Here in Bangkok, if you want to buy some fruit, probably the easiest way to get them is to go to a supermarket. There you'll find cantaloupes, dragonfruit,seedless grapes, Holland papayas, kiwi fruit, avocados, apples, yellow watermelons, Sunkist oranges, imported seedless pears and choice nam dawk mai mangoes.
In this capital city, people regularly stock up on such fruit. In time, they may forget about langsat (the murky brownish-yellow Lansium domesticum berry grown in Uttaradit, now getting hard to find as they are steadily being replaced by longkong -another member of the same species),maprang (commonly known in English as marian plums),phutsa (jujubes), phutsa Thai (Thai jujubes),mafiang (akin to rambais and loquats),maphoot , and a large number of other old-time Thai favourites that are gradually disappearing from our culinary culture.
Many of these fruit are native to Thailand,while others were brought here from Europe, Africa, the Middle East, India, Indonesia, Malaysia or China. One example is the guava, which is thought to have been brought to Thailand by Portuguese visitors during the Middle Ayutthaya period.(In Thai it was dubbed farang, which also means a Westerner, because its pink pulp resembled Europeans' skin colour. When birds ate the fruit their droppings were red, giving rise to the longer name farang khee nok , or bird-droppings guava).All of these fruit eventually established themselves in Thailand's culture, and sent deep roots into the Thai way of life. Many types were traditionally grown by villagers near the fences surrounding their property or along public walkways, so that travellers could pick the fruit to refresh themselves along the way. One of these was the makham pawm Emblic myrabolan ), whose leaves provided shade while the fruit cooled the throat and quenched the thirst. Since it fruits all year round, households that grew it were happy to let passers-by and local children help themselves.
Some Thai fruit were sometimes grown because they provided useful characteristics as well as fruit. Jujube trees, for example,were grew in dense clusters around the ruins and ancient temples of Ayutthaya.This reason for this was that these sites used to be almost completely overgrown with grass, weeds and vines. When they were restored, one of the first things to be done was to remove all of the overgrowth and plant a thick crop of jujube. The trees provided shade so well that grass and weeds were no longer able to grow. In addition,local people were able to go and gather the fruit for sale. At the same time, the coming and going helped to protect the sites from thieves who might sneak in to dig up artifacts from the grounds around the sites.
Then there are the fruits that help maintain good health. The maphoot is sweet and tasty, but also acts as a natural laxative.Villagers often ate it after the evening meal to keep them regular.
The maquid (wood or elephant apple,so named because of elephants' fondness for them) has an appearance that suggests coarseness. It grows on a very big tree, the fruit itself is large, and it has a thick shell,But the pulp inside is soft, sweet and fragrant. It can be eaten easily with a spoon when ripe. Extremely nourishing, it is be-lieved to help clear up stomach problems.In the past, it was often eaten in the evening to help keep maintain a healthy digestion.
The mamuang kaew is a small, round mango that is available all year round. It is very acidic, more sour than sweet even when ripe. Squirrels and birds will take a bite or two and then leave it alone, and people who grow it don't have to worry about thieves making off with the fruit.
In the past, it was eaten to keep the stomach in order, but it was also delivered to the market for sale because it could be used for pickling, too.Shredded fresh mamuang kaew was also sprinkled on top of yam dishes (sour, hot salads) and the popular fried noodle phat Thai . It was also the best choice for making nam phrik mamuang (a mangobased chilli dip sauce). Since the mamuang kaew tree is big and has small, thick leaves, it is also a good shade tree.
One local citrus that has found a use both in religious ceremonies and in the kitchen is the som jeet , or Calamodin, which grows on a small bush. Although it is very sour, the Chinese view it as a symbol of happiness and good fortune. It is small and yellow. Several are clustered close together and they cover the entire plant.Chinese households like to grow them in pots nearby the house.
The som juke , another Chinese favourite,is dark green and has a big protrusion at the top resembling a juke, or Thai topknot.Because of this, it is called som juke priew ,or sour topknot orange. It is an oldfashioned fruit that is used as an offering to ancestors during the Chinese New Year.Despite its sourness, its juice mixed with sugar makes a refreshing drink.
The skin of the som sa (citron) is used to impart a special fragrance to certain Thai dishes, most famously mee krawb and pranaem . Without it, the flavour of both these dishes loses character.
