Flowers can make everyone feel happy…. H.E.Privy Councillor Palakorn Suwanrath and Thanpuying Dhasaniya Suwanrath recently presided over at ‘Roses of the North’ charity oil painting exhibition inspired by Bhubing Palace organized by L’Occitane and Baan Saen Doi Resort in Chiang Mai. The art of mercy rose oil painting exhibition was held at Peninsula Plaza and part of sales went to support schools and hospitals where are needed in Chiang Mai. Many kind hearted celebrities attended the event including Khunying Dhipavadee Meksawan, Mr.Harald Link, Arunee Bhirombhakdi, Atchara Tejapaibul, M.L.Sirichalerm Svasti, M.L.Thongmakut and Jarujit Thongyai, Yuwadee and Nidsinee Chirathivat, Dararatana and Toey Mahadumrongkul, Chadapah Snidvongs, Captain Deuntemduang Na Chiengmai, Pimpawan Limpichart, Joy Sopitpongstorn, Panitnuj Bunnag, Piranuj T.Suwan, Sodsoi Chomthavat, Mayura Savetsila, Wanchana Sawasdee and more.
The exhibition showcased of over 70 oil painting of roses flowers by artist and art lecturer Narin Phothisombat. Narin Phothisombat is a talented artist with an art degree from Chiang Mai Technology Rajchamonkol. His painting was inspired by roses from Phra Tamnak Bhubing Rajanives (Bhubing Palace). His painting reflected his pride and passions towards the beauty of nature for roses including Queen Sirikit, Eliza, Rouge Meilland, Queen Elizabeth and Royal Air Force.
In addition there was the charity auction on 2 oil painting pieces. The first one was the painting of Queen Elizabeth which won by Harald Link, CEO of B.Grimm for 120,000 Baht and the other piece on Queen Sirikit won by Arunee Bhirombhakdi for 75,000 Baht.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
ETIHAD TO JOIN SUSTAINABLE AVIATION FUEL USERS GROUP
Etihad Airways has joined the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Users Group (SAFUG), an airline-led industry working group established in 2008 to accelerate the commercialisation and availability of sustainable biofuels.
James Hogan, Etihad Airways’ chief executive, said: ““Etihad recognises the need for step-changes in aviation to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and meet our industry’s carbon reduction goal. We also recognise that any fuel alternatives must be morally, socially and environmentally acceptable, while not compromising the future sustainability of the aviation industry.”
SAFUG members are bound by stringent criteria for the development of non fossil fuels, including the following:
The development of plant sources must be undertaken in a manner that is non-competitive with food, with biodiversity impacts minimised and without jeopardizing drinking water supplies. The total lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions from plant growth, harvesting, processing and end-use should be significantly less than that from fossil sources. In developing economies, development projects should include provisions or outcomes that improve socio-economic conditions for small-scale farmers and their families and that do not require the involuntary displacement of local populations. High conservation value areas and native eco-systems should not be cleared and converted for jet fuel plant source development.
Each SAFUG member has pledged to work through the Roundtable for Sustainable Biofuels (RSB), a global multi-stakeholder initiative consisting of leading environmental organizations, financiers, biofuel developers, biofuel-interested petroleum companies, the transportation sector, developing-world poverty alleviation associations, research entities, and governments.
“Abu Dhabi, our home base, has itself made a strong commitment towards sustainability and in the promotion of renewable energy through the establishment of Masdar City, which will the headquarters of the International Renewable Energy Agency,” Mr Hogan said.
About Etihad Airways
Etihad Airways is the national airline of the United Arab Emirates based in the UAE’s capital, Abu Dhabi. Currently Etihad offers flights to over 55 destinations in the Middle East, Europe, North America, Africa and Asia.
James Hogan, Etihad Airways’ chief executive, said: ““Etihad recognises the need for step-changes in aviation to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and meet our industry’s carbon reduction goal. We also recognise that any fuel alternatives must be morally, socially and environmentally acceptable, while not compromising the future sustainability of the aviation industry.”
SAFUG members are bound by stringent criteria for the development of non fossil fuels, including the following:
The development of plant sources must be undertaken in a manner that is non-competitive with food, with biodiversity impacts minimised and without jeopardizing drinking water supplies. The total lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions from plant growth, harvesting, processing and end-use should be significantly less than that from fossil sources. In developing economies, development projects should include provisions or outcomes that improve socio-economic conditions for small-scale farmers and their families and that do not require the involuntary displacement of local populations. High conservation value areas and native eco-systems should not be cleared and converted for jet fuel plant source development.
Each SAFUG member has pledged to work through the Roundtable for Sustainable Biofuels (RSB), a global multi-stakeholder initiative consisting of leading environmental organizations, financiers, biofuel developers, biofuel-interested petroleum companies, the transportation sector, developing-world poverty alleviation associations, research entities, and governments.
“Abu Dhabi, our home base, has itself made a strong commitment towards sustainability and in the promotion of renewable energy through the establishment of Masdar City, which will the headquarters of the International Renewable Energy Agency,” Mr Hogan said.
About Etihad Airways
Etihad Airways is the national airline of the United Arab Emirates based in the UAE’s capital, Abu Dhabi. Currently Etihad offers flights to over 55 destinations in the Middle East, Europe, North America, Africa and Asia.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
UN trade and investment policy body for Asia and the Pacific opens first session
The main policy body on trade and investment for the regional arm of the United Nations in Asia and the Pacific opened its first session today, noting that the region was on the path to recovery from the economic and financial crises but also that the adverse social effects would be felt for a long time.
The Committee on Trade and Investment, which provides policy guidance to the work of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), is meeting through Friday in Bangkok under the theme, “Trade-Led Recovery and Beyond.”
In her remarks to the Committee, Noeleen Heyzer, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of ESCAP, emphasized the need to enhance connectivity in the region in support of intraregional trade.
Many developing countries in the region, particularly the least developed and landlocked ones, lack sufficient access to markets or are not competitive enough to fully use trade as a tool for wealth generation and poverty reduction. “For these countries effective integration with regional and global trading systems will potentially provide important additional sources of growth,” she said.
Trade measures should also be specifically designed to target the sectors of the economy linked with small businesses, women and the poor to ensure that future trade-led economic growth was pro-poor and benefited people who needed it most, Dr. Heyzer added.
Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya of Thailand said in his inaugural address that regional economic cooperation was essential to promoting sustainable growth and strengthening resilience against future economic crises. He referred to last month’s ASEAN Summit which had launched an initiative to establish an East Asian Free Trade Area comprising the 10 ASEAN members and China, Japan and the Republic of Korea. He also emphasized the importance of public-private partnerships, particularly in infrastructure projects.
The Committee also discussed trade and investment as a means to achieve inclusive and sustainable development. Kiat Sittheeamorn, Thailand Trade Representative, said Asia stood to benefit greatly from trade and should therefore take a pro-active role in promoting trade liberalization. “Trade is a victim of the crisis but a hero of recovery,” he said, adding that Asia should speak with one voice to get the maximum benefit out of trade.
The Committee also noted that Asia was leading the recovery from the crisis and exports were poised for strong growth in 2010. Kishore Mahbubani, Dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, called for Asia to be at the forefront of trade-led growth. “The global economy creates many opportunities; for instance, Asia is already taking a lead in developing green technologies,” he said. In a modern economy, there was a need for a proper balance between the invisible hand of the market and the visible hand of good government.
Damdin Tsogtbaatar, State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Mongolia, noted that the crisis had revealed that the “old economy” was neglected in favour of the “new economy.” “Important traditional sectors such as agriculture and mining cannot easily be replaced by dot.com industries in many countries,” he said.
The first session of the Committee on Trade and Investment, which drew about 100 senior officials, academics and private sector representatives from some 25 countries, is part of a series of events which make up ESCAP’s first Asia-Pacific Trade and Investment Week. Secretary-General Supachai Panitchpakdi of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) is scheduled to deliver a keynote address Thursday to the Committee.
Other events during the Week have included the Asia-Pacific Economists’
Conference on “Trade-led Growth in Times of Crisis” to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the Asia-Pacific Research and Training Network on Trade (ARTNeT), the OECD/ESCAP Conference on Corporate Responsibility and other workshops.
The Committee on Trade and Investment, which provides policy guidance to the work of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), is meeting through Friday in Bangkok under the theme, “Trade-Led Recovery and Beyond.”
In her remarks to the Committee, Noeleen Heyzer, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of ESCAP, emphasized the need to enhance connectivity in the region in support of intraregional trade.
Many developing countries in the region, particularly the least developed and landlocked ones, lack sufficient access to markets or are not competitive enough to fully use trade as a tool for wealth generation and poverty reduction. “For these countries effective integration with regional and global trading systems will potentially provide important additional sources of growth,” she said.
Trade measures should also be specifically designed to target the sectors of the economy linked with small businesses, women and the poor to ensure that future trade-led economic growth was pro-poor and benefited people who needed it most, Dr. Heyzer added.
Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya of Thailand said in his inaugural address that regional economic cooperation was essential to promoting sustainable growth and strengthening resilience against future economic crises. He referred to last month’s ASEAN Summit which had launched an initiative to establish an East Asian Free Trade Area comprising the 10 ASEAN members and China, Japan and the Republic of Korea. He also emphasized the importance of public-private partnerships, particularly in infrastructure projects.
The Committee also discussed trade and investment as a means to achieve inclusive and sustainable development. Kiat Sittheeamorn, Thailand Trade Representative, said Asia stood to benefit greatly from trade and should therefore take a pro-active role in promoting trade liberalization. “Trade is a victim of the crisis but a hero of recovery,” he said, adding that Asia should speak with one voice to get the maximum benefit out of trade.
The Committee also noted that Asia was leading the recovery from the crisis and exports were poised for strong growth in 2010. Kishore Mahbubani, Dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, called for Asia to be at the forefront of trade-led growth. “The global economy creates many opportunities; for instance, Asia is already taking a lead in developing green technologies,” he said. In a modern economy, there was a need for a proper balance between the invisible hand of the market and the visible hand of good government.
Damdin Tsogtbaatar, State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Mongolia, noted that the crisis had revealed that the “old economy” was neglected in favour of the “new economy.” “Important traditional sectors such as agriculture and mining cannot easily be replaced by dot.com industries in many countries,” he said.
The first session of the Committee on Trade and Investment, which drew about 100 senior officials, academics and private sector representatives from some 25 countries, is part of a series of events which make up ESCAP’s first Asia-Pacific Trade and Investment Week. Secretary-General Supachai Panitchpakdi of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) is scheduled to deliver a keynote address Thursday to the Committee.
Other events during the Week have included the Asia-Pacific Economists’
Conference on “Trade-led Growth in Times of Crisis” to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the Asia-Pacific Research and Training Network on Trade (ARTNeT), the OECD/ESCAP Conference on Corporate Responsibility and other workshops.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
The wonders of Panatda's rooftop garden
"Growing plants is like raising children, you get emotionally attached, when they grow up you feel good. It's even better than children because they never talk back at you.
Just about everyone finds the idea of having a private garden within the confines of their home very appealing. It's the perfect place to relax.Wouldn't it be great if this garden could provide shade and double as a vegetable garden as well?
Not only will you be increasing the green area, but you can eat fresh, delicious vegetables too.
If you don't know what vegetables you'd like to plant, then maybe Panatda Tokiartrungruang, aka Aunty Neng, can give you a few pointers.
This 54-year-old woman revamped the entire rooftop of her 5-storey shop-house into a most enviable vegetable garden, streaming with variety and vibrant colours.
Panatda's garden is an award-winning vegetable garden in the rooftop category.She competed in the recent "Vegetable Garden in My House" contest at the National Herbs Exhibition in September.
Her 30-square-wah shophouse is in the Sathon area of Bangkok. After recovering from heart surgery, her body gradually healed itself and became stronger. From then on she decided that she wanted to take good care of herself.
Once she was able to walk up the five flights of stairs, Panatda set out to transform her shophouse rooftop into a hydroponic vegetable garden, where the fruits of her labour could be used in the kitchen or sold.
Alas, the cost of hydroponics was just too high for her.
Recycled garden
Panatda previously earned a living in the recycling business, so she knows a thing or two about used materials and how to find them. It just so happened that next to her shophouse was a large recycling business.
She decided that recycled and discarded materials would be the building blocks of her vegetable garden.
It was her decision to use recycled materials that won the hearts of the judges at the competition.
Old electric cable sheaths became a web to support greens and veggies as they become heavy with produce.
The butterfly pea (anchan)is Panatda's baby: It blooms beautiful blue flowers throughout the floating garden as green beans slither in between.
"Most people will use a steel frame for the greens to cling on and grow but steel is heavy and a conductor of heat. I don't think vegetables would want to be around a hot frame for support. There are strong winds on the rooftop as well which makes it prone to falling down," Aunty Neng said.
