Phitsanulok farmers turn to Facebook to sell rice

Phitsanulok farmers turn to Facebook to sell rice

PHITSANULOK - A rice farmer in Bang Krathum district has turned a crisis into an opportunity after she was tricked into growing a breed of rice by a prospective buyer who did not bother showing up.

Social network has become a marketing channel for a new-generation rice farmer in Phitsanulok province.

The farmer then turned to Facebook to sell her Hom Nil rice, a kind of black fragrant variety, and managed to sell almost five tonnes within three months at a price much higher than expected.

Sirimanee Maneethapho, a new-generation farmer in tambon Tha Tarn of Bang Krathum district, said she and her friends had been contacted by a middleman to grow Hom Nil rice in the previous crop with a promise of getting 10,000 baht a tonne for unmilled rice.

The group bought seed from the middleman, who said the rice would be sold to health-conscious consumers.

But after they harvested the rice, the middleman did not show up to buy the produce as promised.

Ms Sirimanee said at that time she was in urgent need of money to care for her sick mother so she decided to try advertising Hom Nil rice on Facebook.

To her surprise, the product received a warm welcome, so much so that she could sell almost five tonnes within three months at around 30,000 baht each.

Sirimanee Maneethapho has turned her crisis into opportunity.

For the new crop, Ms Sirimanee has allowed pre-orders. She plans to grow riceberry — a crossbred variety between brownish purple and black aromatic rice — as well as white jasmine, fragrant and white rice. 

The fragrant rice and riceberry will be harvested in November. She already got orders for fragrant rice, sold at 35 baht a kilogramme and riceberry at 70 baht a kg.

While the young farmer can turn the crisis into an opportunity, many Thai farmers are still struggling to survive as rice prices have yet to show signs of improvement. 

Rice prices fell to their lowest since 2010 here as the outlook for a jump in US production and increased exports from overseas producers signal ample supplies.

Prices have dropped 19% this year, heading for the biggest loss since 2001 and helping keep a lid on global food costs that the United Nations said fell for a sixth month in September. The Bloomberg Agriculture Index of seven commodities slid the most last quarter since 2008 as the USDA projects combined global output of rice, corn, soybeans and wheat will advance to a record this season.

Plunging prices are "a signal that we have plenty of rice," Dwight Roberts, president of Houston-based US Rice Producers Association, said in interview with Bloomberg at a conference in Bangkok today. "Some markets are buying hand-to-mouth."

Rough-rice futures for January delivery fell 1.4% to close at $12.305 for 100 pounds at 1.15pm on the Chicago Board of Trade. Earlier, prices dropped by the exchange limit of $1.10 to $11.375, the lowest for a most-active contract since September 2010.

Do you like the content of this article?
COMMENT (5)