These are only a few of the local Thai fruits that offer more than just the property of being edible. They have acquired special significance in the segment of Thai society associated with religious belief and because they are viewed as being effective as natural medicines.
Nonetheless, despite their multiple uses and value to traditional culture, they are now being forgotten.
Apples, cantaloupes, kiwi fruit and seedless grapes are elbowing them out. But these more expensive imports will never be able to acquire the value, both real and symbolic, of these exotic Thai fruit.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Nature's Celestial Gift - Bamboo Shoots
Taste this, it is sweet and delicious,"my friend Lak urged me as he handed me an enamelled plate with a couple of pale golden bamboo shoots. Lak called them noh mai rai . I had returned to Thailand for a brief stay to manage the cooking academy I founded in Mae Rim.
Lak, a gardener for the huge grounds of the cooking academy, is one of my best cooking and eating buddies.
Knowing that I am passionate about learning and savouring local and seasonal treats,he had gotten these delicate shoots from a relative of another gardener, who harvested them from the forest for me.
I wondered to myself: how can bamboo shoots be described as sweet? I have had plenty of bamboo shoots in my lifetime, both freshly cooked and canned, and I never would have described them as being sweet. The ones on the plate were each sliced lengthwise into quarters with the base still intact. I lifted one of the pieces; it broke off easily from the clump. Just as Lak said, it was not only sweet but also tasted delicate, buttery and tender.
Noh mai rai or pai thong (Dendrocalamus asper Back) is one of several varieties of bamboo shoots harvested from the forests in northern Thailand during the rainy season fromMay to October. The villagers consider this time of year as being inhabited by "tep tida doi - nong nang baan na"or "celestial beings from the mountain", meaning bamboo shoots, and "young woman from farming village" meaning baby crab.
These two delicacies are known as special rainy season treats. They are either cooked together or separately, but often served together.
The bamboo shoot forager, Leang, is typical of many villagers whose livelihood during these months depends on the harvest of bamboo shoots. She got up early every morn-ing and rode off on her motorbike with two large burlap bags and a couple of shovels,heading up towards the mountain and deep into the forest.
Leang braved being bitten by mosquitoes,bugs and snakes, as she searched for, dug and harvested these tender shoots growing in clumps at the base of dense bamboo groves.After the bags were bulging with shoots, Leang would ride back home where her mother sliced and cleaned the shoots for boiling.
The shoots were lined up and packed tightly in the pattern of a sundial in a large oil drum set on top of wooden logs. Water was added to the brim and logs were set on fire underneath. Once the water began to boil, her father, Gid, covered the top with a couple of old empty plastic rice bags.
These, Gid explained, are never washed after being used. Acid seeps out from the bamboo shoots and into the fabric during the repeated boiling process, adding kem , or a salty taste, to the shoots, thus turning them sweet. Gid closed up the oil drum with a wooden lid and left the bamboo shoots to boil for the next four to five hours until they were cooked. He removed the shoots immediately into a large basin filled with cool water and let them soak. Then they were ready to be sold to vendors in the wet markets in town.
For the following three weeks, Lak would cook one recipe after another, all using bamboo shoots and/or tiny field crabs. There would always be at least one or two accompanying dishes made with curious wild shoots,greens or blooms that I happened to see and buy from the wet market at Mae Rim.
We feasted on gaeng gai noh mai -a spicy free range chicken and bamboo shoot soup with a beautiful orange hue broth coloured by turmeric and scented with several cupfuls of holy basil. There was naem noh mai - pickled mashed bamboo shoots with its smooth and buttery texture seasoned with a perfect balance of salty, sour and pickle flavours, tinged with a surprisingly spicy garlicky kick. This was supposed to be eaten with warm sticky rice balls. I ate it alone by scooping a couple of fingers full at a time.The stuff was addictive.
We also had yum noh mai , or bamboo shoot salad perfumed with herbal young ginger leaves, saw-tooth herbs and crab chili paste. Lak made another variety of spicy soup, typically served during rainy season,that is believed to cure fevers.
He harvested fresh bamboo shoots from the groves growing in the garden and cooked them in a green and bitter liquid that smelled like freshly mowed grass. It came from medicinal leaves called bai yah nang . He seasoned the soup with the all-purpose northern Thai chili paste made with chilies, garlic, shallots,lemongrass, galangal, shrimp paste and fermented fish. He also added heaps of krachai , or Chinese Keys rhizome, roasted garlic, roasted shallots and roasted chilies.
