Thailand's rubber industry: Recent improvement measures
By Jon Fernquest
Today's
article provides some invaluable
background information
on Thailand's rubber industry.An innovative new agricultural extension program that recruits local villagers as experts is discussed. This program sounds like it could provide a model for other future programs to alleviate rural poverty.
Today's article begins after the vocabulary below.
rubber
- a very flexible material used to make things like tires and tight
fitting surgical gloves, "natural rubber" comes from trees and
"synthetic rubber" is made artificially in factories (See Wikipedia).
measures - actions taken to deal with a problem มาตราการ
invaluable - very useful
background - the general situation in which events happen
agricultural extension - "the application of scientific research and new knowledge to agricultural practices through farmer education" (See Wikipedia)
recruit - get a person to join and work in a company or organization
model - a working system that is so good that other people should copy it
alleviate - reduce, make less harmful and severe
rural - in the countryside with farms and forests (not in the city)
poverty - being poor, not having much money
measures - actions taken to deal with a problem มาตราการ
invaluable - very useful
background - the general situation in which events happen
agricultural extension - "the application of scientific research and new knowledge to agricultural practices through farmer education" (See Wikipedia)
recruit - get a person to join and work in a company or organization
model - a working system that is so good that other people should copy it
alleviate - reduce, make less harmful and severe
rural - in the countryside with farms and forests (not in the city)
poverty - being poor, not having much money
Economics
Rubber levy to fund replanting
Farmers will receive improved payments14/08/2010
Walailak Keeratipipatpong
The new higher rubber export levy is expected to earn the Office of the Rubber Replanting Aid Fund (ORRAF) more than 10 billion baht next year, enough to pay a larger incentive to encourage planters to join a replanting programme...it takes seven years before trees are ready for tapping.
Thailand's rubber industry relies heavily on the levy to develop the sector. The Agriculture Department receives 5% of the levy for research and development, 10% goes to the operation of the ORRAF, and 85% is allocated for replanting purposes.
levy
- tax
fund - to provide money for something ให้เงินทุน
expected - believe will happen คาดว่า (จะเกิดขึ้น)
Office of the Rubber Replanting Aid Fund (ORRAF)
incentive - reward to encourage certain behaviour สิ่งกระตุ้น
encourage - to make someone more likely to do something, or to make something more likely to happen ปลุกใจ
planters - farmers who plant and grow crows เกษตรกรผู้ปลูกพืชไร่
sector - a part of the economy (public sector = government, private sector = all businesses, household sector = families and consumers, banking sector,...) (See Wikipedia) ภาคเศรษฐกิจของประเทศ
development - the gradual growth and formation of a better economy in a country (See Wikipedia)
allocated - given for a special purpose or use
fund - to provide money for something ให้เงินทุน
expected - believe will happen คาดว่า (จะเกิดขึ้น)
Office of the Rubber Replanting Aid Fund (ORRAF)
incentive - reward to encourage certain behaviour สิ่งกระตุ้น
encourage - to make someone more likely to do something, or to make something more likely to happen ปลุกใจ
planters - farmers who plant and grow crows เกษตรกรผู้ปลูกพืชไร่
sector - a part of the economy (public sector = government, private sector = all businesses, household sector = families and consumers, banking sector,...) (See Wikipedia) ภาคเศรษฐกิจของประเทศ
development - the gradual growth and formation of a better economy in a country (See Wikipedia)
allocated - given for a special purpose or use
Every year, about 280,000 to 290,000 rai of degraded rubber sites need to be replanted, costing more than 3 billion baht.
The office plans to increase the incentive for planters to chop down rubber trees older than 25 years and replace them with new ones to increase productivity. The proposed payment is 15,000 baht per rai, up from 11,000 baht now and 9,000 baht three years ago.