"But using electric cable sheaths is the perfect solution because it's light-weight and not hot. Just connect them together, crisscross it like a net. If you don't like what you see, just change the pattern. And it's not expensive."
An old laundry basket, used lanterns and the innards of a washing machine are a few examples of what Panatda has adapted to use as pots for her vegetables. A conventional garden pot might cost about 200 baht but Panatda's used materials cost only a fraction, or about 20-30 baht each.
Old foam boxes are great garden pots because foam does not absorb heat. They are also perfectly suited for rooftops,because they are lightweight.
Panatda also uses old clothes hangers, cupboards, old noodle stalls and PVC pipes for greens and flowers to cling to and flourish.
"Washing pans or the old inner structure of drying machines are usually screened out by recycling shops because they don't have any monetary value, unlike the outer structure of washing machines which are made of steel. However they are ideal because there are holes which serve as a good water drainage system. I'd place a plastic cover inside first and then add soil in order to make watering the plants an easy job. Water drains out of the holes on the sides. It's only a few baht. It saves money and is rather durable," she explained.
Panatda buys and shares vegetable seeds from her friends. Some blooms are left to mature so she collects the seeds for future
cultivation. Her main gardening expense is soil:Bags of potting soil cost about 20 baht each.
Aunty Neng does not use pesticides or chemicals. She plucks out frail or bad-looking leaves.
If she finds insects that might be harmful then she cuts the branch and waits for new growth to replace it.
Not only does this save money but the fruits of her labor taste really good,and are in high demand by everyone in the neighbourhood.
"My house specialty is stir-fried green beans with minced pork, garlic and prik-khi-noo chilies. My green beans are very sweet. When they are ripe the harvest is bountiful which is why I sell some of my produce to nearby shops and somtam vendors. Oh! They love it and don't sell it but eat it themselves. They tell me my vegetables are very delicious and sweet when compared to what they usually buy in the market. My vegetables are really organic. They might not be big but their taste is. No matter how many veggies I have, they always sell out,"Panatda said .
Butterfly pea the star of the garden
Most of the space on Panatda's rooftop garden is dominated by butterfly pea flowers.There are butterfly pea blooms in a fresh blue variety, light blue and white colours.Some butterfly peas cling to the walls while others snuggle their way up into a makeshift archway that provides shade and shelter for an afternoon nap.
Panatda explained that her fondness of the butterfly pea plant comes from the fact that it is easy to cultivate, grows fast, and is an epicurean's dream in the kitchen. The flower can be boiled and served as a healthy drink, and is a tasty snack when eaten fresh.It can be used as a seasoning, such as a side dish for chili paste (namprik), dipped in egg and fried, or mixed into fried scrambled eggs, to name just a few delights.
Hence, Panatda selected the butterfly pea flower to be the star of her garden. She says drinking butterfly pea juice daily keeps her in good health: She feels strong and her joints and muscles do not feel weary.
Every morning from 6am till 11am Panatda is working under the shade of her rooftop garden, with her radio to keep her company.
Her chores include watering the plants,tilling the soil and taking care of her plants.But her core responsibility is to harvest the abundant butterfly pea flower. She has more than she can eat herself, so she sells the extra flowers.
"I never thought of selling butterfly pea flowers as a serious profit-making scheme.I shared with my friends at first but some ate the flowers daily and they felt it would be appropriate if they paid for it instead. Now I sell fresh flowers and bottled butterfly pea juice at 10-15 baht per bottle," she said.
"I collect the flowers and put them in the fridge for a week, then I sell them. At 20 baht per bag I sell about 10 bags a week for about 200 baht. Sometimes I boil butterfly pea juice and make merit. I have so many flowers I have to sell them at the market. At 20 baht per bloom I get a considerable amount."
Secret to growing many greens and flowers in one pot
The vegetable garden of Panatda is characterised by its rich variety. There are vegetables and then there are flowers and decorative plants, more than 50 species. She has planted basil, mint, green beans, garden pea, hot chilies, yellow chilies, water bamboo grass (ya-pai-nam), papaya, cassava, bananas,moringa, grenadine, pandanus, jasmine,sweet oleander, common lime and hibiscus:The list just goes on and on.
Panatda said that she has always had a fondness for planting flowers and recalls someone telling her that growing flowers and vegetables together will reduce insect problems because they will pay attention to the flowers instead of the greens.
"At first I didn't know much. I liked flowers so that's all I planted. But then an expert recommended I mix in vegetables. Each pot contains a mixture of flowers and vegetables,so they can help each other. Plants which are left to grow alone do not survive, but once I put them beside other pots they can benefit from the shade and reach maturity.
"For example I put the aloe vera with butterfly pea, or the green beans with papaya and when they mature I can single them out in separate pots."
Having a garden on a rooftop that is exposed to extremely hot temperatures calls for heavy morning watering.
Panatda recommends that you water your plants generously until the water seeps out onto the base of the pot. Watering once in the morning is sufficient.
Gardening and good health
It's been two years since Panatda underwent heart surgery. She's transformed herself into a full-time rooftop gardener with the love and support of her husband and children.
She used to rest in between the flights of stairs but now Aunty Neng casually makes it up and down the five-storey shophouse with no problem at all.
Sometimes she carries a bag of earth on her way up, or she'll come down with a basket full of vegetables.
"Each day is full of happiness for me when I come up here alone. My health has improved tremendously. I don't tire easily, unlike before.When I am in the garden, time flies and there is shade and small birds that fly in frequently,"Panatda said.
"Being with plants keeps me fresh. I am thinking of building a small room in the corner at the back with a built-in bathroom so I don't have walk down to use the toilet.Growing plants is like raising children, you get emotionally attached, when they grow up you feel good. It's even better than children because they never talk back at you," she said, laughing.
"But plants are emotionally fragile because if you forget to water them once, they droop and sag: So you need to take good care of them." she added.
Before bidding goodbye, Panatda made sure mylife took home hundreds of butterfly pea seeds and a number of plants."It's not hard to grow. Once the plants grow you can eat it and reduce global warming as well."
Just about everyone finds the idea of having a private garden within the confines of their home very appealing. It's the perfect place to relax.Wouldn't it be great if this garden could provide shade and double as a vegetable garden as well?
Not only will you be increasing the green area, but you can eat fresh, delicious vegetables too.
If you don't know what vegetables you'd like to plant, then maybe Panatda Tokiartrungruang, aka Aunty Neng, can give you a few pointers.
This 54-year-old woman revamped the entire rooftop of her 5-storey shop-house into a most enviable vegetable garden, streaming with variety and vibrant colours.
Panatda's garden is an award-winning vegetable garden in the rooftop category.She competed in the recent "Vegetable Garden in My House" contest at the National Herbs Exhibition in September.
Her 30-square-wah shophouse is in the Sathon area of Bangkok. After recovering from heart surgery, her body gradually healed itself and became stronger. From then on she decided that she wanted to take good care of herself.
Once she was able to walk up the five flights of stairs, Panatda set out to transform her shophouse rooftop into a hydroponic vegetable garden, where the fruits of her labour could be used in the kitchen or sold.
Alas, the cost of hydroponics was just too high for her.
Recycled garden
Panatda previously earned a living in the recycling business, so she knows a thing or two about used materials and how to find them. It just so happened that next to her shophouse was a large recycling business.
She decided that recycled and discarded materials would be the building blocks of her vegetable garden.
It was her decision to use recycled materials that won the hearts of the judges at the competition.
Old electric cable sheaths became a web to support greens and veggies as they become heavy with produce.
The butterfly pea (anchan)is Panatda's baby: It blooms beautiful blue flowers throughout the floating garden as green beans slither in between.
"Most people will use a steel frame for the greens to cling on and grow but steel is heavy and a conductor of heat. I don't think vegetables would want to be around a hot frame for support. There are strong winds on the rooftop as well which makes it prone to falling down," Aunty Neng said.
"But using electric cable sheaths is the perfect solution because it's light-weight and not hot. Just connect them together, crisscross it like a net. If you don't like what you see, just change the pattern. And it's not expensive."
An old laundry basket, used lanterns and the innards of a washing machine are a few examples of what Panatda has adapted to use as pots for her vegetables. A conventional garden pot might cost about 200 baht but Panatda's used materials cost only a fraction, or about 20-30 baht each.
Old foam boxes are great garden pots because foam does not absorb heat. They are also perfectly suited for rooftops,because they are lightweight.
Panatda also uses old clothes hangers, cupboards, old noodle stalls and PVC pipes for greens and flowers to cling to and flourish.
"Washing pans or the old inner structure of drying machines are usually screened out by recycling shops because they don't have any monetary value, unlike the outer structure of washing machines which are made of steel. However they are ideal because there are holes which serve as a good water drainage system. I'd place a plastic cover inside first and then add soil in order to make watering the plants an easy job. Water drains out of the holes on the sides. It's only a few baht. It saves money and is rather durable," she explained.
Panatda buys and shares vegetable seeds from her friends. Some blooms are left to mature so she collects the seeds for future
cultivation. Her main gardening expense is soil:Bags of potting soil cost about 20 baht each.
Aunty Neng does not use pesticides or chemicals. She plucks out frail or bad-looking leaves.
If she finds insects that might be harmful then she cuts the branch and waits for new growth to replace it.
Not only does this save money but the fruits of her labor taste really good,and are in high demand by everyone in the neighbourhood.
"My house specialty is stir-fried green beans with minced pork, garlic and prik-khi-noo chilies. My green beans are very sweet. When they are ripe the harvest is bountiful which is why I sell some of my produce to nearby shops and somtam vendors. Oh! They love it and don't sell it but eat it themselves. They tell me my vegetables are very delicious and sweet when compared to what they usually buy in the market. My vegetables are really organic. They might not be big but their taste is. No matter how many veggies I have, they always sell out,"Panatda said .
Butterfly pea the star of the garden
Most of the space on Panatda's rooftop garden is dominated by butterfly pea flowers.There are butterfly pea blooms in a fresh blue variety, light blue and white colours.Some butterfly peas cling to the walls while others snuggle their way up into a makeshift archway that provides shade and shelter for an afternoon nap.
Panatda explained that her fondness of the butterfly pea plant comes from the fact that it is easy to cultivate, grows fast, and is an epicurean's dream in the kitchen. The flower can be boiled and served as a healthy drink, and is a tasty snack when eaten fresh.It can be used as a seasoning, such as a side dish for chili paste (namprik), dipped in egg and fried, or mixed into fried scrambled eggs, to name just a few delights.
Hence, Panatda selected the butterfly pea flower to be the star of her garden. She says drinking butterfly pea juice daily keeps her in good health: She feels strong and her joints and muscles do not feel weary.
Every morning from 6am till 11am Panatda is working under the shade of her rooftop garden, with her radio to keep her company.
Her chores include watering the plants,tilling the soil and taking care of her plants.But her core responsibility is to harvest the abundant butterfly pea flower. She has more than she can eat herself, so she sells the extra flowers.
"I never thought of selling butterfly pea flowers as a serious profit-making scheme.I shared with my friends at first but some ate the flowers daily and they felt it would be appropriate if they paid for it instead. Now I sell fresh flowers and bottled butterfly pea juice at 10-15 baht per bottle," she said.
"I collect the flowers and put them in the fridge for a week, then I sell them. At 20 baht per bag I sell about 10 bags a week for about 200 baht. Sometimes I boil butterfly pea juice and make merit. I have so many flowers I have to sell them at the market. At 20 baht per bloom I get a considerable amount."
Secret to growing many greens and flowers in one pot
The vegetable garden of Panatda is characterised by its rich variety. There are vegetables and then there are flowers and decorative plants, more than 50 species. She has planted basil, mint, green beans, garden pea, hot chilies, yellow chilies, water bamboo grass (ya-pai-nam), papaya, cassava, bananas,moringa, grenadine, pandanus, jasmine,sweet oleander, common lime and hibiscus:The list just goes on and on.
Panatda said that she has always had a fondness for planting flowers and recalls someone telling her that growing flowers and vegetables together will reduce insect problems because they will pay attention to the flowers instead of the greens.
"At first I didn't know much. I liked flowers so that's all I planted. But then an expert recommended I mix in vegetables. Each pot contains a mixture of flowers and vegetables,so they can help each other. Plants which are left to grow alone do not survive, but once I put them beside other pots they can benefit from the shade and reach maturity.
"For example I put the aloe vera with butterfly pea, or the green beans with papaya and when they mature I can single them out in separate pots."
Having a garden on a rooftop that is exposed to extremely hot temperatures calls for heavy morning watering.
Panatda recommends that you water your plants generously until the water seeps out onto the base of the pot. Watering once in the morning is sufficient.
