao Rai Dok Kha (Galangal flowers 50 rice) is grown in Takua Thung, Thai Mueang, Mueang Phang Nga, and Thap Put districts. The community enterprise now has 20 local members with a total Khao Rai Dok Kha cultivation area of about 100 rai. However, supply remains limited as they are only able to produce one crop a year with paddy yields of 350-400 tons/rai.
Khao Rai Dok Kha grains are straw-colored with spots on the bottom. This red rice has a moderate aroma like pandanus when cooked and is high in nutrients including omega-9 fatty acids, alpha-tocopherol and gamma-tocopherol-type vitamin E.
Experiences on the farm
Rungthiwa Sukkhaphat, 24, a graduate of the School of Liberal Arts of King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, decided to quit her position as a customer advisor with Trip.com to help her family built their farm business.
She is proud to be a young farmer and is dedicated to supporting Mee Sen Bangkinnam Community Enterprise in product development by taking charge of brand communications and coordinating with state agencies.
Photo: Newly graduated Rungthiwa Sukkhaphat, left, and her brother Phutiphong make Kanom Krok from Khao Rai Dok Kha.
In addition to rice and processed rice products, Rungthiwa and the enterprise members are planning to develop agritourism as a new model to promote local products and generate more income for farmers and local businesses.
"In Thap Put District, we can create an agritourism journey to explore rural lifestyles. Visitors can get hands-on experiences making traditional Khanom Jeen, harvesting rice, organic gardening, and picking dragon fruit. These unique experiences are attractive to tourists," Rungthiwa says.
Though she earned a good salary in her previous job, she says her father, Sompoch, 51, needs a daughter to be a smart farmer rather than an employee.
With a long experience in rice production, Sompoch established the Ban Rai Chai Thung Community Enterprise with an aim of turning it into an agricultural learning centre. In addition to growing rice on their own land, the enterprise provides a rice production service for landowners.
The enterprise is also a marketing platform to promote and sell rice for farmers in Thap Phut District both offline and online.
Photo: Khanom Jeen (dried rice noodles)
Challenges of GI rice production
Khao Sangyod is the most popular native rice variety in Phatthalung Province. This golden-brown rice was the first to be GI registered by the Department of Intellectual Property in 2006 and the EU in 2016.
Photo: Phattalung's Khao Sangyod
Wisut Wiboonphun, President of Chaona Phatthalung Community Enterprise in Khao Chaison District, Phatthalung, said that while the Khao Sangyod cultivation area has expanded, 80% of growers use chemical fertilizer and pesticides to increase yields.
For sustainable agriculture, the enterprise will promote organic and GAP (Good agricultural practice) rice production and improve the Sangyod rice breed and production process to ensure consumers get quality rice.
He also suggested that the government agency concerned should inspect the quality of Khao Sangyod and assign it a quality certification logo. This will force farmers to improve the quality of rice from seeds selection, production practice, milling to packaging.
Price is a big issue for the promotion of rice production because Khao Sangyod is an early variety and only gives one crop a year with a maximum paddy yield of 400 Kg per rai. It is not attractive for farmers to grow if the rice price drops below 20,000 baht per ton.
The enterprise already processes the crop into various products including shampoo, soap, makeup remover, instant rice porridge, and snacks but needs to further innovate to create more food and non-food products.
Boonjing Noochinseng, 83, a farmer who has cultivated Khao Sangyod for many decades, recently formed the Khao Sangyod Muang Phatthalung Conservation Club in an effort to promote Khao Sangyod production, and exchange knowledge and experience.
"In addition to high nutritional benefits, we need the Thai people to support the traditional rice varieties. They are the culture and identity of a community, developed over generations of farmers. Khao Sangyod should be promoted as a must-try when people come to Phatthalung," said Boonjing.