As a surprise during one of our bamboo shoot dinners, Lak brought out a small plate with four little crab shells containing some yellow custard-like substance. He told me to take a bit of warm sticky rice, shaped into a ball, and dip it into the yellow custard. The instant I put it in my mouth the musty scent of the wet, rain-soaked earth rose up to my nostrils. Its creamy texture was salty and slightly peppery. Lak told me this precious cream is the crab's tomalley, or as the Thais call it mun pu , which literary translates as crab's oil or cream. It is patiently extracted from hundreds of tiny field crabs and seasoned with salt, garlic, and chilies and steamed.Some vendors add eggs to the mixture to dilute the crab tomalley, thus increasing the volume they can sell of this precious extract.
One of the best bamboo shoot dishes Lak made was stuffed bamboo shoots. He shredded the centre portions with a bamboo skewer before stuffing it with a mixture of minced pork and shrimp.
These lacy golden stalks were deep-fried until the water evaporated, turning them crispy and reddish brown.
I never tired of eating dish after dish made with bamboo shoots. Jokingly, I told a friend that after so much bamboo shoot in my system, he could very well use me to build one of his designer chairs.
Oddly, my remark is not too far from the health benefits provided by bamboo shoots.The fibrous texture is considered to be cooling for the body, good for the digestive tracts,nurturing for the circulatory system and eases excessive phlegm. All of which strengthens our body and keeps us strong and healthy.
Lak's introduction of noh mai rai has forever changed my idea of bamboo shoots.Back in America, I can't imagine cooking or eating canned or bottled bamboo shoots.Even fresh imported ones from Japan or China, with a tough, grainy and fibrous texture,that I once considered to be a delicacy, cannot hold a candle to noh mai rai .I will have to wait until next rainy season to return to northern Thailand and continue my feasting on Lak's delectable home cooking with noh mai rai .m
Su-Mei Yu is an author of Thai cookbooks, including the award winning, Cracking The Coconut: Classic Thai Home Cooking, Asian Grilling, and to be released this month, The Elements Of Life, A Contemporary Guide To Thai Recipes And Traditions For Healthier Living.
Gaeng Gai Noh Mai Rai Aromatic Soup with Chicken and Bamboo Shoots Makes 4 servings Ingredients for chili paste: Makes 1cup 14tsp 53 to 4 slices 10 7cm
42.5cm 1 tsp 1 tsp salt cloves garlic, peeled (1 tbsp)peeled galangal (1 tbsp)dried chilies, minced (11
2tbsp)lemongrass bulb, thinly sliced (2 tbsp)small shallots (2 tbsp)peeled turmeric (1 tbsp)shrimp paste fermented fish paste (pla lah) Preparation:
Put the salt and garlic in a mortar and pound with a pestle to a puree. Add the remaining ingredients; one at a time and only after each has been incorporated into the paste. Finish with shrimp paste and fermented fish paste. Set aside. Ingredients: 11
2tbsp chili paste 450g 3 cups 2 cups 2 tablespoons 3 to 4 2 cups cooking oil (preferably rice bran oil)bite-sized pieces free range chicken water fresh or boiled bamboo shoot chunks, slightly pounded fish sauce kaffir lime leaves tightly packed holy basil leaves
Preparation:
Put the oil in a saucepan over a medium low heat. Wait for a minute before adding the chili paste. Stir-fry quickly until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Add the chicken pieces and stir-fry to coat them with the chili paste.
When the chicken has turned slightly brown,add the water to completely cover it. Stir to mix.Once the liquid comes to the boil, add the bamboo shoots. Cook under a medium low heat for 30 minutes or until both the chicken and bamboo shoots are tender. Season with fish sauce and stir to mix. Add the kaffir lime leaves. Let it cook for another 20 minutes. Just before serving, add the holy basil leaves, stir to mix. Serve warm with cooked red organic rice.
Lak, a gardener for the huge grounds of the cooking academy, is one of my best cooking and eating buddies.
Knowing that I am passionate about learning and savouring local and seasonal treats,he had gotten these delicate shoots from a relative of another gardener, who harvested them from the forest for me.
I wondered to myself: how can bamboo shoots be described as sweet? I have had plenty of bamboo shoots in my lifetime, both freshly cooked and canned, and I never would have described them as being sweet. The ones on the plate were each sliced lengthwise into quarters with the base still intact. I lifted one of the pieces; it broke off easily from the clump. Just as Lak said, it was not only sweet but also tasted delicate, buttery and tender.