Gardening and good health
It's been two years since Panatda underwent heart surgery. She's transformed herself into a full-time rooftop gardener with the love and support of her husband and children.
She used to rest in between the flights of stairs but now Aunty Neng casually makes it up and down the five-storey shophouse with no problem at all.
Sometimes she carries a bag of earth on her way up, or she'll come down with a basket full of vegetables.
"Each day is full of happiness for me when I come up here alone. My health has improved tremendously. I don't tire easily, unlike before.When I am in the garden, time flies and there is shade and small birds that fly in frequently,"Panatda said.
"Being with plants keeps me fresh. I am thinking of building a small room in the corner at the back with a built-in bathroom so I don't have walk down to use the toilet.Growing plants is like raising children, you get emotionally attached, when they grow up you feel good. It's even better than children because they never talk back at you," she said, laughing.
"But plants are emotionally fragile because if you forget to water them once, they droop and sag: So you need to take good care of them." she added.
Before bidding goodbye, Panatda made sure mylife took home hundreds of butterfly pea seeds and a number of plants."It's not hard to grow. Once the plants grow you can eat it and reduce global warming as well."
OUR ECONOMIC BACKBONE NEEDS MORE SUPPORT
Thailand must revamp its agricultural sector to compete with improving productivity in neighbouring countries
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva earlier this week vowed to push forward the Farmers Council Bill, which is intended to improve the wellbeing of farmers. During the session to consider the passage of the bill, Abhisit said the issue should be on the national agenda for it involves millions of Thais who form the economic backbone of the country.
Although Thailand is an agriculture-based country, most of our farmers are heavily indebted. Many don't own the land upon which they work. Past governments have systematically failed to support farmers, and Thailand does not have a comprehensive agricultural development plan to provide sustainable growth in this sector in the future.
These shortcomings should not be allowed to continue. Thai farmers should be better equipped to compete with their counterparts from neighbouring countries after Asean member countries open up agricultural markets including rice, tapioca and corn from 2010. Thai farmers should be able to effectively improve their yields per rai in order to increase overall productivity. In terms of production, Vietnamese farmers are now catching up with Thai farmers very quickly, due largely to Thailand's failure to improve in this regard.
Agriculture is a vital sector of the economy that many countries strive to improve in order to ensure their food security. Thailand has exploited its natural advantages, such as its rich soil and climate, for centuries. However, these advantages may not last forever, and we will not always be alone in benefiting from geographical providence.
The Farmers Council Bill should play a role in empowering farmers by ensuring their rights to receive proper assistance so they can continue with the incentive to work the land. One particular area of importance is that farmers should gain access to proper irrigation systems.
Investors from some countries are anxious to own farmland in Thailand because they realise the significance of the sector. Unfortunately, some Thais have failed to realise the value of our natural resources. Some have sold land plots to foreigners through proxy ownership.
The proposed new law should also help ensure legitimise ownership of land, and will give farmers a channel to voice their opinions at the national level.
The bill should also provide for the formation of institutions to assist farmers, such as a micro-financing system. Otherwise, many farmers will continue to borrow money from unscrupulous lenders who charge extremely high interest rates.
If there is no shake-up of the system as it is at present, Thai farmers will remain caught in a trap of relying on Mother Nature and crooked politicians who exploit farmers' needs for their own short-term political gain. And they will have no other choice than to come out to block the roads every time they cannot sell their produce at a good price.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva earlier this week vowed to push forward the Farmers Council Bill, which is intended to improve the wellbeing of farmers. During the session to consider the passage of the bill, Abhisit said the issue should be on the national agenda for it involves millions of Thais who form the economic backbone of the country.
Although Thailand is an agriculture-based country, most of our farmers are heavily indebted. Many don't own the land upon which they work. Past governments have systematically failed to support farmers, and Thailand does not have a comprehensive agricultural development plan to provide sustainable growth in this sector in the future.
These shortcomings should not be allowed to continue. Thai farmers should be better equipped to compete with their counterparts from neighbouring countries after Asean member countries open up agricultural markets including rice, tapioca and corn from 2010. Thai farmers should be able to effectively improve their yields per rai in order to increase overall productivity. In terms of production, Vietnamese farmers are now catching up with Thai farmers very quickly, due largely to Thailand's failure to improve in this regard.
Agriculture is a vital sector of the economy that many countries strive to improve in order to ensure their food security. Thailand has exploited its natural advantages, such as its rich soil and climate, for centuries. However, these advantages may not last forever, and we will not always be alone in benefiting from geographical providence.
The Farmers Council Bill should play a role in empowering farmers by ensuring their rights to receive proper assistance so they can continue with the incentive to work the land. One particular area of importance is that farmers should gain access to proper irrigation systems.
Investors from some countries are anxious to own farmland in Thailand because they realise the significance of the sector. Unfortunately, some Thais have failed to realise the value of our natural resources. Some have sold land plots to foreigners through proxy ownership.
The proposed new law should also help ensure legitimise ownership of land, and will give farmers a channel to voice their opinions at the national level.
The bill should also provide for the formation of institutions to assist farmers, such as a micro-financing system. Otherwise, many farmers will continue to borrow money from unscrupulous lenders who charge extremely high interest rates.
If there is no shake-up of the system as it is at present, Thai farmers will remain caught in a trap of relying on Mother Nature and crooked politicians who exploit farmers' needs for their own short-term political gain. And they will have no other choice than to come out to block the roads every time they cannot sell their produce at a good price.
Flower extravaganza set to return
The floral extravaganza Ratchaphruek Festival returns to Chiang Mai next month from Dec 1-10 to celebrate the 82nd birthday anniversary of His Majesty the King, the world's longest reigning monarch.
Organised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives,the provincial administration and the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), the festival is expected to draw more than 200,000 visitors.
According to Juthaporn Rerngronasa, TAT's deputy governor for marketing communications, on Dec 5,which is the King's birthday,there will be a grand ceremony involving the lighting of candles and offering of prayers wishing His Majesty sound health,followed by fireworks and light and sound presentation.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva will preside over the festival opening on Dec 1 when he'd join local notaries to release 999 floating lanterns, followed by Thai classical dances from the four regions of the country,with 99 performers from each region.
Taking place at the same venue that played host to the Royal Flora Ratchaphruek held to celebrate the 60th anniversary of His Majesty's accension to the throne in 2006, the festival is an exhibition of flowers, plants and fruits,sale of farm products, handicrafts and OTOP goods, and contests featuring farm commodities.
The event three years ago featured roughly 2.5 million plants and flowers,including some rare orchids, and drew about as many visitors.
"The festival should help boost tourism and raise hotel occupancy in Chiang Mai," said the deputy governor.
A first in Chanthaburi
Launched on Oct 26 in Chanthaburi,the first training centre for management of shipwrecks and underwater cultural heritage brings together 16 archaeologists from across the Southeast Asia region.
The training programme is a part-nership between Unesco, the Ministry of Culture and the Underwater Archaeology Division of the Department of Fine Arts.
"Thousands of historical items have already been stolen by treasure hunters and if preventative measures are not put into place to combat the illegal trade,even more priceless treasures will disappear from Asian waters," said Ricardo Favis of Unesco's Bangkok office, adding "Asian maritime archaeologists are still in their infancy, so we must improve their knowledge and skills."
The first batch comprises trainees from Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia,the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand.The course runs until Dec 5. It is conducted by experts from Australia, England and Holland, and covers subjects such as maritime law,in situ preservation of shipwrecks and underwater sites, museology, treasure hunters and monitoring techniques, shipbuilding technology and ethnographic boat recording.
The Chantaburi facility is one of the best-equipped in the region and located in proximity of shipwreck sites, allowing the trainees to field-test practical skills.
Major TAT push in Moscow
The Tourism Authority of Thailand's (TAT) office in Moscow has embarked on a major offensive after the number of Russians visiting Thailand dropped 29.43 per cent in the first four months of this year.
In 2008, Russian visitors to Thailand totaled 319,587, up 14.23%over the previous year, and generated 16.24 billion baht in tourism revenue. During 2002-08, the number of Russian visitors to Thailand grew by an annual average of 28.79% while their spending grew by 32.76% annually. However, the global financial crisis saw their number drop by 29.43% during January to April this year.
Therefore TAT's Moscow office launched the "Welcome to Thailand Mega Fam" campaign last week, reining in 70 Russian travel agents and media representatives to its cause."Our research shows many opportunities for growth," said Juthaporn Rerngronasa, TAT's deputy governor in charge of marketing communications."Russia is mainly a winter-season market as Russians love our warm weather, the beaches and the sea. Many also enjoy learning diving and exploring underwater treasures around the Andamans and the Gulf of Thailand."
TAT is targetting high-end tourists and meeting delegates through tour packages to Bangkok with a detour to neighbouring countries, and expects the campaign to generate 293,000 visitors from Russian alone, not to mention the Central Asian republics, for a turnover of roughly 14.03 billion baht this winter.
Park encroachment
The Department of National Park,Wildlife and Plant Conservation last week raided a marine park in Trang Province,the site of a private resort, and seized 20 workers before ordering a halt to further construction.
Almost 80 per cent complete the resort,valued at 20 million baht, belongs to a Songkhla businessman. Located in Hat Chao Mai Marine Park, it's built on a strip of land where construction is forbidden.
The raid followed complaints from locals. Somchai Masathien, director of the Forest Fire Control Division led a 50-strong force to the construction site and arrested the workers, after which he told the local media that the building will be demolished.
Tiger resumes flights
Anticipating a rise in passenger traffic during the upcoming tourist season, Tiger Airways has resumed flights between Singapore and Krabi.
"We are very excited about the resumption of Krabi flights. With four flights a week you now have an additional choice of a holiday destination," said Tiger Airways Managing Director Rosalynn Tay.
All of them are afternoon flights available Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. The start-up price is at 535 baht excluding surcharges.
Visit www.tigerairways.com for more information.
Concert by the river
"Jazz de Chang Kanchanaburi" is a charity concert scheduled Nov 7 in front of the bridge over the Kwai River in Kanchanaburi.
Proceeds from the event will go to the conservation of elephants in Salakpra,the country's first wildlife sanctuary located in the province.
The concert will feature the Biggles Big Band from the Netherlands and the Bangkok Connection.
The event is jointly organised by the provincial administration, the Dutch Embassy, the private sector in Kanchanaburi,the Tourism Authority of Thailand and the local chapter of Elephant Conservation Network.
Tickets for the concert are priced at 800 baht and include dinner.
For more information, call 034-514-771.
Organised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives,the provincial administration and the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), the festival is expected to draw more than 200,000 visitors.
According to Juthaporn Rerngronasa, TAT's deputy governor for marketing communications, on Dec 5,which is the King's birthday,there will be a grand ceremony involving the lighting of candles and offering of prayers wishing His Majesty sound health,followed by fireworks and light and sound presentation.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva will preside over the festival opening on Dec 1 when he'd join local notaries to release 999 floating lanterns, followed by Thai classical dances from the four regions of the country,with 99 performers from each region.
Taking place at the same venue that played host to the Royal Flora Ratchaphruek held to celebrate the 60th anniversary of His Majesty's accension to the throne in 2006, the festival is an exhibition of flowers, plants and fruits,sale of farm products, handicrafts and OTOP goods, and contests featuring farm commodities.
The event three years ago featured roughly 2.5 million plants and flowers,including some rare orchids, and drew about as many visitors.
"The festival should help boost tourism and raise hotel occupancy in Chiang Mai," said the deputy governor.
A first in Chanthaburi
Launched on Oct 26 in Chanthaburi,the first training centre for management of shipwrecks and underwater cultural heritage brings together 16 archaeologists from across the Southeast Asia region.
The training programme is a part-nership between Unesco, the Ministry of Culture and the Underwater Archaeology Division of the Department of Fine Arts.
"Thousands of historical items have already been stolen by treasure hunters and if preventative measures are not put into place to combat the illegal trade,even more priceless treasures will disappear from Asian waters," said Ricardo Favis of Unesco's Bangkok office, adding "Asian maritime archaeologists are still in their infancy, so we must improve their knowledge and skills."
The first batch comprises trainees from Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia,the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand.The course runs until Dec 5. It is conducted by experts from Australia, England and Holland, and covers subjects such as maritime law,in situ preservation of shipwrecks and underwater sites, museology, treasure hunters and monitoring techniques, shipbuilding technology and ethnographic boat recording.
The Chantaburi facility is one of the best-equipped in the region and located in proximity of shipwreck sites, allowing the trainees to field-test practical skills.
Major TAT push in Moscow
The Tourism Authority of Thailand's (TAT) office in Moscow has embarked on a major offensive after the number of Russians visiting Thailand dropped 29.43 per cent in the first four months of this year.
