I spent the holidays visiting a friend growing fruit in Chanthaburi and I was amazed when he told me that he had just sold mangosteen at his orchard for 100 baht a kilogramme, a high price for consumers to spend on the so-called queen of fruit.
It was surprising as the mangosteen sold for only 50 baht/kg on the local market very early this harvest season.
Selling it at twice that amount sounds a high price indeed for Thai consumers.
But my friend said his price was not that high as his well-cherished mangosteen is normally sold only for export, not domestic consumption.
Mangosteen, and the so-called king of fruit, durian, have one thing in common where exports are concerned. They must be "good looking".
In this case their skin must be perfect with no trace of being bitten by any insects. That is why many growers cover each individual fruit with a small piece of newspaper.
My friend takes good care of his fruit and waits patiently until its size is right. He weighs and packs the fruit, and waits for traders to buy it and transport it in a cold storage truck to its final destination in Japan.
Not all fruit will have the opportunity to be shipped from Suvarnabhumi airport to the overseas markets where it will be proudly presented as a specialty from Thailand.
Fruit which fails to meet that standard, however, will pile up at local fresh markets, waiting for buyers and sometimes turning rotten before it can reach the hands of consumers.
That is the tale of fruit from Thailand.
Chanthaburi province has a high concentration of shrimp farms. The largest shrimps will be selected for export while smaller ones are usually supplied to local markets.
It's a similar story for many other farm products made in Thailand, the country which claims to be the "Kitchen of the World".
The question is how should we look at this issue. Some friends say it's a matter of regret for Thais or foreign visitors here that our best produce is sent overseas, as they miss the chance to sample the best of what Thailand can offer.
What is available locally are products which failed to be included in shipments to represent Thailand in the overseas market.
On the other hand, exports will bring into the country not only foreign currency but also the drive to encourage farmers to improve the quality of their produce to meet export standards.
For farmers, all their produce has the same delicious taste, even though some pieces may not look as good as others, and some are consumed locally rather than overseas.
I agree with this theory as exports will help farmers to earn better incomes, saving government money which might otherwise be spent shoring up the plunging prices of fresh produce when a glut develops.
However, I am still thinking of another possibility, which is that grade-A produce can be sold in both local and export markets.
On a trip to Japan recently, I had the chance to taste top quality local strawberry and melon, sold at high prices. The price of the best quality Japanese melon may be very high but there are some consumers who are willing to pay for the quality, and have it fresh _ not chilled or frozen.
Is it possible that grade-A fruits could also be available in the Thai market? For mangosteen, the price may reach 150-180 baht/kg or more. Who will be willing to pay a price this high?
Few Thai consumers will buy at this price as they believe Thai fruit is not good enough to deserve it.
If consumers were able to buy affordable grade-A fruit in Thailand, farmers might be encouraged to produce more grade A-plus quality fruit for export. This would give them sufficient profit to offset the lower income earned from selling less fruit of relatively inferior quality to local consumers. This should be a true win-win situation to both farmers and consumers.
Somporn Thapanachai is Deputy Business Editor, Bangkok Post.