Noh mai rai or pai thong (Dendrocalamus asper Back) is one of several varieties of bamboo shoots harvested from the forests in northern Thailand during the rainy season fromMay to October. The villagers consider this time of year as being inhabited by "tep tida doi - nong nang baan na"or "celestial beings from the mountain", meaning bamboo shoots, and "young woman from farming village" meaning baby crab.
These two delicacies are known as special rainy season treats. They are either cooked together or separately, but often served together.
The bamboo shoot forager, Leang, is typical of many villagers whose livelihood during these months depends on the harvest of bamboo shoots. She got up early every morn-ing and rode off on her motorbike with two large burlap bags and a couple of shovels,heading up towards the mountain and deep into the forest.
Leang braved being bitten by mosquitoes,bugs and snakes, as she searched for, dug and harvested these tender shoots growing in clumps at the base of dense bamboo groves.After the bags were bulging with shoots, Leang would ride back home where her mother sliced and cleaned the shoots for boiling.
The shoots were lined up and packed tightly in the pattern of a sundial in a large oil drum set on top of wooden logs. Water was added to the brim and logs were set on fire underneath. Once the water began to boil, her father, Gid, covered the top with a couple of old empty plastic rice bags.
These, Gid explained, are never washed after being used. Acid seeps out from the bamboo shoots and into the fabric during the repeated boiling process, adding kem , or a salty taste, to the shoots, thus turning them sweet. Gid closed up the oil drum with a wooden lid and left the bamboo shoots to boil for the next four to five hours until they were cooked. He removed the shoots immediately into a large basin filled with cool water and let them soak. Then they were ready to be sold to vendors in the wet markets in town.
For the following three weeks, Lak would cook one recipe after another, all using bamboo shoots and/or tiny field crabs. There would always be at least one or two accompanying dishes made with curious wild shoots,greens or blooms that I happened to see and buy from the wet market at Mae Rim.
We feasted on gaeng gai noh mai -a spicy free range chicken and bamboo shoot soup with a beautiful orange hue broth coloured by turmeric and scented with several cupfuls of holy basil. There was naem noh mai - pickled mashed bamboo shoots with its smooth and buttery texture seasoned with a perfect balance of salty, sour and pickle flavours, tinged with a surprisingly spicy garlicky kick. This was supposed to be eaten with warm sticky rice balls. I ate it alone by scooping a couple of fingers full at a time.The stuff was addictive.
We also had yum noh mai , or bamboo shoot salad perfumed with herbal young ginger leaves, saw-tooth herbs and crab chili paste. Lak made another variety of spicy soup, typically served during rainy season,that is believed to cure fevers.
He harvested fresh bamboo shoots from the groves growing in the garden and cooked them in a green and bitter liquid that smelled like freshly mowed grass. It came from medicinal leaves called bai yah nang . He seasoned the soup with the all-purpose northern Thai chili paste made with chilies, garlic, shallots,lemongrass, galangal, shrimp paste and fermented fish. He also added heaps of krachai , or Chinese Keys rhizome, roasted garlic, roasted shallots and roasted chilies.
As a surprise during one of our bamboo shoot dinners, Lak brought out a small plate with four little crab shells containing some yellow custard-like substance. He told me to take a bit of warm sticky rice, shaped into a ball, and dip it into the yellow custard. The instant I put it in my mouth the musty scent of the wet, rain-soaked earth rose up to my nostrils. Its creamy texture was salty and slightly peppery. Lak told me this precious cream is the crab's tomalley, or as the Thais call it mun pu , which literary translates as crab's oil or cream. It is patiently extracted from hundreds of tiny field crabs and seasoned with salt, garlic, and chilies and steamed.Some vendors add eggs to the mixture to dilute the crab tomalley, thus increasing the volume they can sell of this precious extract.
One of the best bamboo shoot dishes Lak made was stuffed bamboo shoots. He shredded the centre portions with a bamboo skewer before stuffing it with a mixture of minced pork and shrimp.
These lacy golden stalks were deep-fried until the water evaporated, turning them crispy and reddish brown.
I never tired of eating dish after dish made with bamboo shoots. Jokingly, I told a friend that after so much bamboo shoot in my system, he could very well use me to build one of his designer chairs.
