Abstract:
Corn has been produced in Thailand for many years, but it has
risen to prominence during the past ten years. By 1960, corn had became
the third most important export crop of Thailand. It was exceeded
in value by only rice and rubber.
From 1950 to 1964, Thai corn production had been increasing
constantly. The amount of Thai corn export and its value in the same
period had been increasing a well. Thai farmers do not often use
corn for animal feed because rice is relatively cheaper and more
abundant. About 80 percent of the corn produced in Thailand is exported.
Due to the growing importance of corn as an earner of foreign
exchange, it becomes important to look at the problems encountered
by farmers in marketing corn. This study was undertaken (1) to
identify the channels through which corn is marketed in Thailand, (2)
to determine the production and export potential for Thailand corn and (3) to investigate the various problems being faced by corn farmers in
the domestic and the export markets.
The harvested corn is often dried and shelled on the farm or in
small towns, from where it is transported to the important center of
marketing. Barges and trucks are the most important modes of
transportation in Thailand, though some corn is also shipped by railroad.
Most corn merchants in Changwads (provinces) buy corn at the
corn farms and convey it to Bangkok by truck or boat to sell to the
corn merchants and exporters. The most important sources of price
information for Thailand corn farmers is provincial merchants, other
sources being neighbors, radios, newspapers and settlement officers.
Most Thai corn is exported to Japan, the rest going to Malaysia,
Singapore, N. Borneo, Hong-Kong and Penang. Thailand has made
many contracts for export of corn with Japan from time to time to
stabilize the trade with that country. The potential for future increases
in Thai corn production and export apparently are excellent.
The government of Thailand is trying to increase the corn export potential
in many countries through their representatives, by advertising
Thai goods and by publishing the "Thai Export Bulletin."
