Economic impact of widespread flooding on Thailand's crops | Bangkok Post: learning

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Experts disagree what the final impact will be, but farmers have already started emergency harvesting.

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Worry over flood impact on crops by Post Reporters

Just-in-time harvesting: Jasmine rice farmers along the Moon River in Surin dry their grain along highways after emergency harvesting. Watching with concern the rapidly swelling water levels, many have decided on early harvesting — somedo so with their fields already inundated — to minimise damage to their crops as water comes flooding in from Nakhon Ratchasima and Buri Ram. 

Heavy floods will definitely cut the country's crop production, notably for the main rice crop that is about to be harvested, but experts say it's still too early to predict the extent of the losses.

The Thai Rice Mills Association has forecast that rice production might fall by 15-20% to fewer than 20 million tonnes, but the Thai Rice Exporters Association and others believe the losses will be less severe.

Banjong Tungjitwattanakun, vice-president of the Thai Rice Mills Association, said key growing areas in the central, northern and northeastern provinces were affected by the floods, with some mills having been inundated, damaging stockpiles.

Output from the previous main crop totalled 23.3 million tonnes, about 10.5 million tonnes of which were white rice paddy, 6 million tonnes for glutinous rice and 6.5 million for Hom Mali fragrant rice, according to Mr Banjong.

Nakhon Ratchasima produces more than 1 million tonnes of rice, he said.

However, Chookiat Ophaswongse, honorary president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, said the losses would not be that high, predicting a decline of only 1% - about 250,000 tonnes of paddy or 100,000 tonnes of milled rice.

Korbsook Iamsuri, president of the exporters's association agreed, saying its talks with farmers indicated that cultivation of main-crop rice this year had begun late because of rainfall delays earlier, so the harvest would also be delayed. 

Rice production would definitely be hard hit if the floodwaters remain unabated for two or three weeks," she said.

Apichart Jongskul, director-general of the Office of Agricultural Economics, said preliminary estimates show the floodwaters have inundated 2.4 million rai of rice farmlands, 60,000 to 70,000 rai of which have been ruined, representing production of about 87,000 tonnes worth 800 million baht.

Other crops such as maize, cassava and sugarcane were also put under water, covering about 280,000 rai, and fruit orchards on 32,000 rai. Estimated losses are not available.

Agriculture Minister Theera Wongsamut said heavy rains during August and September had inundated 53 provinces damaging about 2.7 million rai of farmland, 2.4 million of which were rice fields.

This month's heavy floods, he added, had inundated 24 provinces, with about 1.6 million rai damaged, 1.3 million of which were for rice. Losses have yet to be estimated.

flood - an overflow of water from a river that puts large amounts of land under water (See Wikipedia)
harvesting - collecting a crop from the fields การเก็บเกี่ยว
grain - the seed from cereal crops such as rice, wheat, or corn เมล็ดพืช
emergency - an unexpected situation involving danger in which immediate action is necessary เหตุฉุกเฉิน
concern - worry ความกังวล
minimise - to reduce something harmful or unpleasant to the smallest amount or degree ลดให้เหลือน้อยที่สุด
impact - an effect or influence ผลกระทบ
predict - to say that an event or action will happen in the future, especially as a result of knowledge or experience คาดการณ์ว่า พยากรณ์จากสถิติว่า
extent - size ขนาด

forecast - a statement about what will happen in the future based on information available now พยากรณ์
severe - very serious and worrying ที่รุนแรง ที่น่าเป็นห่วง
key - important คนสำคัญ
stockpiles - large amounts of something stored for future use กองสินค้าในโกดัง
mills - rice mills, factories where rice is processed and turned into a product that can be sold in stores as well as stored for use and exported
inundated - flooded ถูกน้ำท่วม, จมลงใต้น้ำ

paddy - rice after it has been harvested from the field ข้าวเปลือก
glutinous rice - "sticky rice" is the more common name (See Wikipedia)
Hom Mali fragrant rice, jasmine rice - a variety of rice discovered in Thailand, a long-grain variety of rice that has a nutty aroma and a special taste (See Wikipedia on Jasmine rice)
decline - decrease
milled rice - rice that has processed by machines in a factory (rice mill) to turn it into a product that can be sold to customers in stores

talks - negotiations, formal discussions of problems between different sides in a conflict in order to solve the problem
indicated - showed 
cultivation - growing plants
harvest - the activity of collecting a crop when they are fully grown การเก็บเกี่ยวผลผลิต
abate - gradually become less severe or extreme
remain unabated - situation continued to be serious
preliminary - not final, temporary ขั้นต้น, ขั้นแรก

estimates - guesses of what the size, value, amount, cost, etc. of something might be การประมาณค่า
ruined - destroyed; spoiled
maize - a kind of corn (made into flour and fed to animals) (See Wikipedia) ข้าวโพด
cassava - a plant used to make tapioca and also natural fuel for cars (See Wikipedia)
estimate - to say what you think an amount should be by guessing or by using available information to make a calculation

(Source: Bangkok Post, AGRICULTURE, Worry over flood impact on crops, 21/10/2010, Post Reporters, link)