Row after row of green vegetables lie under the blistering Sun within Ban Nam Duk Tai community in Phetchabun province. Despite the heat, local farmers weren't deterred from heading out to their field with baskets in tow. Not before long, they returned with a handful of cabbages -- fresh, crisp and ready to be transported to the local Nam Duk Tai Vegetable Co-operative.
At the co-op's packing house, crates of vegetables from each farmer are subjected to a random toxin testing. Only toxin-free greens can pass to the next step where they are trimmed and rid of bad-looking leaves. The vegetables are later put in separate plastic bags and stored in a cool room, waiting for the truck to pick up the nicely packaged products.
Currently, more than 150 farmers are members of the Nam Duk Tai co-op. Among them is Paranee Jongthun, 36, who grows cabbages, cauliflowers and broccoli. She noted that the co-op has only been established for a few years, but local farmers are already benefiting from the system.
The co-op is on a contract to supply vegetables exclusively to the Central Group where the greens will be distributed and sold at Central Food Hall and Tops supermarkets throughout the country. Paranee said the price given for each kilogramme of vegetables at the co-op is higher than what the local market is offering.
"Take the cabbages, for example. At the co-op, we're now getting 17 baht per kilo of the greens that have been trimmed. If we sell them to the local market, we'd get 60-70 baht per 10kg sack of whole vegetables," said Paranee, who harvests her cabbages every two months.
Paranee now supplies the vegetables exclusively to the co-op, and is pleased with its fixed, standardised price as opposed to the fluctuating figure set by the market's middleman. She also likes that the members can discuss among themselves what each of them would grow in order to prevent surpluses.
"I'm happy that our vegetables are now being sent to different parts of the country, and that people can eat safe vegetables free from toxic chemicals. We also benefit by the increasing income from this market channel," she added. It should be noted that Paranee's vegetables are not organic. She still utilises biopesticide, which is derived from natural ingredients that leave no toxic residue on the greens.
As of last year, each of the Nam Duk Tai co-op members have generated an estimated 31,000 baht of income a month -- a big increase from the 2014 figure of 19,540 baht a month. The amount of members has been expanding each year, with 43 members supplying products to the co-op and the other 113 members preparing themselves, learning the way of organic agriculture where they limit, change or eradicate the use of chemicals on their plantation.
Kraisorn Kongchalard, deputy governor of Phetchabun, noted that the toxin-free criteria set by Central Group has been an incentive for local farmers to improve their produce even further, resulting in safer vegetables for consumers and safer working environment for the farmers.
"People are motivated now," said Kraisorn. "The farmers are beginning to see the benefits in making their produce free of toxins. There's a market for it now. Before, nobody cared. The vegetables were sold at the same price anyway regardless of their methods. But now everyone is seeing this new opportunity."
Tos Chirathivat, CEO of Central Group, revealed that the company previously imported cabbage from China. But now relies on the Phetchabun farmers to supply cabbages to its supermarkets.
"That is just one example, for now. We can definitely do more," said Tos, who finds the province an interesting location with the potential to become the hub for toxin-free vegetables in Thailand -- a status he believes the province should be able to achieve in four years.
Phetchabun is home to mountainous areas that go as high as 1,700m above sea level. The variation in altitude means there are countless possibilities of crops that can be grown in the province. It is also centrally located, making shipment easy whichever direction it goes.
Central Group has been in a contract with Nam Duk Tai co-op since 2015. The company supported the construction of the co-op's packing house that is built to good manufacturing practice standards, as well as helping to refurbish the local Ban Pak Duk School to educate students on organic agriculture. It has also helped in educating local farmers in management and organic farming as well as crop selection to suit both the soil and the market's demand.
"We know what customers are buying. And we give some suggestions to the community to grow certain vegetables so that the income goes right back to them, and so they benefit the most," said Tos. He said in the past, Thai farmers tended to follow one another when it comes to crop selection. In the end, everyone grew the same crop, creating a surplus in the market that benefited no one.
From only growing rice and cabbage, the farmers have expanded their range to include cauliflower, broccoli and many others on a year-round rotation. The co-op now receives vegetables from three districts in Phetchabun -- Lom Sak, Khao Kho and Nam Nao -- as well as Phu Tub Berk. There are now plans to construct another packing house in Phu Tub Berk to ready the region for future challenges and opportunities in both local and international markets.
Vegetables are subjected to a random test for toxin residue. Melalin Mahavongtrakul
Inside the packing facility. Melalin Mahavongtrakul
A farmer harvesting her vegetables. Melalin Mahavongtrakul
