Govt agencies make moves to tackle oversupply of fruit, slump in prices
The government and private agencies are taking steps to manage fruit harvests from March onwards in a bid to tackle oversupply and dropping prices.
Chantanon Wannakhajorn, secretary-general of the Office of Agricultural Economics, said the agency’s teams have devised management plans by surveying farmers, exporters, cooperatives, processing factories and demand at shopping malls. He said the aim is to achieve a balance between demand and supply.
Chantanon added that the Commerce Ministry will try to maintain stability in distribution by seeking new foreign markets, promoting exports and preventing a glut in border areas.
“Government and private agencies, along with farmers, will cooperate in product management and quality control in line with Good Agricultural Practices and on measures to curb the spread of Covid-19 in fruit plantations,” he said.
“They will also set up a war room to monitor the situation, including production volumes and selling price.”
Separately, he said, agencies have set up a harvesting schedule for durian in a bid to control the drop in prices.
The harvest schedule for the four varieties of durian has been set as follows: Kradum on March 20, Chanee and Puangmanee on April 10 and Monthong on April 25.
“Durian farmers and harvesting contractors must inform their district agriculture offices if they want to harvest durian earlier than scheduled,” he added.
According to the working group on fruit information systems and logistics development in the East of Thailand, the provinces of Rayong, Chanthaburi and Trat are expected to produce 1.18 million tonnes of durian, mangosteen, rambutan and longkong (langsat) this year, up 32 per cent from the previous year.
“This is all thanks to cool weather and isolated rains between December and January,” the working group said. “Fruits will be harvested until mid-September, and an oversupply can be expected in May.”
Alongkorn Ponlaboot, adviser to the agriculture and cooperatives minister, said several measures have been implemented, including the inspection of plantations, helping businesses and farmers with fruit distribution and boosting the liquidity of fruit exporters.
“These measures will help stimulate the fruit market amid uncertainties over the Covid-19 crisis,” he said.
