Samut Songkhram Transforms Coconut Groves to Date Palm Gardens, Customers Book Ahead

MGR Online•Society•17d ago

Reader Briefing

Samut Songkhram farmers are successfully diversifying from coconut to date palm cultivation, experiencing high customer demand and booking orders well into the next year.

•Farmers in Samut Songkhram have converted over 4 rai of coconut plantations to grow four varieties of date palms.
•Despite a significant drop in yield for the popular Konaisi variety due to extreme heat, customer demand remains high, with bookings extending beyond a year.
•The 'Mae Klong Date Palm Garden' is now open to visitors for free tours and fresh fruit tasting, priced at 100 Baht per kilogram, along with processed products.

Overview

•Samut Songkhram farmers converted coconut plantations to date palms due to fluctuating coconut prices and the desire for a more profitable crop.
•"Mae Klong Date Palm Garden" was established on over 4 rai in Mu 6, Lat Yai Subdistrict, Mueang District, Samut Songkhram.
•Four varieties of date palms are cultivated: Bahri Yellow, Bahri Red, Medjool, and Konaisi.
•Extreme heat this year significantly reduced the yield of the Konaisi variety, making it insufficient for market demand.
•Customers are booking date palm produce a year in advance due to high demand.
•"Mae Klong Date Palm Garden" is open to visitors daily from Monday to Friday, 08:00-17:00.
•Fresh date palms are priced at a starting rate of 100 Baht per kilogram.
•Thai fresh date palms have a single harvest season annually, from June to August, making them a high-value economic fruit.

Full article content is available on the original source.

Read on MGR Online (Thai Version)View in Google Translate

Source: MGR Online (Original)

View Original Article

Key Quotes

N.S. Anchalee Weerasakyapong

"This area was originally a coconut plantation, but due to fluctuating coconut prices and the owner aging, we decided to switch to growing date palms, which offer good returns and increasing market demand every year."

เดิมพื้นที่แห่งนี้เป็นสวนมะพร้าว แต่จากปัญหาราคามะพร้าวผันผวน ประกอบกับเจ้าของสวนมีอายุมากขึ้น จึงตัดสินใจเปลี่ยนมาปลูกอินทผลัม ซึ่งให้ผลตอบแทนคุ้มค่าและเป็นที่ต้องการของตลาดเพิ่มขึ้นทุกปี

Key Entities

Place

Samut Songkhram(สมุทรสงคราม)ℹ️

A province in Thailand where farmers are transforming coconut plantations into date palm gardens.

Organization

Mae Klong Date Palm Garden(บ้านสวนอินทผลัมแม่กลอง)

A date palm garden in Samut Songkhram that has converted from coconut cultivation and is now open to visitors.

Person

N.S. Anchalee Weerasakyapong(น.ส.อัญชลี วีรสากยพงษ์)

The 38-year-old owner of Mae Klong Date Palm Garden who explained the transition from coconut to date palm cultivation.