In 2008, Russian visitors to Thailand totaled 319,587, up 14.23%over the previous year, and generated 16.24 billion baht in tourism revenue. During 2002-08, the number of Russian visitors to Thailand grew by an annual average of 28.79% while their spending grew by 32.76% annually. However, the global financial crisis saw their number drop by 29.43% during January to April this year.
Therefore TAT's Moscow office launched the "Welcome to Thailand Mega Fam" campaign last week, reining in 70 Russian travel agents and media representatives to its cause."Our research shows many opportunities for growth," said Juthaporn Rerngronasa, TAT's deputy governor in charge of marketing communications."Russia is mainly a winter-season market as Russians love our warm weather, the beaches and the sea. Many also enjoy learning diving and exploring underwater treasures around the Andamans and the Gulf of Thailand."
TAT is targetting high-end tourists and meeting delegates through tour packages to Bangkok with a detour to neighbouring countries, and expects the campaign to generate 293,000 visitors from Russian alone, not to mention the Central Asian republics, for a turnover of roughly 14.03 billion baht this winter.
Park encroachment
The Department of National Park,Wildlife and Plant Conservation last week raided a marine park in Trang Province,the site of a private resort, and seized 20 workers before ordering a halt to further construction.
Almost 80 per cent complete the resort,valued at 20 million baht, belongs to a Songkhla businessman. Located in Hat Chao Mai Marine Park, it's built on a strip of land where construction is forbidden.
The raid followed complaints from locals. Somchai Masathien, director of the Forest Fire Control Division led a 50-strong force to the construction site and arrested the workers, after which he told the local media that the building will be demolished.
Tiger resumes flights
Anticipating a rise in passenger traffic during the upcoming tourist season, Tiger Airways has resumed flights between Singapore and Krabi.
"We are very excited about the resumption of Krabi flights. With four flights a week you now have an additional choice of a holiday destination," said Tiger Airways Managing Director Rosalynn Tay.
All of them are afternoon flights available Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. The start-up price is at 535 baht excluding surcharges.
Visit www.tigerairways.com for more information.
Concert by the river
"Jazz de Chang Kanchanaburi" is a charity concert scheduled Nov 7 in front of the bridge over the Kwai River in Kanchanaburi.
Proceeds from the event will go to the conservation of elephants in Salakpra,the country's first wildlife sanctuary located in the province.
The concert will feature the Biggles Big Band from the Netherlands and the Bangkok Connection.
The event is jointly organised by the provincial administration, the Dutch Embassy, the private sector in Kanchanaburi,the Tourism Authority of Thailand and the local chapter of Elephant Conservation Network.
Tickets for the concert are priced at 800 baht and include dinner.
For more information, call 034-514-771.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
HOW MUCH MORE CAN IT SAFELY YIELD?
DESPITE cautious signs of a recovery in recent months, the economic crisis continues. Trade, employment and manufacturing data all point to a shrinking international economy, and 2009 growth is likely to remain lower than in recent years. This is bad news for the 60 million people that live in the Mekong Basin, but maybe not as bad as first expected. Nor is it perhaps so prominent in the minds of the poorer sections of the community compared with other development challenges facing them.
Internationally, commodity prices have dropped, leading to reduced output from the region's mining concessions, and lower foreign exchange earnings. Some people have had to return to rural livelihoods.
But for the many poor people who depend on the abundant resources of the Mekong River, their source of protein and livelihoods from fisheries and other aquatic resources have not been affected by the economic downturn. The Basin is home to fisheries that yield about 2.5 million tons of fish per year and, at first point of sale, amount to an industry worth at least US$2 billion annually. It is the largest inland fishery in the world.
These communities depend on the river as a resource, and are often outside the mainstream economy. They are insulated from global economic fluctuations precisely because they depend so closely on natural systems and not the broader economy for their survival. This is the strength of the natural river system; especially the biodiversity and productivity of the wetlands, marshes, swamps, ponds, lakes and flood plains, and it underlines why the river system is so important for poverty alleviation.
Much can be gained economically by Basin governments in the Lower Mekong. Besides fisheries, hydropower is a renewable energy source and has the potential to generate large amounts of revenue for governments to use in social development programmes; the Mekong agricultural industry is worth billions and there is much potential for increasing water storage and irrigation systems; and the Mekong and its tributaries are vital links for transport and commerce in the region.
However, there are also challenges associated with population growth and climate change. Similarly, if basic livelihoods are to continue to be met by water resources of the Basin, future developments need to be planned carefully. The rural poor should naturally also benefit in the long-term from economic growth underpinned by any larger-scale development of water resources. But this can be achieved only through strategies that make use of targeted benefit- sharing mechanisms.
What is needed is an integrated analytical approach that examines the distribution of benefits, costs and the effects of development on the river system. What, for example, would be the economic and social benefits of a hydropower scheme, compared to the value of a potential reduction in fisheries that it could cause? And how to reconcile the gains to one group and the losses to another? How will salinity intrusion and agriculture downstream be affected if water is used for irrigation upstream? Because the river system is trans-boundary, all of these issues have international implications and need to be resolved through the framework of regional cooperation.
Answers to these questions are not straightforward, but a pragmatic and internationally accepted way of considering them is found in the 1995 Mekong Agreement, which Cambodia, the Lao PDR, Thailand and Vietnam signed when they established the Mekong River Commission (MRC).
The MRC is the intergovernmental body responsible for cooperation on the sustainable management of the Mekong Basin, whose members include Cambodia, the Lao PDR, Thailand and Vietnam. In dealing with these challenges, it looks across all sectors including sustaining fisheries, identifying opportunities for agriculture, maintaining the freedom of navigation, assessing the sustainability of hydropower, flood management and preserving ecosystems. Superimposed on these are the future effects of more extreme floods, prolonged drought and sea level rise associated with climate change. In providing its advice, the MRC aims to facilitate a broad range of dialogue among governments, the private sector and civil society on these challenges.
The MRC is working with its member governments and upstream partners, China and Burma, to ensure these factors are taken into account when planning water-based development in the region. In doing so, the MRC is committed to meaningful stakeholder participation to ensure that water resource management helps to reduce poverty. Involving stakeholders provides a communication channel for the needs and interests of member states and their people to be reflected in decisions that affect them.
This requires engagement throughout planning and decision-making processes, and involvement in setting objectives and development paths to meet them. Such a level of engagement depends on transparency, and creating trust and confidence. This is about more than meetings. It is about building a strong sense of ownership. That is why, this week, community representatives, researchers, civil society organisations, government agencies, the private sector and financing institutions will be meeting in Chiang Rai to discuss the various development scenarios for the water resources of the Mekong Basin.
This builds on efforts to consult with communities that have in the past included community surveys and questionnaires, a website where people may make public submissions and using the broad knowledge that NGOs hold about the way villagers feel regarding the use of water resources.
Among the questions to be discussed are: How do governments balance hydropower, fisheries, irrigation, navigation and flood management in the Lower Mekong Basin? What are the needs of stakeholders and how can we collectively develop an equitable Basin Development Strategy? How can we include poor and marginalised groups in the decision-making process? How will the effects of climate change influence medium- to long-term planning?
There is bound to be healthy discussion and inevitably some disagreement. That is to be expected. Through these discussions and the process of formulating an integrated development strategy, it will be possible for a broader range of voices to be heard in the debate on sustainable development of the Mekong. A debate that goes beyond the short-term concerns of the economic crisis.
Internationally, commodity prices have dropped, leading to reduced output from the region's mining concessions, and lower foreign exchange earnings. Some people have had to return to rural livelihoods.
But for the many poor people who depend on the abundant resources of the Mekong River, their source of protein and livelihoods from fisheries and other aquatic resources have not been affected by the economic downturn. The Basin is home to fisheries that yield about 2.5 million tons of fish per year and, at first point of sale, amount to an industry worth at least US$2 billion annually. It is the largest inland fishery in the world.
These communities depend on the river as a resource, and are often outside the mainstream economy. They are insulated from global economic fluctuations precisely because they depend so closely on natural systems and not the broader economy for their survival. This is the strength of the natural river system; especially the biodiversity and productivity of the wetlands, marshes, swamps, ponds, lakes and flood plains, and it underlines why the river system is so important for poverty alleviation.
Much can be gained economically by Basin governments in the Lower Mekong. Besides fisheries, hydropower is a renewable energy source and has the potential to generate large amounts of revenue for governments to use in social development programmes; the Mekong agricultural industry is worth billions and there is much potential for increasing water storage and irrigation systems; and the Mekong and its tributaries are vital links for transport and commerce in the region.
However, there are also challenges associated with population growth and climate change. Similarly, if basic livelihoods are to continue to be met by water resources of the Basin, future developments need to be planned carefully. The rural poor should naturally also benefit in the long-term from economic growth underpinned by any larger-scale development of water resources. But this can be achieved only through strategies that make use of targeted benefit- sharing mechanisms.
What is needed is an integrated analytical approach that examines the distribution of benefits, costs and the effects of development on the river system. What, for example, would be the economic and social benefits of a hydropower scheme, compared to the value of a potential reduction in fisheries that it could cause? And how to reconcile the gains to one group and the losses to another? How will salinity intrusion and agriculture downstream be affected if water is used for irrigation upstream? Because the river system is trans-boundary, all of these issues have international implications and need to be resolved through the framework of regional cooperation.
Answers to these questions are not straightforward, but a pragmatic and internationally accepted way of considering them is found in the 1995 Mekong Agreement, which Cambodia, the Lao PDR, Thailand and Vietnam signed when they established the Mekong River Commission (MRC).
The MRC is the intergovernmental body responsible for cooperation on the sustainable management of the Mekong Basin, whose members include Cambodia, the Lao PDR, Thailand and Vietnam. In dealing with these challenges, it looks across all sectors including sustaining fisheries, identifying opportunities for agriculture, maintaining the freedom of navigation, assessing the sustainability of hydropower, flood management and preserving ecosystems. Superimposed on these are the future effects of more extreme floods, prolonged drought and sea level rise associated with climate change. In providing its advice, the MRC aims to facilitate a broad range of dialogue among governments, the private sector and civil society on these challenges.
The MRC is working with its member governments and upstream partners, China and Burma, to ensure these factors are taken into account when planning water-based development in the region. In doing so, the MRC is committed to meaningful stakeholder participation to ensure that water resource management helps to reduce poverty. Involving stakeholders provides a communication channel for the needs and interests of member states and their people to be reflected in decisions that affect them.
This requires engagement throughout planning and decision-making processes, and involvement in setting objectives and development paths to meet them. Such a level of engagement depends on transparency, and creating trust and confidence. This is about more than meetings. It is about building a strong sense of ownership. That is why, this week, community representatives, researchers, civil society organisations, government agencies, the private sector and financing institutions will be meeting in Chiang Rai to discuss the various development scenarios for the water resources of the Mekong Basin.
This builds on efforts to consult with communities that have in the past included community surveys and questionnaires, a website where people may make public submissions and using the broad knowledge that NGOs hold about the way villagers feel regarding the use of water resources.
Among the questions to be discussed are: How do governments balance hydropower, fisheries, irrigation, navigation and flood management in the Lower Mekong Basin? What are the needs of stakeholders and how can we collectively develop an equitable Basin Development Strategy? How can we include poor and marginalised groups in the decision-making process? How will the effects of climate change influence medium- to long-term planning?
There is bound to be healthy discussion and inevitably some disagreement. That is to be expected. Through these discussions and the process of formulating an integrated development strategy, it will be possible for a broader range of voices to be heard in the debate on sustainable development of the Mekong. A debate that goes beyond the short-term concerns of the economic crisis.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Blue roses make worldwide debut in Tokyo
Which colour would you like your roses? Red, white, yellow ... or perhaps blue?
Japan's Suntory Ltd said yesterday it would start selling the world's first genetically modified blue roses next month,20 years after it began research to create the novelty flowers.
The major whisky distiller said it succeeded in developing blue roses in 2004 with the Australian biotech company Florigene Pty Ltd.
The blue roses are created by implanting the gene that leads to the synthesis of the blue pigment Delphinidin in pansies, the firm said. The product was approved by the Japanese government in 2008 on the basis of an international agreement on biosafety.
It took one year for the company to establish its production and marketing systems, Suntory said.
Named Applause, the new variety is "recommended as a luxurious gift for special occasions", the company said.
They are expected to cost between ฅ2,000 and ฅ3,000(740-770 baht) per stem, about 10 times more expensive than normal roses in Japan. There are no plans to sell Applause overseas.
Japan's Suntory Ltd said yesterday it would start selling the world's first genetically modified blue roses next month,20 years after it began research to create the novelty flowers.
The major whisky distiller said it succeeded in developing blue roses in 2004 with the Australian biotech company Florigene Pty Ltd.
