Flooding in Thailand over the past months has inundated nearly 14 million acres of land, at least 740,000 acres of which is farmland, driving up Thai commodities prices both domestically and in the export markets, according to a report by FreshPlaza.com.
Many farmers have lost their entire crops, and will have no source of income until they replant and await the next harvest. Vegetable growers in the central region of the country have been hit particularly hard. Consequently, prices of Thai agricultural commodities have been driven up in both domestic and export markets.
Further, many export packinghouses located in the areas surrounding Bangkok are inaccessible or completely underwater.
Produce company Exoriens has continued operations, despite temporary closure of two of its packing and receiving facilities. Peyton Enloe explains, "We continue exporting fresh asparagus and baby corn, fresh mango Namdokmai, and fresh young coconuts. Fresh Asian specialty vegetable prices and availability are negatively impacted, however we continue exports of these items in a limited capacity".
The coming harvests of Thai ginger and Tamarind will be unaffected, as the growing region for these items is in the Northeast (away from flooding). While not in season, durian and mangosteen farms (which are primarily located in the far South and East) have also escaped the flooding, as well as lychee farms in the North. Longan is grown in many areas around the country, with harvests occurring at different times throughout the year. There is currently longan available from the North, however some periodic shortages are expected in 2012.
Inland transportation has become much more expensive, due to road closures and driver shortages; but fortunately the airport has remained open and free from the risk of nearby flooding.
Though adversely affected by record levels of rainfall and unprecedented floods, Exoriens has surpassed its original growth targets for 2011.
Over the last two years, Exoriens has rapidly grown to be one of the biggest exporters of fresh young coconuts from Thailand, according to the report.
Source: FreshPlaza.com