Rice Farming

The majority of Thailand's total rice yield comes from the yield during normal rice growing periods, which begins in July and ends in September. This normal rice cultivation season may vary from place to place, depending on the land and climate conditions.

In general, a rice field requires constant and uniform floodings. Two basic requirements for growing rice are an even landfield that gently slopes and a well-equipped irrigation system to allow continual cycles of water inflow and outflow. Most importantly, the landfield must be able to maintain 2-3 inches of the water depth accross approximately 90% of the total rice field area throughout the rice growing season.

Rice Cultivating Methods in Thailand

1. Upland Rice produces about 4% of the world's total rice production. The upland fields are severely affected by slash-and-burn agriculture, which creates serious problem in land degradation and soil erosion. As a result, the upland soil lacks enough nutrients and moisture to create a suitable condition for massive rice productions. Here, rice is directly transplanted in non-flood, well-drained soil on both leveled and steeply sloping fields.

2. Lowland Rice requires a naturally flooded landbed that could retain water throughout the growing season. Puddled soil on leveled to slightly sloping, bunded or diked fields, are ideal for lowland rice production, in this case. Rice is directly transplanted into the puddled field that maintains water level from 5 to10 cms. Yields vary depeding on rainfalls.

3. Deep-Water or Floating Rice is characterized by medium to very deep flooding (50 to more than 300 cm) from nearby natural water sources, such as rain, rivers, and tides in river mouth deltas. Rice is directly transplanted at the beginning of the rainy season. The rice plant grows as the water rises, and it is ready to be harvested after the water recedes.