Oddly, my remark is not too far from the health benefits provided by bamboo shoots.The fibrous texture is considered to be cooling for the body, good for the digestive tracts,nurturing for the circulatory system and eases excessive phlegm. All of which strengthens our body and keeps us strong and healthy.
Lak's introduction of noh mai rai has forever changed my idea of bamboo shoots.Back in America, I can't imagine cooking or eating canned or bottled bamboo shoots.Even fresh imported ones from Japan or China, with a tough, grainy and fibrous texture,that I once considered to be a delicacy, cannot hold a candle to noh mai rai .I will have to wait until next rainy season to return to northern Thailand and continue my feasting on Lak's delectable home cooking with noh mai rai .m
Su-Mei Yu is an author of Thai cookbooks, including the award winning, Cracking The Coconut: Classic Thai Home Cooking, Asian Grilling, and to be released this month, The Elements Of Life, A Contemporary Guide To Thai Recipes And Traditions For Healthier Living.
Gaeng Gai Noh Mai Rai Aromatic Soup with Chicken and Bamboo Shoots Makes 4 servings Ingredients for chili paste: Makes 1cup 14tsp 53 to 4 slices 10 7cm
42.5cm 1 tsp 1 tsp salt cloves garlic, peeled (1 tbsp)peeled galangal (1 tbsp)dried chilies, minced (11
2tbsp)lemongrass bulb, thinly sliced (2 tbsp)small shallots (2 tbsp)peeled turmeric (1 tbsp)shrimp paste fermented fish paste (pla lah) Preparation:
Put the salt and garlic in a mortar and pound with a pestle to a puree. Add the remaining ingredients; one at a time and only after each has been incorporated into the paste. Finish with shrimp paste and fermented fish paste. Set aside. Ingredients: 11
2tbsp chili paste 450g 3 cups 2 cups 2 tablespoons 3 to 4 2 cups cooking oil (preferably rice bran oil)bite-sized pieces free range chicken water fresh or boiled bamboo shoot chunks, slightly pounded fish sauce kaffir lime leaves tightly packed holy basil leaves
Preparation:
Put the oil in a saucepan over a medium low heat. Wait for a minute before adding the chili paste. Stir-fry quickly until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Add the chicken pieces and stir-fry to coat them with the chili paste.
When the chicken has turned slightly brown,add the water to completely cover it. Stir to mix.Once the liquid comes to the boil, add the bamboo shoots. Cook under a medium low heat for 30 minutes or until both the chicken and bamboo shoots are tender. Season with fish sauce and stir to mix. Add the kaffir lime leaves. Let it cook for another 20 minutes. Just before serving, add the holy basil leaves, stir to mix. Serve warm with cooked red organic rice.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Job agencies agree to partial refunds
Four job agencies that sent Thai workers to Sweden to pick wild berries have agreed to give partial refunds, Labour Minister Paitoon Kaewthong says.
But the amounts of money the berry pickers will receive will vary depending on the companies with which they signed their contracts.
The settlement was brokered by Mr Paitoon who called a meeting with representatives from the four job agencies - Siam Royal Services Co, Sunshine Co, Thai Blue Berry Service Co and TS Law and Business Co.
On average, those who earned less than 10,000 baht from berry picking will receive a 25% refund of 75,000 baht.
Mr Paitoon said the payment is to alleviate the hardship of almost 300 workers who recently returned home from Sweden broke and disappointed.
They had borrowed between 80,000-150,000 baht each to travel to Sweden but poor berry yields led them to make only small amounts of money.
He said the Labour Ministry will discuss the matter with the Sweden Forest Berries Association and try to guarantee minimum earnings for the workers next year.
Chaiyuth Kijsawat, managing director of Siam Royal Services, said the company can only give a 20,000 baht refund to each of the workers.
He said the firm's financial status is not so good either but it is willing settle the dispute so it will not affect the company's quota to send workers next year.
Hatsaya Kennok, a berry picker, yesterday called on labour authorities to step in to ensure fair employment.
She said it is time the government put in place a management scheme for those who seek to pick wild berries in Sweden.
Meanwhile, Sampan Sakuldee, another worker from Nakhon Ratchasima,said she and her husband took out 200,000 baht in loans to be berry pickers and are likely to lose their last land plot which was placed as collateral.
She said that the refund offered by the job agency is not enough to pay the interest on her loans.
She said that there are some 20 other couples who suffered the same fate and many of them feel their families are falling apart due to financial stress.
