KEYNOTE ADDRESS

The temperate part of a tropical country exists on the highland, and considering Thailand, we have to consider hilltribes. Here we have two types or groups. The first type consists of the Karen and Lua hilltribes.

These two tribes live and work at the altitude of less than 1 000 metres normally and without the help of the more developed people including, the Thai people, they build terraces for their paddy rice, complete with irrigation systems. They also grow dry (upland) rice in their rotating swiddens. This means that they divide their swiddens into eight parts, one of which is used in a year. In the dry season they would cut down the trees in that part and burn them, the ashes then producing fertilisers brought up from the ground. When the rain come they would plant their rice. After harvest they would move to another swidden and cut down the trees which they then burn etc. After fallow lasting eight years, forest would have grown in that particular swidden before they are cleared to start another cycle. I am not sure if we should call this, method of agriculture or a destruction of the forest.

The second group of hilltribes consists of the Meo, Yao, Lahu, Akha, Lisu, and Kachin. The Kachin came a few years ago, brought in by missionaries who were not allow to work any more in Burma. Now, the difference between this second type and Karen-Lua is that, firstly they like to live above 1 000 metres altitude where opium poppy cultivation is possible and which produces their cash income. Secondly, they practice slash and burn agriculture. This means that they cut down trees which they burn and later plant rice or corn in that particular plot. They stay with the same plots until all the fertility has gone and they cannot grow anything anymore. They then have to move on somewhere else. They started in Tibet, moving on to China, Burma, and they are now in Thailand.

The problems we have with our hilltribes are, firstly, they destroy our forest and watersheds, secondly, they grow opium, while, thirdly, they remain poor.

Until it was banned by law thirty years ago, our revenue officers went up to the highland at the beginning of each year to buy opium. The government then operated opium dens which only licenced addicts could use. There were not many of those, as it was not then fashionable to be drug addicts.

Then 30 years ago opium was made illegal and the only cash crop of the hilltribes was banned. The government created the Hilltribe Division in the Dept. of Public Welfare to help produce income from any other crops. The target was far from being reached, because the Division hardly had any agriculture people to try to find out what could be grown instead of opium. Anyhow, as far as the highups were concerned no problems existed, because, working in the cities, they did not see any.

At this point I should say that just about everybody misunderstood many things concerning our highland and its tribes, mainly because, not having correct data, people would just make asumptions from something similar and familiar to them. For example city people, Bangkok, New York, etc., knew that opium or heroin was so expensive in their cities. They assumed the drug commands equally high prices everywhere, including where poppy is grown which they call the Golden Triangle, being the adjacent areas in Burma; Lao, and Thailand. If this belief is true, no other crops can match opium in income earned by the farmers.

Twenty years ago by visiting hilltribes villages and chatting to the people in a friendly manner, His Majesty the King of Thailand discovered that the native peaches fetched nearly the same income as opium. He also knew that at a small research station close to Bhuping Palace on the hill overlooking the city of Chiang Mai, Kasetsart University had been working on temperate fruit. What they had found out was that the local peach could be used as rootstock, but no suitable scions had been found. The King saw a likely way of replacing poppy, by giving the hill farmers improved peach which might give them more cash. He acted at once by giving the University 200 000 baht to work on it. He also founded the Royal Project.

Because the Royal Project is His Majesty's, we found that we were able to move ahead quite nicely. People from other universities and institutions joined us, wanting to serve King and Country. Funds also come, from Government as well as a great deal from U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. As we knew nothing about our highland, a great deal of research was necessary.

His Majesty considered that we should grow temperate crops, because they fetch high prices in a tropical country. Besides, other lowland farmers could not compete against them.

Such temperate fruits which are now being produced commercially by hilltribes are as follows:

Japanese apricot

Plum

Peach and nectarine

Oriental Pear

Apple

Persimon

Strawberry

Seedless grapes

We are working on raspberry, blueberry, fig, kiwi fruit, and pome-granate.

I would be happy to say that the stars (i.e. the temperate fruits) produced the highest income to our ex-poppy farmers. However, I must tell the truth. Flowers, and vegetables are now leaders as far as cash generation is concerned. The interesting thing really is that, in our effort to diversity, we introduced as many crops as possible to our hill farmers, and although they need a lot of looking after, many leave other crops for flowers. Motivation in terms of cash income in their pocket, smooths the path of technological transfer.

You may be interested to know what we do in research, on crops, soil, meteorology, and cultivation method.

To start with, we survey the area, mostly using the remote sensing method. Then we make land use planning maps. It is important that forest land is clearly separated from farm land. Taking into account slope and topsoil, farm land is earmarked for tree crops with irrigation and without. We have fields for dry (upland) rice and corn, gardens for intensive agriculture of flowers and vegetables, as well as wet rice. Then we built terraces, hillside dishes, and other conservation measures.

Irrigation is very important, to bring water to where it is needed and to use it economically. Roads, or rather tracks are built which can be used in the wet season by 4-WD vehicles with chains on the wheels.

To do extension work, we set up centres in the hills, staffed by qualified people. The head normally hold Bachelor Degree in Agriculture, supported by assistants with agriculture certificates. These people use tough motor bikes - before we had to walk - and they work everyday until the end of the month when they come to Chiang Mai to get their pay and attend meeting and briefings.

As a link between research and extension, we have crop production advisers for fruit, flowers, and vegetables.

Considered indispensible is our Plant Clinic with necessary laboratory. Its staff make frequent field trips to detect what problems are coming - whether insects or plant disease. We have a strict rule that insecticides has to be prescribed by the Plant Clinic people. We can say that the rule is obeyed because, having introduced those nice crops the tribal farmers believe in us.

We have been so busy in research and production of crops that post harvest measures have not received the attention it deserves. A year ago we began to set things right.

Our post-harvest Manager has two assistants, one in Bangkok and one in Chiang Mai. We have built in the field forced air pre-cooling to our own design, with two-stage cooling. Our refrigerated trucks are of various sizes, with the smaller ones used on the mountain roads. Some even have four-wheel-drive. We have packing and grading houses with cold storage in Chiang Mai and Bangkok.

Our products are mostly new to the Thai people, and have to be introduced into the market. They are rather luxurious commodities and have to go to the super markets and the higher class restaurants and hotels. Although we try to get the hill farmers to help themselves, we have to do the marketing of their produce for them. For the transporting, packaging, and distribution, we charge 20% of the selling prices which fluctuates according to the law of supply and demand.

In marketing we look around all the time for the export opportunities in case of gluts in the local market.

The last thing I want to say that it is a great pity that this workshop did not take place here twenty years ago when His Majesty founded the Royal Project to work at getting rid of opium by replacing it with temperate fruit. We would not then have to help ourselves feeling our way forward like a blind man. Let us hope that we shall make up for it by exchanging planting materials and know-how.

Thank you very much for listening.