Cassava produce to increase by 1 million tonnes this year

Amrit Rashmisrisethi

http://www.thaindian.com Sep.27, 2008. The Agricultural Office in Nakhon Ratchasima province says cassava produce will increase by one million tonnes as more than 100,000 farmers have turned to grow the crop.

Official of the Nakhon Ratchasima Agricultural Office, Suphong Sinthurat (สุพงศ์ สินธุรัตน์), discloses that the province has more than two million rai of cassava plantation, increasing by 114,000 rai or 5.4% compared to last year. The plantations of cassava are expected to yield 4,300 kilograms per rai, increasing by 147 kilogram per rai.

However, Mr Somphong says the cost of production of cassavas is higher this year due to increases in the price of fertilizers and oil and higher labor wages. Farmers have turned to grow cassavas more as the price has risen last year.

Mr Somphong says further that 19 cassava factories in Nakhon Ratchasima can buy fresh cassavas of ten million tonnes in this harvest year. The provincial agricultural office educates farmers, especially those in seven districts, about how to increase produce per rai and raise the quality of cassavas. The provincial agricultural office expects that cassava produce will increase by 150 kilograms/rai/year and it will also promote the use of bio-fertilizers instead of chemical fertilizers, Mr Somphing says.

Source : National News Bureau, Public Relations Department of Thailand
http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/thailand/cassava-produce-to-increase-by-1-million-tonnes-this-year_100100658.html