One of the world’s most consumed grain is rice. It is exported from many different countries throughout the world, mainly in Asia. The global consumption for rice in 2011 was 444 million metric tons. Thailand is currently the second largest producer of rice, falling just behind Vietnam (Childs) .
As one of the top exporters in the world, rice cultivation in Thailand plays a key role in the culture and economy of the country. It requires extensive hours of labor and a complicated process for growing.Thailand has cultivated rice for many centuries, improving its quality over time. Although its origin is debatable, rice can be dated back to many centuries ago. Thailand began exporting rice since before WWI, when a ban of exporting rice was lifted by the King (Siamwalla 235-236).
Thai rice is still known for its high quality. The most common strain of rice produced today is the well known jasmine rice. Thais eat rice 2-3 times a day, and it is also included in popular desserts such as Khaoneaw Moon and Kanom Krok.Rice cultivation and harvesting plays active role in the market as the country’s staple crop.This collection of photographs focuses on the rice fields as part of the culture in Thailand. The photographs were taken in Southern Thailand during the month of July of 2014.
(Click on the pictures to enlarge)
Rice Fields, Tha Sala, Thailand, 2014
An overview of a typical rice field found in Thailand, although they can vary much in size. It is not uncommon to find a resting place in the middle of larger rice fields, such as the one shown in the picture. They are usually made from wood and a chaff roof. With the intensity of the heat (especially during summer), this provides farmers with a place to rest and cool off before getting back to work again.
Cultivation, Tha Sala, Thailand, 2014
Farmers prepare the rice paddies for planting during the summer months. The young plants are established during this time and harvest season starts in autumn. Rice can be harvested by either hand or machinery. However, it is almost always harvested by hand in smaller fields.
Rice Paddy, Tha Sala, Thailand, 2014
As one of top rice exporters in the world, rice fields can be commonly found throughout Thailand. The high harvest season for rice ranges from November to January.
Renu, Tha Sala, Thailand, July 2014
Renu has been working in the rice fields for 50 years. She and her husband, Sha Roj, harvest rice and sell to about 16 families around their community in Nakhon Si Thammarat. The people come their home to purchase the rice. They sell about 4000 kilograms of rice each year.
Preparation of Rice Field, Tha Sala, Thailand, July 2014
Renu begins to work on the rice field next to her home in the Tha Sala district. She begins the process of Dam Naa. She carefully places the rice plants in rows with proper spacing to allow for growth. The seeds must be transplanted into a wet field.
Yeun, Tha Sala, Thailand, 2014
Yeun begins working in the rice fields at 6 a.m every morning during the summer. She owns about 1,600 m² of land in the Tha Sala district. In addition to harvesting rice, she also harvests rubber and different types of vegetables. She sells the rubber to a local company in Tha Sala and the vegetables to market. However, she does not sell the rice. She only harvests rice for her family and animals. Although she owns a large amount of land, Yeun explained that she does not receive much crop after harvesting.
Progress, Tha Sala, Thailand, 2014
Yeun shows the growth progress of her rice plants. The youngest plants can be seen on the left. They were recently planted and have grown only a small amount. The plants on the right were planted about three months prior. Yeun explained that the older plant would be ready to harvest in about two months.
Dam Naa, Tha Sala, Thailand, July 2014
The process of growing rice takes about 4 to 5 months. Seeds that are soaked in water are planted in prepared paddies.Thai’s refer to this as “Dam Naa”, which means to transplant the rice seedlings.This generally occurs during the months of June and July.
Water Tractor, Tha Sala, Thailand, 2014
Farmers use a water tractor to retrieve water from the nearby rivers. In the summer of 2014 in Nakhon Si Thammarat, there has been a heavy lack of rain.As a result, farmers have been forced to use the water from rivers so that rice paddies have adequate amounts of water necessary for growing rice.
Young Plant, Tha Sala, Thailand, 2014
Local farmer in the Tha Sala district begins to plants the young plants of rice. This is the beginning process for rice cultivation. The most common type of rice grain planted in the country is jasmine rice.