...recently high rubber prices have discouraged planters from cutting down trees so the ORRAF will seek government approval to pay more compensation
degraded
- became low quality
replace - to get rid of something and put a new one in its place หาคนมาแทน, เลิกให้และนำสิ่งใหม่มาใช้แทน
productivity - producing more with the same amount of inputs (labour, energy, etc) การผลิตสินค้า
proposed - suggested (but not yet chosen or decided upon)
approval - official permission การอนุมัต
compensation - money that someone receives because something bad has happened to them เงินชดเชย
replace - to get rid of something and put a new one in its place หาคนมาแทน, เลิกให้และนำสิ่งใหม่มาใช้แทน
productivity - producing more with the same amount of inputs (labour, energy, etc) การผลิตสินค้า
proposed - suggested (but not yet chosen or decided upon)
approval - official permission การอนุมัต
compensation - money that someone receives because something bad has happened to them เงินชดเชย
The agency has longer-term plans for sustainable growth and expansion, including a new project to add 800,000 rai of rubber plantations across the nation next year. Also included is a plan for a fund that can intervene on rubber prices when necessary and improve planters' skills and knowledge.
A project to develop rubber experts or kru yang to help train new and existing planters was launched with the objective of having 12,000 experts within four years to support 1.2 million rubber farm households nationwide.
sustainable
- able to be successfully continued for a long time ยั่งยืน, ถาวร
expansion - when something increases in size, number or importance การขยายออก
plantations - large farms with many workers growing commodity crops such as rubber, sugar, or coffee
intervene - to become involved in a situation in order to try to stop or change it แทรกแซง, สอดแทรก
improve - to make better ทำให้ดีขึ้น
skills - a type of work or task requiring special training and knowledge ทักษะ ความสามารถเฉพาะทาง
launched - started เริ่มต้นดำเนินการ
objective - what you plan to achieve; goal; aim; purpose เป้าหมาย
support - help สนับสนุน
households - families or groups of people living together (economics treats this as a unit that makes decisions)
nationwide - throughout a whole country ทั่วทั้งประเทศ
expansion - when something increases in size, number or importance การขยายออก
plantations - large farms with many workers growing commodity crops such as rubber, sugar, or coffee
intervene - to become involved in a situation in order to try to stop or change it แทรกแซง, สอดแทรก
improve - to make better ทำให้ดีขึ้น
skills - a type of work or task requiring special training and knowledge ทักษะ ความสามารถเฉพาะทาง
launched - started เริ่มต้นดำเนินการ
objective - what you plan to achieve; goal; aim; purpose เป้าหมาย
support - help สนับสนุน
households - families or groups of people living together (economics treats this as a unit that makes decisions)
nationwide - throughout a whole country ทั่วทั้งประเทศ
Many planters lack particular information such as market movements, and some could use help with their processing technique. For new planters, plant diseases and pesticides are a big concern," said Mr Wit.
This year, about 1,200 experts have been recruited and many are local villagers.
These experts will be trained to deal with the specific needs of planters in their areas. For example, kru yang for Surat Thani should know how to deal with mouldy rot, a problem disease for rubber fields in that province, while experts stationed in Narathiwat, Yala, Pattani, and Songkhla should know how to solve white root disease.
lack
- does not have ขาดแคลน
pesticides - chemicals that kill insects that destroy plants (See Wikipedia)
concern - a worry ความกังวล
local - in the small area that you live ท้องถิ่น
mouldy rot - a disease that rubber plants get named "Ceratocystis fimbriata" (See Wikipedia and disease name source)
white root disease - a fungal disease that attacks plants (See Wikipedia)
fungus - a type of living being (organism) that includes yeasts to make breads and molds that attack old food in the refrigerator, as well aa mushrooms and the human disease of "athletes foot" that attacks people who do not change their socks regularly (See Wikipedia)
fungal (adjective)
pesticides - chemicals that kill insects that destroy plants (See Wikipedia)
concern - a worry ความกังวล
local - in the small area that you live ท้องถิ่น
mouldy rot - a disease that rubber plants get named "Ceratocystis fimbriata" (See Wikipedia and disease name source)
white root disease - a fungal disease that attacks plants (See Wikipedia)
fungus - a type of living being (organism) that includes yeasts to make breads and molds that attack old food in the refrigerator, as well aa mushrooms and the human disease of "athletes foot" that attacks people who do not change their socks regularly (See Wikipedia)
fungal (adjective)
(Source: Bangkok Post, Rubber levy to fund replanting, Farmers will receive improved payments, 14/08/2010, Walailak Keeratipipatpong, link)
