Betagro & other agribusinesses raise livestock strategically in the highlands to escape from certain floods in the lowlands.

In the photo above, a technician at the Betagro Science Centre conducts a quality test on feed and meat to ensure food safety.

Betagro has set up the Betagro Food Safety Academy to educate a new generation of food safety specialists in Thailand.

Read previous articles about Betagro [article #1, #2].

Click button to listen to Highland Livestock Farms to download

Betagro to post record sales despite floods, Highlands farm makes 20% growth possible by Walailak Keeratipipatpong

Betagro, one of Thailand's largest agribusiness groups, expects it will earn 60.5 billion baht in revenue this year, up 20% from last year, despite severe blows from local floods and the Western economic crisis.

The group predicts a minimal impact from the floods affecting several provinces including Lop Buri, a major production base for meat packers including Betagro.

Most livestock farms are located on hills because farmers have learned over the decades to avoid [areas near] waterways," said Nopporn Vayuchote, the group's executive vice-president.

Flooding has mainly ravaged crops in the 28 affected provinces.

The Agriculture Ministry reports about 7 million head of livestock were affected by the current floods, a figure that includes 6.6 million chickens. But the volume is small when compared to the more than 20 million chickens the country produces each week.

The domestic market makes up about 80% of Betagro's sales, and the global downturn has not yet affected exports since purchasing orders were placed several months in advance.

Next year is uncertain, said Mr Nopporn, but he is positive that big countries in Europe will help revive the diving economy in that region. He added that food products are a necessity, so they still sell even in down times.

Betagro's main businesses cover animal feed and consumer food products, and they reported total sales revenue of more than 50 billion baht last year, up 7.8% from 2009, with a net profit of 2.3 billion baht.

For this year, it also forecasts a record 50% increase in net operating profit over last year.

Betagro has had joint ventures with Japanese corporations for more than 30 years covering various meat products, mainly chicken and pork, and sales jumped in Japan after the tsunami and nuclear disasters drove food demand.

CEO Vanus Taepaisitphongse said Betagro enjoyed not only advanced technology but also international food safety standards, which have become increasingly important for exports.

To nurture a new generation of food safety specialists in Thailand, Betagro has teamed up with food industry experts in leading universities to launch the Betagro Food Safety Academy.

The programme has run for three years offering students majoring in food science, animal science and veterinary opportunities to learn from industry experts. About 2,000 students from 22 faculties of 13 institutes will participate this year.

(Source: Bangkok Post, Betagro to post record sales despite floods, Highlands farm makes 20% growth possible, 29/09/2011, Walailak Keeratipipatpong, link) 

Agribusiness Vocabulary

agribusiness - business having to do with agriculture (a company with revenues from sales of agricultural products or sales to agricultural producers)

Betagro Group - major Thai agribusiness firm and producer of processed meat products (See website)
Betagro Food Safety Academy - (See Facebook)

food safety - the science of making food safe for eating (See Wikipedia)

international - between countries ระหว่างประเทศ
standards - an acceptable level of quality or achievement มาตรฐาน
international food safety standards - HACCP is one such set of standards (See Wikipedia)

nurture - take care of and help grow เลี้ยงดูฟูมฟัก
generation - a group of people in society who are born and live around the same time รุ่น (คนรุ่นต่างๆ)
a new generation - young people just starting out in life
food safety specialists- workers specially trained and skilled in food safety
new generation of food safety specialists- a new group of young people just graduated from university ready to start working in the area of food safety
nurture a new generation of food safety specialists - help young people study and gain work experience so that they can become food safety specialists

veterinary - relating to the care of animals that are ill or injured; food animal medicine is one branch of veterinarian medicine (See Wikipedia)

livestock - 1. farm animals in general; 2. animals such as cows, cattle, and sheep that are raised for commercial products such as meat, skins, or wool (See Wikipedia) ปศุสัตว์
livestock farms - farms raising animals such as cows, cattle, sheep

head of livestock - one animal: cow, cattle, sheep, etc ..
7 million head of livestock - 7 million animals ....

highlands - in the hills or mountains
highlands farm - a farm in the hills or mountains

record - the best or most ever achieved สถิติ
post record sales - when a company does the best it has ever done (according to official "sales" in annual or quarterly report)

revenue - money made by the company by selling goods and services (income) business activities รายได้

severe - very serious and worrying ที่รุนแรง ที่น่าเป็นห่วง
severe blows - events that cause serious, great damage

local - in or related to the area that you live, or to the particular area that you are talking about ท้องถิ่น
local floods - meaning: floods in Thailand

crisis - an urgent, difficult or dangerous situation วิกฤต, วิกฤตการณ์
Western - Europe, the US, Australia, etc
Western economic crisis - the bad economic situation now centered in Europe, began in US in 2008

X predicts Y - X believes and says that event or situation Y will happen in the future

minimal - very small in amount น้อยที่สุด, น้อยมาก
impact - an effect or influence ผลกระทบ
minimal impact - event has little or no effect

decades - periods of ten years เป็นสิบๆปี
waterways - rivers, canals, etc...

ravaged crops - destroyed crops

current - now, at the present time ปัจจุบัน
current floods - the floods happening now

figure - an amount  จำนวน
volume - the quantity or amount of something

domestic - within the country ภายในประเทศ
domestic market - all the customers inside the country who buy the good or service 

X makes up about 80% of Y - X is 80% of Y
domestic market makes up about 80% of Betagro's sales

global - throughout the world; all over the world, including the whole world ทั่วโลก ทั้งโลก 
downturn - going down ระยะตกต่ำ  fall suddenly by a large amount ตกต่ำลง, ตกต่ำ
global downturn - global economic downturn

purchasing orders - the document that goes along with an order for goods from a supplier

uncertain - don't know what will happen, not 100% sure ไม่มั่นใจ
positive - hopeful and confident, or giving cause for hope and confidence ซึ่งมองในแง่ดี

revive - bring something back to life, health, existence, or use ทำให้ฟื้นชีพ
revive the diving economy - make the economy grow and expand again, when it is contracting and getting smaller (make business and incomes good, when business is bad)

necessity - a good that you must have, must buy (cannot go without it) 
food products are a necessity

sell even in down times - people buy even when the economy and business are bad

animal feed - food for animals

consumer - someone who buys and uses goods and services ผู้บริโภค
consumer food products - food products that people buy in stores

profit - money that you make from selling goods and services after all your costs have been paid กำไร
forecasts - what experts say will happen in the future คาดการณ์

sales jumped - sales increased suddenly
X drives Y - X causes Y

demand - the amount of goods and services that  households and businesses want or need

tsunami and nuclear disasters drove food demand - these natural disasters caused the Japanese to import food from other countries

joint - done together; belonging to or shared between two or more people, companies, organizations ร่วม, ที่ร่วมกัน ความร่วมมือกัน
joint ventures - a company or project owned and operated by two other companies

corporations - a large company (registered with the government as separate legal entity, owned by many shareholders) (See Wikipedia)
Japanese corporations - large Japanese companies

team up with - do a project together
teamed up with food industry experts

launch - to start something เปิดโครงการ, เริ่มต้น, เริ่มทำ

opportunities - situations in which it is possible to do what you want or need to do

participate - to take part in or become involved in an activity มีส่วน