The blue roses are created by implanting the gene that leads to the synthesis of the blue pigment Delphinidin in pansies, the firm said. The product was approved by the Japanese government in 2008 on the basis of an international agreement on biosafety.
It took one year for the company to establish its production and marketing systems, Suntory said.
Named Applause, the new variety is "recommended as a luxurious gift for special occasions", the company said.
They are expected to cost between ฅ2,000 and ฅ3,000(740-770 baht) per stem, about 10 times more expensive than normal roses in Japan. There are no plans to sell Applause overseas.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
BILL GATES GIVES MILLIONS TO HELP SMALL FARMERS
Microsoft co-founder turned philanthropist Bill Gates on Thursday announced US$120 million (Bt40 billion) in grants to help small-scale farmers in Africa and indian mprove their lives through sustainable agriculture.
The grants, announced on the eve of World Food Day, are from the Bill and Milinda Gates Foundation, the philanthropic organisation co-chaired by Gates and his wife.
"Three-quarters of the world's poorest people get their food and income by farming small plots of land," Gates said as he announced grants to nine projects, mostly in Africa, during a speech to the World Food Prize Symposium in Iowa.
"So if we can make smallholder farming more productive and more profitable, we can have a massive impact on hunger and nutrition and poverty."
Gates also paid tribute to the late Norman Borlaug, a Nobel Prize-winning scientist who is often called the father of the green Revolution and who has been credited with saving hundreds of millions of lives by developing disease-resistant wheat.
The Green Revolution "was one of the great achievements of the 20th century, but it didn't go far enough", said Gates. "It didn't go to Africa," where the bulk of the grant money announced by Gates will go.
In keeping with the Gates Foundation's approach to promoting development, which Gates described as "investing across the value chain in ways that will benefit small farmers and their communities," the grants will help "bring the technology that has transformed farming in other parts of the world" to Africa and India.
Funds will be used to promote the development of crops which can help the environment - such as legumes, which are a natural fertiliser - or improve health, such as a new variety of sweet potato enriched in Vitamin A, which is often missing from the diets of children in the developing world.
Crops will also be developed with the possible ravages of climate change in mind, said Gates.
He cited a study conducted by reseacrchers at Stanford University in California which showed that if farmers in southern Africa are planting the same variety of maize, the staple food of many Africans, in 2030 as today, "the harsher conditions from climate change will reduce productivity by more than 25 per cent.
"Declining yields at a time of rising population in a region with millions of poor people means starvation," said Gates. "We have to develop crops that can grow in a drought; that can survive in a flood; that canresist pests and diseas.
The grants, announced on the eve of World Food Day, are from the Bill and Milinda Gates Foundation, the philanthropic organisation co-chaired by Gates and his wife.
"Three-quarters of the world's poorest people get their food and income by farming small plots of land," Gates said as he announced grants to nine projects, mostly in Africa, during a speech to the World Food Prize Symposium in Iowa.
"So if we can make smallholder farming more productive and more profitable, we can have a massive impact on hunger and nutrition and poverty."
Gates also paid tribute to the late Norman Borlaug, a Nobel Prize-winning scientist who is often called the father of the green Revolution and who has been credited with saving hundreds of millions of lives by developing disease-resistant wheat.
The Green Revolution "was one of the great achievements of the 20th century, but it didn't go far enough", said Gates. "It didn't go to Africa," where the bulk of the grant money announced by Gates will go.
In keeping with the Gates Foundation's approach to promoting development, which Gates described as "investing across the value chain in ways that will benefit small farmers and their communities," the grants will help "bring the technology that has transformed farming in other parts of the world" to Africa and India.
Funds will be used to promote the development of crops which can help the environment - such as legumes, which are a natural fertiliser - or improve health, such as a new variety of sweet potato enriched in Vitamin A, which is often missing from the diets of children in the developing world.
Crops will also be developed with the possible ravages of climate change in mind, said Gates.
He cited a study conducted by reseacrchers at Stanford University in California which showed that if farmers in southern Africa are planting the same variety of maize, the staple food of many Africans, in 2030 as today, "the harsher conditions from climate change will reduce productivity by more than 25 per cent.
"Declining yields at a time of rising population in a region with millions of poor people means starvation," said Gates. "We have to develop crops that can grow in a drought; that can survive in a flood; that canresist pests and diseas.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
AS THE ECONOMY GROWS, SO DO CHINA'S GARBAGE WOES
Visitors can smell this village long before they see it. More than 100 dump trucks piled high with garbage line the narrow road leading to Zhanglidong, waiting to empty their loads in a landfull as big as 20 football fields. In less than five years, the Zhengzhou Comprehensive Waste Treatment Landfill has overwhelmed this otherwise pristine villge of about 1,000 people. Peaches and cherries rot on trees, infested with insect life drawn by the smell. Fields lie unharvested, contaminated by toxic muck. Every day, another 100 or so tonnes of garbage arrive from nearby Zhengzhou, a provincial capital of 8 million.
"Life here went from heaven to hell in an instant," says lifelong resident Wang Xiuhua, swatting away clouds of mosquitoes and flies. The 78-year-old woman suddenly coughs uncontrollably and says the landfill gases inflame her bronchitis.
As more Chinese ride the nation's economic boom, a torrent of garbage is one result. Cities are bursting at the seams, and their officials struggle to cope. The amount of paper, plastic and other garbage has more than tripled in two decades to about 300 million tonnes a year, according to Nie Yongfeng, a waste management expert at Beijing's Tsinghua University.
Americans are still way ahead of China in garbage; a population less than a quarter the size of China's 1.3 billion generated 254 million tonnes of garbage in 2007, a third of which is recycled or composted, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. But for China, the problem represents a rapid turnalout from a generation ago, when families, then largely rural and poor, used and reused everything.
"Trash was never complicated before, because we didn't have supermarkets, we didn't have fancy packaging and endless things to buy," said Nie. "Now, the government is panicking about the mountains of garbage piling up with no place to put it all."
In Zhanglidong, villgers engage in shouting matches with drevers and sometimes try to bodily block their garbage trucks coming from Zhengzhou, 32 kilometres away.
"Zhengzhou is spotless because their trash is dumped into our village," says Li Qiaohong, who blames it for her five-year-old son's eczema. Li's family is one of a few who live within 100 metres of the landfill, separated from it by a fence. These families get 100 yuan ($15) a month in government compensation.
The dump has poisoned not just the air and ground, but relationships. Villagers say they were never consulted, and suspect their Communist Party offcials were paid to accept the landfill. In China, especially in rural regions, there is often no recourse once local officials make a decision. The villagers say not only were their petitions ignored, but they were warned by the Zhengzhou police to stop protesting or face punishment.
"We vilagers were too naive...we didn't know what a landfill was," said Li. "If we had known earlier about all the pollution it wiuld cause, we would had done every thing possible to stop the construction. Now it's too late."
Elsewhere, thousands of farmers in the central province of Hubei clashed with police last year over illegal dumping near their homes. A person filming the clash died after being beaten by police.
Proterts in cities are driving trash to the countryside. Residents in central Beijing swarmed the offices of the Ministry of Environment last year, protesting the stench from a landfill and plans for a new incinerator there. In July, officials scrapped the incinerator plan and closed the landfill four years early. In eastern Beijing, officials investedmillions of dollars to make the Gao An Tun landfill and incinerator one of a handful in China to meet global health standards. That was after 200,000 residents petitioned for a year about the smell.
"Our standard of living is improving, so it's natural that more and more of us begin to fight for a better quality of life," says Zhang Jianhua, 67, one of the prtitioners. "Widespread media coverage embarrassed the local government, so they finally decided to take action," she says.
After millennia as a farming society, China expects to be majority urban in five years. Busy families are shifting from fresh to packaged foods, consumption fo which rose 10.8 per cent a year from 2000 to 2008, well above the 4.2 per cent average in Asia, according to the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. By 2013, the pack-aged-food market is expected to reach US$195 billion, up 74 per cent from last year.
At least 85 per cent of China's seven billion tonnes of trash is in landfills, much of it in unlicensed dumps in the countryside. Most have only thin linings of plastic or fibreglass. Rain drips heavy metals, ammonia and bacteria into the groundwater and soil, and the decomposing stew sends out methane and carbon dioxide.
Regulations allow incinerators to emit 10 times the level of dioxins permitted in the US, and these release cancer-causing dioxins and other poisons, according to a Chinese government study.
"If the government doesn't step up efforts to solve our garbage woes, China will likely face an impending health crisis in the coming decade," warns Liu Yangsheng, an expert in waste management at Peking University.
In Zhanglidong, resident Zheng Dongxiao says the village's only water well is polluted and causes chronic ulcers.
Wang Ling, a spokesman for the Zhenzhou Ministry of Environment, said the landfill has a polyethylene liner to protect the ground beneath. "Test results of the local soil, water, and air quality, in 2006 and this year, showed that everything was in line with national standards," he said.
Residents say the liner has tears and only covers a fraction of the landfill.
The government knows its garbage disposal will always draw complaints, says Liu. "What they need to do is invest more money into building and maintaining better plants."
That remains a tall order in a country bent on growth, where economic planners hold more sway than environmental regulators and are loath to spend scarce funds on waste management.
"Life here went from heaven to hell in an instant," says lifelong resident Wang Xiuhua, swatting away clouds of mosquitoes and flies. The 78-year-old woman suddenly coughs uncontrollably and says the landfill gases inflame her bronchitis.
As more Chinese ride the nation's economic boom, a torrent of garbage is one result. Cities are bursting at the seams, and their officials struggle to cope. The amount of paper, plastic and other garbage has more than tripled in two decades to about 300 million tonnes a year, according to Nie Yongfeng, a waste management expert at Beijing's Tsinghua University.
Americans are still way ahead of China in garbage; a population less than a quarter the size of China's 1.3 billion generated 254 million tonnes of garbage in 2007, a third of which is recycled or composted, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. But for China, the problem represents a rapid turnalout from a generation ago, when families, then largely rural and poor, used and reused everything.
"Trash was never complicated before, because we didn't have supermarkets, we didn't have fancy packaging and endless things to buy," said Nie. "Now, the government is panicking about the mountains of garbage piling up with no place to put it all."
In Zhanglidong, villgers engage in shouting matches with drevers and sometimes try to bodily block their garbage trucks coming from Zhengzhou, 32 kilometres away.
"Zhengzhou is spotless because their trash is dumped into our village," says Li Qiaohong, who blames it for her five-year-old son's eczema. Li's family is one of a few who live within 100 metres of the landfill, separated from it by a fence. These families get 100 yuan ($15) a month in government compensation.
The dump has poisoned not just the air and ground, but relationships. Villagers say they were never consulted, and suspect their Communist Party offcials were paid to accept the landfill. In China, especially in rural regions, there is often no recourse once local officials make a decision. The villagers say not only were their petitions ignored, but they were warned by the Zhengzhou police to stop protesting or face punishment.
"We vilagers were too naive...we didn't know what a landfill was," said Li. "If we had known earlier about all the pollution it wiuld cause, we would had done every thing possible to stop the construction. Now it's too late."
Elsewhere, thousands of farmers in the central province of Hubei clashed with police last year over illegal dumping near their homes. A person filming the clash died after being beaten by police.
Proterts in cities are driving trash to the countryside. Residents in central Beijing swarmed the offices of the Ministry of Environment last year, protesting the stench from a landfill and plans for a new incinerator there. In July, officials scrapped the incinerator plan and closed the landfill four years early. In eastern Beijing, officials investedmillions of dollars to make the Gao An Tun landfill and incinerator one of a handful in China to meet global health standards. That was after 200,000 residents petitioned for a year about the smell.
"Our standard of living is improving, so it's natural that more and more of us begin to fight for a better quality of life," says Zhang Jianhua, 67, one of the prtitioners. "Widespread media coverage embarrassed the local government, so they finally decided to take action," she says.
After millennia as a farming society, China expects to be majority urban in five years. Busy families are shifting from fresh to packaged foods, consumption fo which rose 10.8 per cent a year from 2000 to 2008, well above the 4.2 per cent average in Asia, according to the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. By 2013, the pack-aged-food market is expected to reach US$195 billion, up 74 per cent from last year.
At least 85 per cent of China's seven billion tonnes of trash is in landfills, much of it in unlicensed dumps in the countryside. Most have only thin linings of plastic or fibreglass. Rain drips heavy metals, ammonia and bacteria into the groundwater and soil, and the decomposing stew sends out methane and carbon dioxide.
Regulations allow incinerators to emit 10 times the level of dioxins permitted in the US, and these release cancer-causing dioxins and other poisons, according to a Chinese government study.
"If the government doesn't step up efforts to solve our garbage woes, China will likely face an impending health crisis in the coming decade," warns Liu Yangsheng, an expert in waste management at Peking University.