Ploughing and Leveling, Tha Sala, Thailand, 2014
A tractor is used to plough and level rice fields. The field is flooded in order to make ploughing easier. The field is then puddled in order to remove big soil clusters. Finally, the field is leveled using the tractor. There are several benefits that come from a leveled rice field: better control of weeds, faster seeding, less work, reduction of water usage, and evenly ripened crop. Another way to level a field is using a laser leveled system. However, this is much more expensive and found commonly among higher developed countries such as Japan and the United States. Leveling can be done on either wet or dry land (“Land Preparation”).
Auppathum Rice Processing Factory, Bang Chak, Thailand, 2014
The Auppathum Rice Processing Factory is based in the Pak Panang District in Southern Thailand. This factory has a maximum capacity for rice processing of 15,000 kilograms per day. Farmers from around the area sell the rice to the factory. The first step when the rice is first brought is to weight it. There is a weigh. Workers from the factory determine the rice value not only by its weight, but also by the moisture percentage of the rice.
Moisture, Bang Chak, Thailand, 2014
The workers measure the moisture of the rice and place it separately with a sign indicating the moisture percentage. A low moisture percentage makes the rice higher in value. The rice is now ready for processing.
Inside the Factory, Bang Chak, Thailand, 2014
Two workers from the Auppathum Rice Processing Factory. Inside the factory can be found electric steam power machines which not only produce rice, but also broken mill rice, bran, and chaff, which all generate revenue to the factory owner.
Polished versus Unpolished Rice, Bang Chak, Thailand, 2014
In order obtain the white color of the rice, it needs to be polished. Although brown rice provides more nutrients, the popularity of white and long grain rice makes it much higher in production. The rice goes through a polishing process that removes the outer bran layers, getting rid of its brown color. During this process, some of the rice is broken. The polished rice goes through a sifting machine that will remove the broken debris. The bran layers removed from the rice can be used as food for animals, such as pigs, and it can also be used for making oil.
Rice Bran, Bang Chak, Thailand, 2014
Rice bran is produced as a byproduct when brown rice is converted to white rice during the milling process. They are the hard outer layers of the rice grain. The bran layers removed from the rice can be used as food for animals, such as pigs, and it can also be used for making cooking oil.
Bags of Rice, Bang Chak, Thailand, 2014
When the rice is ready at the Auppathum Rice Processing Factory, they are bagged in different sizes of sacks. They are placed together ready to be sold. A sign is placed on the bags and has the different size dimensions of each bag. Locals from the Pak Panang district purchase the rice from the factory.
Rice Hulls, Bang Chak, Thailand, 2014
The rice hulls are another byproduct of rice processing. They are the coatings of the grains of rice. They have several uses, such as insulation material, fuel, and litter for animals like chickens or pigs. They are blown to the outside of the factory and packaged in bags read to be sold to locals.
Local Markets, Tha Sala and Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand, July 2014
On the left, father and daughter sell rice in the morning Sunday country market in the Tha Sala district. Dech and his daughter, Noot, sell rice to locals with a price ranging anywhere from 15-50 baht per kilo. Though Dech has been selling rice for 23 years, for the past few years his daughter has been helping him on the job. They sell around 45 kilos of rice daily. On the right, Father and son sell rice in the Sunday market in the city of Nakhon Si Thammarat. Paisan has been selling rice for more 37 years. He and his son, Jam, move around the daily markets in the city of Nakhon Si Thammarat. They buy the rice from local farmers and sell different types of seeds. The cheapest seed costs 15 baht per kilo, but depending on the market price, their prices can go up to 39 baht per kilo. They sell around 500 kilograms of rice almost daily, generating a revenue of 10,000-15,000 baht per day. As Thais consume rice daily, it is not uncommon to find several vendors who sell rice in the daily markets of the community.
Kanom Krok, Tha Sala, Thailand, 2014
Vendor from local market in Tha Sala prepares popular street dessert Kanom Krok (translated as “coconut pancake”). This dessert, unique to Thailand, is made from rice, coconut milk or pudding, and sugar. A special Kanom Krok iron pan is required to make this dessert (which can be found in several stores). There are numerous desserts in Thailand that include rice in their recipe. They vary in texture, taste, and color, as they are made from different types of rice grains.