But the amounts of money the berry pickers will receive will vary depending on the companies with which they signed their contracts.
The settlement was brokered by Mr Paitoon who called a meeting with representatives from the four job agencies - Siam Royal Services Co, Sunshine Co, Thai Blue Berry Service Co and TS Law and Business Co.
On average, those who earned less than 10,000 baht from berry picking will receive a 25% refund of 75,000 baht.
Mr Paitoon said the payment is to alleviate the hardship of almost 300 workers who recently returned home from Sweden broke and disappointed.
They had borrowed between 80,000-150,000 baht each to travel to Sweden but poor berry yields led them to make only small amounts of money.
He said the Labour Ministry will discuss the matter with the Sweden Forest Berries Association and try to guarantee minimum earnings for the workers next year.
Chaiyuth Kijsawat, managing director of Siam Royal Services, said the company can only give a 20,000 baht refund to each of the workers.
He said the firm's financial status is not so good either but it is willing settle the dispute so it will not affect the company's quota to send workers next year.
Hatsaya Kennok, a berry picker, yesterday called on labour authorities to step in to ensure fair employment.
She said it is time the government put in place a management scheme for those who seek to pick wild berries in Sweden.
Meanwhile, Sampan Sakuldee, another worker from Nakhon Ratchasima,said she and her husband took out 200,000 baht in loans to be berry pickers and are likely to lose their last land plot which was placed as collateral.
She said that the refund offered by the job agency is not enough to pay the interest on her loans.
She said that there are some 20 other couples who suffered the same fate and many of them feel their families are falling apart due to financial stress.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
SPENDING SET TO RISE FOR VEGGIE FEST
After starting the guaranteed crop price project early this month, the government yesterday released the first list of recommended prices for rice, maize and cassava to be used as a reference by farmers.
"The regular announcement of the recommended prices for rice, maize and cassava will ensure that farmers get fair payment from millers and traders," Yanyong Phuangrach, acting permanent secretary of the Commerce Ministry, said yesterday.
All the recommended prices were lower than the government's guaranteed prices, as farm good prices have fallen in the market.
The list of recommended prices would come out every 15 days, on the first and 15th day of each month.
In case farmers receive less than the guaranteed income from selling their crops, the government would pay the farmers the difference between the guaranteed and recommended prices.
For October 1-15, the recommended price for jasmine paddy rice is Bt14, 986 a tonne, while the guarantee price is set at Bt15,300 a tonne. The recommended price of white paddy rice is Bt8,806 a tonne, while the guaranteed price is Bt10,000 a tonne.
The recommended price for Pathum paddy rice is Bt9,896 a tonne, while the guaranteed price is Bt9,896 a tonne. The recommended price for sticky paddy rice is Bt7,523 a tonne and the guaranteed price is Bt9,500 a tonne.
The recommended price for cassava is Bt1.40 a kilogram, while the guarantee price is Bt1.70. The recommended price of maize is Bt5.50 a kilogram and the guaranteed price is Bt7.10.
A ministry source said that although the government's guaranteed price programme is now in place, farmers have not yet participated in it as the recommended prices have just been announced.
"The regular announcement of the recommended prices for rice, maize and cassava will ensure that farmers get fair payment from millers and traders," Yanyong Phuangrach, acting permanent secretary of the Commerce Ministry, said yesterday.
All the recommended prices were lower than the government's guaranteed prices, as farm good prices have fallen in the market.
The list of recommended prices would come out every 15 days, on the first and 15th day of each month.
In case farmers receive less than the guaranteed income from selling their crops, the government would pay the farmers the difference between the guaranteed and recommended prices.
For October 1-15, the recommended price for jasmine paddy rice is Bt14, 986 a tonne, while the guarantee price is set at Bt15,300 a tonne. The recommended price of white paddy rice is Bt8,806 a tonne, while the guaranteed price is Bt10,000 a tonne.
The recommended price for Pathum paddy rice is Bt9,896 a tonne, while the guaranteed price is Bt9,896 a tonne. The recommended price for sticky paddy rice is Bt7,523 a tonne and the guaranteed price is Bt9,500 a tonne.
The recommended price for cassava is Bt1.40 a kilogram, while the guarantee price is Bt1.70. The recommended price of maize is Bt5.50 a kilogram and the guaranteed price is Bt7.10.
A ministry source said that although the government's guaranteed price programme is now in place, farmers have not yet participated in it as the recommended prices have just been announced.
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