Insight Focus
- In this series, we’re following farmers around the world.
- We’ll look at what they’re up to on the farm, hear their concerns, and celebrate their triumphs.
- Here’s the link to the farmer bios in case you missed them.
What Have You Been Up To, Chairat?
I have finished all the fertilizer spreading. As rainfall remains high in Thailand, a lot of weeds are springing up in the cane fields so the main job is control.
I will be waiting for another 2–3 months before apply fertilizer again to maximize the agricultural yield.
There are a lot of meetings outside the crushing season that I need to go to as a farmer representative.
What Stage is Your Crop At?
The cane is still very healthy given the abnormally high rainfall.
What’s Your Biggest Concern at Present?
The labour shortage caused by an aging society and the younger generation not wanting to work in agriculture has been compounded by competition for those labourers still in agriculture from other parts of the industry. This year a multitude of crops have been grown because of the high rainfall. The cassava and rice sectors also need more workers and their harvesting periods overlap with that of cane. This is an additional concern for the upcoming crushing season in 2022/23.
Other Insights That May Be of Interest…
Sugar Statshot: Small Sugar Deficit in 2022/23
New Brazil Tax Proposals Could Be Bearish for Ethanol, Sugar
