[SkeniaInhilla]

Buffalo power comes to the aid of farmers


Rice farmers in Chon Buri province have returned to using water buffaloes to till farmland as the unrelenting rise in petrol prices makes motorised equipment too costly.

Charan Charan-chotechuang, who grows rice in Ban Bueng district, said farmers could make more profit using water buffaloes instead of petrol-powered machinery after oil prices rose sharply in the past year.

"Even though the paddy price has increased from Bt7,000 per tonne last year to Bt9,000 this year, we would make little profit due to high oil prices," he said.

"On the other hand, water buffaloes are more economical. No petrol is needed and they can be fed with natural grasses. At present, I've two buffaloes for a five-rai paddy field. I do two crops a year while another five rai are used for other crops."

According to Charan, a number of buffaloes were previously distributed by Charoen Pokphand Group to farmers in the area where neighbours began using buffaloes instead of machinery for tilling the soil.

Over the past decade, the number of water buffaloes has sharply declined from 2.29 million in 1997 to just 1.35 million in 2006 due to rapid mechanisation.

Chankit Trakoolwilai

The Nation

[Yswxomvy]

I always like Buffalo milk more than cow's.But in my place we do not get it. Which milk is consumed in Thailand more?

I do, too, especially the thick kind. It goes well with coffee, better than Coffeemate. Some mix it with rice and dried fish or dried meat. Talk of cultural diets!