In Zhanglidong, resident Zheng Dongxiao says the village's only water well is polluted and causes chronic ulcers.
Wang Ling, a spokesman for the Zhenzhou Ministry of Environment, said the landfill has a polyethylene liner to protect the ground beneath. "Test results of the local soil, water, and air quality, in 2006 and this year, showed that everything was in line with national standards," he said.
Residents say the liner has tears and only covers a fraction of the landfill.
The government knows its garbage disposal will always draw complaints, says Liu. "What they need to do is invest more money into building and maintaining better plants."
That remains a tall order in a country bent on growth, where economic planners hold more sway than environmental regulators and are loath to spend scarce funds on waste management.
Monday, October 12, 2009
The King IN ALL THAI HEARTS
Thailand is like a big house with a multitude of family members.
This house has had a chequered history and been through some extreme changes in its long history, and yet it still stands strong today.
The reason for this is that there is a very strong and powerful pillar that supports this house and uniles all 60 million Thai people as one the Boyal Institution. His Majesty king Bhumibol is the one who fortities thailand's strength by laying a solid loundation for the nation with his insight and genus as is manitest in over 3,000 development initatives executed to help people get out of poverty and live their lives sustainably. During sixty years of continuous self-sacrifice for the betterment of all Thais as the King. His Majesty has lived his oath on coronation day: "We will reign with righteouseness for the benefit and happiness of the Sia mese people."
All these many royal development projects initiated by His Majesty reflect his genius and vision in solving problems at the root which, in turn, provides a basis for sustainable development for the people and the country. With such a solid foundation put in place for Thailand by His Mejesty, the people can live comfortably and contentedly.
The Pikunthong Royal Development Study Centre is among these royal initatives. Located in Narathiwas. The centre was established to solve the problem of brackish soil in the area snd make it cultivable. Having experimented over the years with His Majesty's methodologies, people in Narathiwas. both Buddhist and Muslim, now again enjoy productive land and a good living.
In a big house in which diverse people live togethe such as Thailand. it is normal that there are sometimes conflict and problems between them.
But for His Majesty, whether one is a Buddhist or a muslim does not matter as long as we are all good citizens. His Majesty cares for everyone equally, regardless of ethnicity or religion. This is because he knows that if everyone is treated wequally, then there will certainy be conformity, unity, and peach among all people. Showing his respects to the King, the Chief of Muslims in Thailand, Mr. Sawasdi Sumalayajsajk said"
"His Majesty always graces all Muslims in Thailand with his benevolence and compassion. He patronises lslam and has iniated a translation of the Quran from Arabic into Thai. Moreover, Thaksin Ratchaniwet Palace in Narathiwas was not onlybuilt as a royal residence. It also serves as His Majesty's office where he can meet and listen to local people closely. As such, he thoroughly understands the situation and problems that people are facing and he tries to solve those problems for them effectively. This truly proves his great concern and regardless of religion and other factors. His utmost self-devotion to the betterment of all people has made His Majesty the beloved King who is in our hearts forever."
Pictures and recordings of His Majestgy travelling around the ingdom helping people develop themselves and their communities throughout 60 years testify to His Majesty's strong will and determination to build a firm foundation for Thai people so that the country and all the family members in it can continue to grow sustainably with happiness and peace.
"Nai Luang" is a term we have become very comfortable and familiar with for a long time. It is deeply rooted in the hearts of all theis to identify our Great King who cares so actively and deeply for all Thais. As Thais, we are grateful for His Majesty's grace that brings us all together in our hearts to create a peaceful and abiding Thailand for everyone forever.
This house has had a chequered history and been through some extreme changes in its long history, and yet it still stands strong today.
The reason for this is that there is a very strong and powerful pillar that supports this house and uniles all 60 million Thai people as one the Boyal Institution. His Majesty king Bhumibol is the one who fortities thailand's strength by laying a solid loundation for the nation with his insight and genus as is manitest in over 3,000 development initatives executed to help people get out of poverty and live their lives sustainably. During sixty years of continuous self-sacrifice for the betterment of all Thais as the King. His Majesty has lived his oath on coronation day: "We will reign with righteouseness for the benefit and happiness of the Sia mese people."
All these many royal development projects initiated by His Majesty reflect his genius and vision in solving problems at the root which, in turn, provides a basis for sustainable development for the people and the country. With such a solid foundation put in place for Thailand by His Mejesty, the people can live comfortably and contentedly.
The Pikunthong Royal Development Study Centre is among these royal initatives. Located in Narathiwas. The centre was established to solve the problem of brackish soil in the area snd make it cultivable. Having experimented over the years with His Majesty's methodologies, people in Narathiwas. both Buddhist and Muslim, now again enjoy productive land and a good living.
In a big house in which diverse people live togethe such as Thailand. it is normal that there are sometimes conflict and problems between them.
But for His Majesty, whether one is a Buddhist or a muslim does not matter as long as we are all good citizens. His Majesty cares for everyone equally, regardless of ethnicity or religion. This is because he knows that if everyone is treated wequally, then there will certainy be conformity, unity, and peach among all people. Showing his respects to the King, the Chief of Muslims in Thailand, Mr. Sawasdi Sumalayajsajk said"
"His Majesty always graces all Muslims in Thailand with his benevolence and compassion. He patronises lslam and has iniated a translation of the Quran from Arabic into Thai. Moreover, Thaksin Ratchaniwet Palace in Narathiwas was not onlybuilt as a royal residence. It also serves as His Majesty's office where he can meet and listen to local people closely. As such, he thoroughly understands the situation and problems that people are facing and he tries to solve those problems for them effectively. This truly proves his great concern and regardless of religion and other factors. His utmost self-devotion to the betterment of all people has made His Majesty the beloved King who is in our hearts forever."
Pictures and recordings of His Majestgy travelling around the ingdom helping people develop themselves and their communities throughout 60 years testify to His Majesty's strong will and determination to build a firm foundation for Thai people so that the country and all the family members in it can continue to grow sustainably with happiness and peace.
"Nai Luang" is a term we have become very comfortable and familiar with for a long time. It is deeply rooted in the hearts of all theis to identify our Great King who cares so actively and deeply for all Thais. As Thais, we are grateful for His Majesty's grace that brings us all together in our hearts to create a peaceful and abiding Thailand for everyone forever.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Kiosks let farmers check latest prices
Farmers in some provinces will be able to check real-time product prices in various markets, local and foreign trade conditions, or even send questions to state officials through a new touch-screen computer system to be introduced next year.
The device would be able to provide useful information such as early warnings of possible natural disasters, trade locations for produce, or prices of fertilisers,said Monthon Jiumcharoen, deputy secretary-general of the Office of Agricultural Economics (OAE).
"Farmers can adjust their prices more quickly once they receive the information," he said.
The OAE, a department of the Agriculture Ministry, plans to install about 1,000 touch-screen kiosks in subdistricts of many provinces over the next few years.
Initially, 50 kiosks will be installed next year in subdistricts in provinces where the OAE has offices, such as Chiang Mai, Phitsanulok, Udon Thani, Khon Kaen, Nakhon Ratchasima, Chon Buri,Surat Thani and Songkhla.
There are about 7,000 subdistricts or tambons in the country and the OAE has been allocated about 20 million baht to run the project in the first year.
"Even though the initial number of kiosks cannot support a large number of farmers, the project is a good start to help them access real-time information effectively," said Mr Monthon.
As low-income earners, most Thai farmers are not able to get timely information about prices. Many obtain trade information from radio, television, newspapers, or traders in the neighbourhood.
Mr Monthon said the computer was easy to use both offline and online and he expected farmers would not have a problem using the self-service kiosks.
The OAE would provide a team of officials to update information and reply to questions from farmers, he said.
He added that the project conformed with the government's new options plan for major crops - rice, cassava, and maize - in which farmers have to update trade data frequently.
The device would be able to provide useful information such as early warnings of possible natural disasters, trade locations for produce, or prices of fertilisers,said Monthon Jiumcharoen, deputy secretary-general of the Office of Agricultural Economics (OAE).
"Farmers can adjust their prices more quickly once they receive the information," he said.
The OAE, a department of the Agriculture Ministry, plans to install about 1,000 touch-screen kiosks in subdistricts of many provinces over the next few years.
Initially, 50 kiosks will be installed next year in subdistricts in provinces where the OAE has offices, such as Chiang Mai, Phitsanulok, Udon Thani, Khon Kaen, Nakhon Ratchasima, Chon Buri,Surat Thani and Songkhla.
There are about 7,000 subdistricts or tambons in the country and the OAE has been allocated about 20 million baht to run the project in the first year.
"Even though the initial number of kiosks cannot support a large number of farmers, the project is a good start to help them access real-time information effectively," said Mr Monthon.
As low-income earners, most Thai farmers are not able to get timely information about prices. Many obtain trade information from radio, television, newspapers, or traders in the neighbourhood.
Mr Monthon said the computer was easy to use both offline and online and he expected farmers would not have a problem using the self-service kiosks.
The OAE would provide a team of officials to update information and reply to questions from farmers, he said.
He added that the project conformed with the government's new options plan for major crops - rice, cassava, and maize - in which farmers have to update trade data frequently.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Greenpeace tries to halt NZ feed import
A dozen Greenpeace activists yesterday lashed themselves to a cargo ship in New Zealand to protest its shipment of animal feed produced on palm plantations that they blame for massive deforestation.
The group claims millions of hectares of rain forest are being cut down to make way for the plantations, destroying animal habitats and seriously impacting the climate. The protesters boarded the Hong Kong-registered East Ambition from a motorised dinghy while the ship was anchored off the port of Tauranga,chaining themselves to cargo cranes in an attempt to stop the cargo of palm kernel from reaching shore.
Police later boarded the ship and arrested two protesters.
The activists say the palm kernel animal feed is from Indonesia and is headed for New Zealand dairy farms.
Greenpeace campaigner Simon Boxer called on Prime Minister John Key to halt imports of the product and address intensive dairy farming in New Zealand.After tourism, the dairy industry is the second-biggest foreign currency earner with a 24% share.
The group claims millions of hectares of rain forest are being cut down to make way for the plantations, destroying animal habitats and seriously impacting the climate. The protesters boarded the Hong Kong-registered East Ambition from a motorised dinghy while the ship was anchored off the port of Tauranga,chaining themselves to cargo cranes in an attempt to stop the cargo of palm kernel from reaching shore.
Police later boarded the ship and arrested two protesters.
The activists say the palm kernel animal feed is from Indonesia and is headed for New Zealand dairy farms.
Greenpeace campaigner Simon Boxer called on Prime Minister John Key to halt imports of the product and address intensive dairy farming in New Zealand.After tourism, the dairy industry is the second-biggest foreign currency earner with a 24% share.
Friday, September 11, 2009
New strategy aims to add value to exports
The Agriculture Ministry expects the new strategy for exports to enable Thailand to ship more of its farm products as finished and higher-value goods rather than raw commodities.
The plan, to be implemented from 2010 through 2012, aims at streamlining the working process among related governmental agencies with a clearer analysis of problems obstructing certain export markets for farm goods, said Apichart Jongskul, secretary-general of the Office of Agricultural Economics,the Agriculture Ministry's think-tank.The plan also contains approaches to dealing with new forms of non-tariff barriers imposed by buying countries.
The strategic plan would also aim to enlarge global market shares for key products while maintaining the country's position as a market leader.
"For example, Thailand is the world's fifth-largest chicken exporter but we have only a 5% share in the total market.We're looking at ways to increase the market share," he said.
Thailand is also the world's secondlargest sugar exporter, controlling 10%of the market. The country also ranks top in exports of several other farm products such as shrimp, canned tuna,rice, rubber, tapioca and pineapple.
Mr Apichart has pinned his hopes on the strategic plans, which he says would promote the export growth of farm products by at least 10% a year from 1.34 trillion baht in 2008.
The OAE yesterday organised a brainstorming session among various agencies, farmers, exporters and economists to gather ideas before finalising the draft plans.
Chulalongkorn University economist Somphop Manarangsan suggested that the agency consider factors that could have significant effects on world farm products, especially speculation in commodity and futures markets.
Other factors that would affect global farm trade are what he terms the "8 Fs": food security, food safety; food health, food taste, food readiness, food beauty, food eco-friendliness and food social consciousness.
"The increasing social consciousness has forced Thai manufacturers to take precaution to make sure their products,meat for instance, meet international requirements of animal welfare and no child labour is used.
"These conditions are becoming necessary requirements for future world trade," Dr Somphop added.
Nikorn Jamnong, an adviser to the Agriculture Minister, said that the draft would also prepare Thai farmers to tackle unavoidable barriers including market liberalisation under several trade pacts.
Starting next year, the country is bound to open its farm market to Asean members under the Asean Free Trade Area (Afta) agreement. Twenty-three products are likely to be affected by the market opening.
