By Thai Newsroom Reporters
FARMERS HARVESTING CASH CROPS in eastern provinces of Chanthaburi, Rayong and Trat have called on fruit retailers in the northeastern, northern and central regions to literally meet them half way under the sustained pandemic situation.
Dozens of farmers growing and harvesting durian, mangosteen, rambutan and longkong in those eastern provinces have found it so painstaking to transport their fruits all the way from their orchards to the provinces as far off as 1,000 kilometres away due to the unpermitting circumstances under which anti-pandemic measures and restrictions are currently enforced, particularly in areas declared under maximum control.
Manusak Chatuchai, a durian farmer in Tha Mai district of Chanthaburi, called his regular fruit retailers in Nakhon Ratchasima, Surin and Mukdaharn for help by coming over to Chonburi or Sa Kaeo, somewhat viewed as half way between the central, eastern and northeastern regions, to pick up his fruits for sale in their home provinces instead of waiting for him to deliver the merchandise at their doorstep like before.
Given the fact that those fruits of the eastern provinces have been reputed for being second to none in terms of quality and selling easily and quantitatively, the farmer and his fellow villagers who tend to such fruit-growing occupation in their meager plantations have offered to deliver their fruits half way without adding the transport costs to their selling, negotiable prices.
A caravan of several pickup trucks has been readied to be laden with a variety of eastern fruits for half-way delivery and sale at any appointed venue in Chonburi or Sa Kaeo on daily basis. Given the capacity of a pickup truck carrying an average of 2 – 2.5 tons of cargo, many more could join the caravan of fruits, the farmer confirmed.
Jintana Lertbuasri, a mangosteen farmer in Khlung district of Chanthaburi, assured that she has prepared a few pickup trucks to deliver her fruit to Bangkok and Nakhon Pathom from where, she anticipated, other retailers from other provinces may come around to buy for re-sale elsewhere.
In addition to mangosteen, the woman farmer has also offered to provide durian, rambutan and longkong to be laden onto her small fleet of pickup trucks all the way from eastern plantations.
For the northern markets, considered as being among the furthest from the producing sources of such fresh fruits, Jintana suggested her regular retailers manage to come over to Phitsanulok to meet with the farmers half way and buy them.
According to Chanthaburi provincial agricultural chief Pattama Namwong, about 70% of all fresh fruits of the eastern province is bound for export, 10% for processing and canning industry and 20% for domestic consumption.
Throughout this year, Chanthaburi has been expected to produce some 575,000 tons of those cash crops, including 400,000 tons of durian, 90,000 tons of rambutan, 70,000 tons of mangosteen and 15,000 tons of longkong.
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Top: Thai fruit on sale at a market. Photo: NNT
Home Page: Some rambutan for sale. Photo: Smalljude (CC BY 2.0)
