“.........In fact, I have often said to such audience as this one that to be a tiger is not important.
The important thing for us is to have a self-supporting economy. A self-supporting economy
means to have enough to survive. About this, I have often said that a self-sufficient economy
does not mean that each family must produce its own food, weave and sew its own clothes.
This is going too far, but I mean that each village or each district must have relative
self-sufficiency. Things that are produced in surplus can be sold, but should be sold in
the same region, not too far so that the transportation cost is minimized. Doing so might
prompt some distinguished economists to criticize that it is out-of-date. Some other people
say that we must have an economy that involve exchange of goods that is called
“trade economy”, not “self-sufficient economy” which is thought to be unsophisticated.
However, Thailand is a country that is blessed with self-sufficient productivity.

“Concerning the growing of rice, I have encouraged the people to grow it for their own
consumption. Each family would keep their rice in small silos, and the surplus can be sold.
Other people retort that it is inappropriate. Especially in the North-East, the experts say
that “fragrant rice” should be cultivated for sale. This is true; “fragrant rice” sells well,
but once it is sold, the farmer must buy rice for his own consumption. From where would
it be bought? Everyone cultivates fragrant rice. In the North-East, the people usually prefer
consuming “glutinous rice”, and who would cultivate “glutinous rice” as it is publicized that
those who cultivate “glutinous rice” are dumb people? This is an important point.
That is why I have encouraged the people to cultivate their own consumer rice.
They like “glutinous rice”, so let them cultivate “glutinous rice”. Whatever kind of rice they
prefer, let them cultivate that kind of rice and keep it for the whole year consumption.
If there is a possibility of making off-season cultivation or if they already have enough to
consume for the whole year, they can plant “fragrant rice” for sale.

“I say so because rice that is cultivated for home consumption does not have to go round
the world. If the rice that is bought has to go around the world, well, perhaps not around
the world, but has to go over provinces or across the country, the transportation cost will
be added to the price of the rice. It follows that the farmers will have to sell their rice at
a lower price because that rice must be exported abroad where it will fetch a high price.
To be able to have a good profit, transportation and other overhead charges have to be
added to the price of the rice. It means that the price of rice at the farmers level will be cut
down. They (the economists) say that “fragrant rice” fetches a good price; this is quite true
only when it is sold to the consumers in foreign lands, but at the starting point, the farmers
will not get much profits, and they will have to buy their own consumer rice which will be
more expensive because of the transportation costs...............................

“These transactions are called the TRADE ECONOMY, in contrast with
the SELF-SUFFICIENT ECONOMY. Wherever SELF-ECONOMY can be practiced,
we can survive; we don’t suffer. .......................................................