"The import duty on rice will be zero and we have to lessen the impacts on local farmers. For rice, scrapping the rice-pledging programme is one crucial step," he said.
He added that the ministry planned to use part of the 150-million-baht FTA fund to strengthen Thai farmers as well.
The plan, to be implemented from 2010 through 2012, aims at streamlining the working process among related governmental agencies with a clearer analysis of problems obstructing certain export markets for farm goods, said Apichart Jongskul, secretary-general of the Office of Agricultural Economics,the Agriculture Ministry's think-tank.The plan also contains approaches to dealing with new forms of non-tariff barriers imposed by buying countries.
The strategic plan would also aim to enlarge global market shares for key products while maintaining the country's position as a market leader.
"For example, Thailand is the world's fifth-largest chicken exporter but we have only a 5% share in the total market.We're looking at ways to increase the market share," he said.
Thailand is also the world's secondlargest sugar exporter, controlling 10%of the market. The country also ranks top in exports of several other farm products such as shrimp, canned tuna,rice, rubber, tapioca and pineapple.
Mr Apichart has pinned his hopes on the strategic plans, which he says would promote the export growth of farm products by at least 10% a year from 1.34 trillion baht in 2008.
The OAE yesterday organised a brainstorming session among various agencies, farmers, exporters and economists to gather ideas before finalising the draft plans.
Chulalongkorn University economist Somphop Manarangsan suggested that the agency consider factors that could have significant effects on world farm products, especially speculation in commodity and futures markets.
Other factors that would affect global farm trade are what he terms the "8 Fs": food security, food safety; food health, food taste, food readiness, food beauty, food eco-friendliness and food social consciousness.
"The increasing social consciousness has forced Thai manufacturers to take precaution to make sure their products,meat for instance, meet international requirements of animal welfare and no child labour is used.
"These conditions are becoming necessary requirements for future world trade," Dr Somphop added.
Nikorn Jamnong, an adviser to the Agriculture Minister, said that the draft would also prepare Thai farmers to tackle unavoidable barriers including market liberalisation under several trade pacts.
Starting next year, the country is bound to open its farm market to Asean members under the Asean Free Trade Area (Afta) agreement. Twenty-three products are likely to be affected by the market opening.
"The import duty on rice will be zero and we have to lessen the impacts on local farmers. For rice, scrapping the rice-pledging programme is one crucial step," he said.
He added that the ministry planned to use part of the 150-million-baht FTA fund to strengthen Thai farmers as well.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
The Year of Biodiversity
The United Nations Environmental Programme (Unep) has designated 2010 as the Year of Biodiversity. The organisation, together with Bayer, invites children between the ages of 6 and 14 to enter the 19th International Children's Painting Competition on the Environment.
This year's subject is "Biodiversity: Connecting with Nature". Global and regional winners will be awarded prize-money and other prizes, including a trip to the official award ceremony together with a chaperone.
There is no restriction on the painting materials used. The pictures should be in A3 or A4 format. On the back of the picture, name and surname, address, telephone number and email address of the child must be written legibly.
Entries can be submitted to the Unep Regional Office, Ratchadamnoen Nok Avenue until April 15, 2010.
For further information, visit http://www.unep.org/tunza, call 02-232-7018 or email viraya.khunprom.vk@bayer-ag.de.
This year's subject is "Biodiversity: Connecting with Nature". Global and regional winners will be awarded prize-money and other prizes, including a trip to the official award ceremony together with a chaperone.
There is no restriction on the painting materials used. The pictures should be in A3 or A4 format. On the back of the picture, name and surname, address, telephone number and email address of the child must be written legibly.
Entries can be submitted to the Unep Regional Office, Ratchadamnoen Nok Avenue until April 15, 2010.
For further information, visit http://www.unep.org/tunza, call 02-232-7018 or email viraya.khunprom.vk@bayer-ag.de.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Options plan faces graft threat
State officials nationwide must guarantee that the government's new agricultural options programme to be launched next month is run transparently, says Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.
Mr Abhisit tasked provincial governors and officials with the need to ensure transparency under the programme.
The government's new options programme plans to support about 4-5 million farming families -3.7 million from rice farming,400,000 from tapioca and 370,000 from maize - said Mr Abhisit
Some 5.16 million farming families have registered with the scheme to date,according to the Agriculture Ministry.
The ministry expected the scheme to cover 22.7 million tonnes of paddy in the first crop,4.2 million tonnes of maize,and 23.58 million tonnes of tapioca.
The government, through the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC), would spend a total 43 billion baht on options for rice, maize and tapioca in the 2009/2010 harvest.
BAAC acting president Ennoo Suesuwan said as much as 25 billion baht of the total would be allocated for rice in the scheme with the remaining 18 billion used for tapioca and maize.
The scheme would focus mainly on small-scale farmers, who would have their options capped at 20 tonnes for maize,100 for tapioca and 20 for rice.
The options programme for maize,cassava and rice will replace the traditional price pledging scheme that has been a huge financial burden on the government and taxpayers for years.
The price pledging programme was said to benefit only 800,000-900,000 families, mostly from rich and large-scale farmers in irrigated areas.
Mr Abhisit said the pledging programme hurt the competitiveness of Thai rice as high subsidy prices encouraged local farmers to grow rice for short-term harvests at the expense of quality.
The options programme would not distort the market, as reference prices set by the government on each crop would be based on production costs and market prices, he said.
"The government no longer has a huge budget to implement the price pledging programme that only benefited certain farmers, brought about a lot of loopholes for corruption and induced an influx of crops from neighbouring countries," he said.
Mr Abhisit tasked provincial governors and officials with the need to ensure transparency under the programme.
The government's new options programme plans to support about 4-5 million farming families -3.7 million from rice farming,400,000 from tapioca and 370,000 from maize - said Mr Abhisit
Some 5.16 million farming families have registered with the scheme to date,according to the Agriculture Ministry.
The ministry expected the scheme to cover 22.7 million tonnes of paddy in the first crop,4.2 million tonnes of maize,and 23.58 million tonnes of tapioca.
The government, through the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC), would spend a total 43 billion baht on options for rice, maize and tapioca in the 2009/2010 harvest.
BAAC acting president Ennoo Suesuwan said as much as 25 billion baht of the total would be allocated for rice in the scheme with the remaining 18 billion used for tapioca and maize.
The scheme would focus mainly on small-scale farmers, who would have their options capped at 20 tonnes for maize,100 for tapioca and 20 for rice.
The options programme for maize,cassava and rice will replace the traditional price pledging scheme that has been a huge financial burden on the government and taxpayers for years.
The price pledging programme was said to benefit only 800,000-900,000 families, mostly from rich and large-scale farmers in irrigated areas.
Mr Abhisit said the pledging programme hurt the competitiveness of Thai rice as high subsidy prices encouraged local farmers to grow rice for short-term harvests at the expense of quality.
The options programme would not distort the market, as reference prices set by the government on each crop would be based on production costs and market prices, he said.
"The government no longer has a huge budget to implement the price pledging programme that only benefited certain farmers, brought about a lot of loopholes for corruption and induced an influx of crops from neighbouring countries," he said.
Friday, September 4, 2009
FARMING LAND AS COLLATERAL
The Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives is ready to help farmers grow crops on land distributed to them by the Treasury Department by allowing them to use the leased land as collateral.
Pramote Nontakote, senior executive vice president, said yesterday that the farmers are eligible for loans of up to half the appraised value of the land with full repayment within the lease term.
The loans must be used for the same activities that the farmers proposed to the Treasury Department.
Since April, the bank has extended Bt2.65 million in such loans to 18 farmers.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva handed out nearly 8,000 rai of land to 1,182 farmers in Pathum Thani and Saraburi.
Deputy Finance Minister Pruttichai Damrongrat said after the turnover ceremony that the land would be transferred to poor farmers and the unemployed to raise food and energy crops.
The farmers would also be trained on crops and fertiliser, as well as land and water development.
The Treasury Department has set a target to allocate 200,000 rai in 25 provinces this year.
Already 52,887 rai of treasury land in four provinces has been leased out to 5,325 farmers, while 10,000 rai in Sa Kaew will be leased soon to 900 farmers who are planning to grow corn, tapioca and eucalyptus trees.
Nearly 5,000 rai will be offered to 1,100 farmers in Kalasin for food crops and about 1,200 rai in Buri Ram to 100 farmers to plant rice, tapioca and sugarcane.
The agrarian land scheme, kicked off last year, is set to allocate one million rai over five years. Each household can receive up to 15 rai, with minimum rent of Bt20 per rai per year.
The lease must be for at least three years.
Pramote Nontakote, senior executive vice president, said yesterday that the farmers are eligible for loans of up to half the appraised value of the land with full repayment within the lease term.
The loans must be used for the same activities that the farmers proposed to the Treasury Department.
Since April, the bank has extended Bt2.65 million in such loans to 18 farmers.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva handed out nearly 8,000 rai of land to 1,182 farmers in Pathum Thani and Saraburi.
Deputy Finance Minister Pruttichai Damrongrat said after the turnover ceremony that the land would be transferred to poor farmers and the unemployed to raise food and energy crops.
The farmers would also be trained on crops and fertiliser, as well as land and water development.
The Treasury Department has set a target to allocate 200,000 rai in 25 provinces this year.
Already 52,887 rai of treasury land in four provinces has been leased out to 5,325 farmers, while 10,000 rai in Sa Kaew will be leased soon to 900 farmers who are planning to grow corn, tapioca and eucalyptus trees.
Nearly 5,000 rai will be offered to 1,100 farmers in Kalasin for food crops and about 1,200 rai in Buri Ram to 100 farmers to plant rice, tapioca and sugarcane.
The agrarian land scheme, kicked off last year, is set to allocate one million rai over five years. Each household can receive up to 15 rai, with minimum rent of Bt20 per rai per year.
The lease must be for at least three years.
Seed firms push for protection
The government is being urged to strictly enforce the Plant Variety Protection Act to prevent the smuggling or imitation of locally developed crop seeds from damaging Thailand's position as a regional seed manufacturing hub.
"Thailand has great potential to become a seed manufacturing hub, but legal enforcement of plant variety protection is still weak," said Pacholk Pongpanich, president of the Thai Seed Trade Association (THASTA).
"Without serious enforcement, this could lead to seed manufacturers relocating their production bases to other countries such as Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, India and China."
Lingering disagreements between the public and private sectors on the ratio the private sector needs to contribute to the plant variety protection fund for new plant registration were another stumbling block for Thai development,said Mr Pacholk.
Annual industry losses caused by from seed smuggling and imitation are estimated at 300-400 million baht.
Imitation occurs when a vendor copies a proprietary seed, often acquired from smuggled stock. The bootlegged product is typically sold at a lower price than the developer's as there are no research and development costs to recoup.
Mr Pacholk said developing a new plant variety generally takes eight to 10 years and costs about 10-20 million baht a year.
Thailand's seed trade was estimated to be worth 6 billion baht last year, with projected values unchanged this year.Exports account for 2.54 billion baht,mostly for maize, vegetables and fruits.
Export values exclude the shipments generated by parent seeds for which income is generated from royalties.
Thailand imported 603 million baht worth of seeds last year, mostly for maize.
There are about 100 seed producers in Thailand, with six to seven large-sized producers, mostly from foreign brands.
Mr Pacholk said Thailand is the de facto centre of Asia's maize seed manufacturing industry, with shipments amounting to one billion baht a year.
Thailand is also a key regional production base for contracted vegetable manufacturing comprising cantaloupes,cucumbers, watermelons, water morning glory, cabbage, sweet corn and chilies.
Global seed sales are estimated at $32 billion, of which Asia generates $8 billion.
Seed exports in Asia-Pacific run at about $450 million annually, with Japan,China, Thailand, Australia and New Zealand the top players respectively.
Mr Pacholk also hailed the government's investment plan for water management and irrigation systems funded by its 1.43-trillion-baht second economic stimulus package, saying an improved water system would help raise Thailand's productivity.
To promote seed trading, Thailand will host the Asian Seed Congress 2009 in Bangkok from Nov 8-12.
"Thailand has great potential to become a seed manufacturing hub, but legal enforcement of plant variety protection is still weak," said Pacholk Pongpanich, president of the Thai Seed Trade Association (THASTA).
"Without serious enforcement, this could lead to seed manufacturers relocating their production bases to other countries such as Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, India and China."
Lingering disagreements between the public and private sectors on the ratio the private sector needs to contribute to the plant variety protection fund for new plant registration were another stumbling block for Thai development,said Mr Pacholk.
Annual industry losses caused by from seed smuggling and imitation are estimated at 300-400 million baht.
Imitation occurs when a vendor copies a proprietary seed, often acquired from smuggled stock. The bootlegged product is typically sold at a lower price than the developer's as there are no research and development costs to recoup.
Mr Pacholk said developing a new plant variety generally takes eight to 10 years and costs about 10-20 million baht a year.
Thailand's seed trade was estimated to be worth 6 billion baht last year, with projected values unchanged this year.Exports account for 2.54 billion baht,mostly for maize, vegetables and fruits.
Export values exclude the shipments generated by parent seeds for which income is generated from royalties.
Thailand imported 603 million baht worth of seeds last year, mostly for maize.
There are about 100 seed producers in Thailand, with six to seven large-sized producers, mostly from foreign brands.
Mr Pacholk said Thailand is the de facto centre of Asia's maize seed manufacturing industry, with shipments amounting to one billion baht a year.
Thailand is also a key regional production base for contracted vegetable manufacturing comprising cantaloupes,cucumbers, watermelons, water morning glory, cabbage, sweet corn and chilies.
Global seed sales are estimated at $32 billion, of which Asia generates $8 billion.
Seed exports in Asia-Pacific run at about $450 million annually, with Japan,China, Thailand, Australia and New Zealand the top players respectively.
Mr Pacholk also hailed the government's investment plan for water management and irrigation systems funded by its 1.43-trillion-baht second economic stimulus package, saying an improved water system would help raise Thailand's productivity.
To promote seed trading, Thailand will host the Asian Seed Congress 2009 in Bangkok from Nov 8-12.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Chia Meng cooks up ready-to-eat germinated brown rice
Chia Meng Rice Group, the country's leading rice trader and exporter, plans tolaunch ready-to-eat GABA, or germinated brown rice, as the latest innovation in Thailand's rice industry.
Under the "Golden Phoenix Ready Rice" brand, the product offers cooked GABA rice in a microwavable container with a lengthy shelf-life of up to two years, said Vasana Manathanya, brand and marketing manager of Chia Meng's subsidiary, Bangsue Chia Meng Rice Mill Co."The product is aimed at healthconscious target groups and a choice for consumers' demand for new lifestyle products," she said.
The company plans to market GABA rice in November after receiving approval from the Food and Drug Administration.Health stores, premium retail outlets and direct sales are key selling channels.Chia Meng Group may also export the rice, especially to Asian markets such as Singapore and Hong Kong.
Since the product employs advanced know-how, its retail prices will be high,at about 30 to 35 baht for a 180-gramme cup, or three times the price of normal rice.
Gamma-aminobutyric acid or GABA is naturally produced by soaking brown rice in water for about four to six hours.Researchers have found that GABA has health benefits, helping lower blood pressure, improve kidney function and treat insomnia.
Chia Meng last week also launched a range of nutritious rice under the V-Life brand to tap into the growing market for healthy grain products among Thai consumers.
The healthy rice market is a strong niche market worth about 450 million baht this year and expected to rise to 1 billion in the next few years, said Sopan Manathanya, president of Chia Meng Marketing Co.
The company now has about 50 million baht in sales in the segment, giving it an 11% share. The products are aimed at upper-end buyers with strong purchasing power.
"V-Life products will help increase our sales income to about 100 million baht and raise the market share to 20%by the year-end," said Mrs Sopan.
The Rice Department expects to see more varieties of healthy rice enter the market soon to offer health benefits and add value to the grain.
Several varieties of nutritious rice including rice mixed with vitamins, herbcoated rice and GABA rice - have been offered in recent years to tap the growth,said Laddawan Kunnoot, director of the Bureau of Rice Products Development.
Although this is a niche market compared with about 10 million tonnes of rice consumed locally each year, the department supports any developments that will eventually increase income for farmers, says Ms Laddawan."It's a winwin for all sides," she said.
The department has regularly conducted research and development for innovations to rice and is willing to share its findings with manufacturers for commercial development, she added.
Under the "Golden Phoenix Ready Rice" brand, the product offers cooked GABA rice in a microwavable container with a lengthy shelf-life of up to two years, said Vasana Manathanya, brand and marketing manager of Chia Meng's subsidiary, Bangsue Chia Meng Rice Mill Co."The product is aimed at healthconscious target groups and a choice for consumers' demand for new lifestyle products," she said.
The company plans to market GABA rice in November after receiving approval from the Food and Drug Administration.Health stores, premium retail outlets and direct sales are key selling channels.Chia Meng Group may also export the rice, especially to Asian markets such as Singapore and Hong Kong.
Since the product employs advanced know-how, its retail prices will be high,at about 30 to 35 baht for a 180-gramme cup, or three times the price of normal rice.
Gamma-aminobutyric acid or GABA is naturally produced by soaking brown rice in water for about four to six hours.Researchers have found that GABA has health benefits, helping lower blood pressure, improve kidney function and treat insomnia.
Chia Meng last week also launched a range of nutritious rice under the V-Life brand to tap into the growing market for healthy grain products among Thai consumers.
The healthy rice market is a strong niche market worth about 450 million baht this year and expected to rise to 1 billion in the next few years, said Sopan Manathanya, president of Chia Meng Marketing Co.
The company now has about 50 million baht in sales in the segment, giving it an 11% share. The products are aimed at upper-end buyers with strong purchasing power.
"V-Life products will help increase our sales income to about 100 million baht and raise the market share to 20%by the year-end," said Mrs Sopan.
The Rice Department expects to see more varieties of healthy rice enter the market soon to offer health benefits and add value to the grain.
Several varieties of nutritious rice including rice mixed with vitamins, herbcoated rice and GABA rice - have been offered in recent years to tap the growth,said Laddawan Kunnoot, director of the Bureau of Rice Products Development.
Although this is a niche market compared with about 10 million tonnes of rice consumed locally each year, the department supports any developments that will eventually increase income for farmers, says Ms Laddawan."It's a winwin for all sides," she said.
The department has regularly conducted research and development for innovations to rice and is willing to share its findings with manufacturers for commercial development, she added.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Hitch up that plough!
New scheme offers unemployed the chance to become farmers
The unemployed are being given training and land to become farmers under a scheme jointly run by the Agriculture Ministry's Agricultural Land Reform Office (ALRO) and the Labour Ministry.
Since its July 3 launch, 274 applicants have signed up for the scheme, the majority from the Northeast (129) and Greater Bangkok (74), said Labour Protection and Welfare Department chief Amporn Nitisiri. The application period ends on August 31.
Free training and land
Participants will get three to six months' training in farming, with free accommodation, meals, training materials and a daily allowance of Bt100.
The ALRO will then provide each with a plot of land of between 2.5 and 10 rai to farm. After two years, officials will assess each farmer and decide whether to grant him/her the right to make a living out of the land permanently.
The ALRO has earmarked about 2,000 rai of land.
Those interested in joining the scheme should call (02) 246 8994, contact their local employment office or visit www.Labour.go.th.
The unemployed are being given training and land to become farmers under a scheme jointly run by the Agriculture Ministry's Agricultural Land Reform Office (ALRO) and the Labour Ministry.
Since its July 3 launch, 274 applicants have signed up for the scheme, the majority from the Northeast (129) and Greater Bangkok (74), said Labour Protection and Welfare Department chief Amporn Nitisiri. The application period ends on August 31.
Free training and land
Participants will get three to six months' training in farming, with free accommodation, meals, training materials and a daily allowance of Bt100.
The ALRO will then provide each with a plot of land of between 2.5 and 10 rai to farm. After two years, officials will assess each farmer and decide whether to grant him/her the right to make a living out of the land permanently.
The ALRO has earmarked about 2,000 rai of land.
Those interested in joining the scheme should call (02) 246 8994, contact their local employment office or visit www.Labour.go.th.
PM'S AWARDS GO TO 34 OUTSTANDING EXPORT FIRMS
Thai exporters who won this year's Prime Minister's Awards say creativity, packaging development and social responsibility have been vital for their business success amid the global economic downturn.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva yesterday rewarded 34 outstanding exporters with 40 of the prestigious awards in a ceremony at Government House.
Abhisit said he strongly believed Thai exports would soon return to positive growth, because there were good signs of economic recovery in many countries.
"Exports in the fourth quarter should increase, and that will result in a lower fall in export growth, averaging a 10-per-cent contraction for the full year," he said.
The prime minister said economic growth dropped 4.5 per cent year on year in the second quarter. However, he is confident the economy will recover in the second half and that Thailand's economic growth will contract only 3-4 per cent for the full year.
To ensure smooth export growth, Abhisit said the government would tighten collaboration between government agencies and support creative economic policies as keys to promoting a higher value for exports.
This year's PM Awards were made in five categories. Five companies were named Best Exporterl; five firms were recognised for Thai-Owned Brands; two awards were made to Best Service Providers; five awards were made for Otop Export Recognition; and 23 awards went to 19 firms for Design Excellence.
Thammasak Jittimaporn, managing director of Green Spot, which won a Best Exporter award, said despite some negative factors, including the strengthening of the baht and slowing economic growth, the company's exports still increased 20 per cent in the first half.
Moreover, the firm has contracted soybean farmers in the North as a strategy to lower fluctuations in world soybean prices, as well as support Thai farmers.
Pakinee Jiwattanapaiboon, marketing and research and development manager of Xongdur Thai Organic Food, which won a PM's Award for Otop Export Recognition, said his firm created and launched new products, with good packaging design, every six months.
Healthy food products are on high demand, and the company has set up many training programmes for its contract farmers, so they can better understand organic farming systems, she said. "The company's turnover has increased 30 per cent year on year despite the global economic downturn," Pakinee said.
Dhanabadee Art Ceramic won a PM's Award for Design Excellence. Managing director Panasin Dhanabadesakul said his firm had spent 5 per cent of its revenue of Bt65 million on innovations.
The company also adds valued to its products by adapting local wisdom and raw materials for its design creativity.
Bangkok International Preparatory and Secondary School was named one of the country's Best Service Providers. Headmaster Keith Wecker said the school concentrated on increasing opportunities for Thai students to study international progrkammes by setting medium fees.
Normally, international schools charge Bt600,000 to Bt700,000 per year, but Bangkok Prep's fees are Bt250,000 to Bt400,000 for three semesters.
Napatr Morin, director of Tia Ngee Hiang, a producer of processed food, meat and rice crackers under the Chaosua brand, said his firm won a Thai-Owned Bran Award by focusing on creating brand recognition and quality development.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva yesterday rewarded 34 outstanding exporters with 40 of the prestigious awards in a ceremony at Government House.
Abhisit said he strongly believed Thai exports would soon return to positive growth, because there were good signs of economic recovery in many countries.
"Exports in the fourth quarter should increase, and that will result in a lower fall in export growth, averaging a 10-per-cent contraction for the full year," he said.
The prime minister said economic growth dropped 4.5 per cent year on year in the second quarter. However, he is confident the economy will recover in the second half and that Thailand's economic growth will contract only 3-4 per cent for the full year.
To ensure smooth export growth, Abhisit said the government would tighten collaboration between government agencies and support creative economic policies as keys to promoting a higher value for exports.
This year's PM Awards were made in five categories. Five companies were named Best Exporterl; five firms were recognised for Thai-Owned Brands; two awards were made to Best Service Providers; five awards were made for Otop Export Recognition; and 23 awards went to 19 firms for Design Excellence.
Thammasak Jittimaporn, managing director of Green Spot, which won a Best Exporter award, said despite some negative factors, including the strengthening of the baht and slowing economic growth, the company's exports still increased 20 per cent in the first half.
Moreover, the firm has contracted soybean farmers in the North as a strategy to lower fluctuations in world soybean prices, as well as support Thai farmers.
Pakinee Jiwattanapaiboon, marketing and research and development manager of Xongdur Thai Organic Food, which won a PM's Award for Otop Export Recognition, said his firm created and launched new products, with good packaging design, every six months.
Healthy food products are on high demand, and the company has set up many training programmes for its contract farmers, so they can better understand organic farming systems, she said. "The company's turnover has increased 30 per cent year on year despite the global economic downturn," Pakinee said.
Dhanabadee Art Ceramic won a PM's Award for Design Excellence. Managing director Panasin Dhanabadesakul said his firm had spent 5 per cent of its revenue of Bt65 million on innovations.
The company also adds valued to its products by adapting local wisdom and raw materials for its design creativity.
Bangkok International Preparatory and Secondary School was named one of the country's Best Service Providers. Headmaster Keith Wecker said the school concentrated on increasing opportunities for Thai students to study international progrkammes by setting medium fees.
Normally, international schools charge Bt600,000 to Bt700,000 per year, but Bangkok Prep's fees are Bt250,000 to Bt400,000 for three semesters.
Napatr Morin, director of Tia Ngee Hiang, a producer of processed food, meat and rice crackers under the Chaosua brand, said his firm won a Thai-Owned Bran Award by focusing on creating brand recognition and quality development.
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