Farmers in Northeast bring back the buffalo
After fighting with spiralling oil costs, northeastern farmers have decided to ditch their petrol-driven tractors for grass-fed water buffaloes.
"They're cheaper, more environmentally friendly and better for our income," Prawat Khamphakdi, chairman of the Roi Et Thai Buffalo Conservation Club, said yesterday. He has led his neighbours in promoting buffalo-powered farming. Prawat said oil had reached Bt30 per litre yesterday, the highest level ever in Roi Et's Chiang Kwan district, which made daily necessities more expensive. "With the same cash, we now can get only half the oil we used to get. So we can no longer use motorised equipment for farming. We have to cut all unnecessary costs as much as possible, and the buffalo option is one good way out," he said. The club has enlisted 100 households with some 300 head of buffalo, and all of them have agreed to farm with their draft animals, he said. "It takes a longer time to prepare the soil for planting rice, but the natural fertiliser from buffaloes means farmers pay less for chemical fertilisers. "In total, the reduction in cost comes from not using oil and from lower fertiliser payments. It might also ease the national oil crisis," Prawat said. Min Phanjan, 56, of Ban Huay Yarng in Si Sa Ket's Phu Sing district, said he owned a 20-rai rice farm and had decided to till it with buffaloes, unlike previous seasons, due to the high oil price. He took almost a month to finish ploughing his paddy. "With this traditional procedure, you can turn up the field only in the morning and evening. The middle of the day is too sunny and too hot for buffaloes to work. So it takes a longer time," Min said. Suwit Paengmak of Ban Klang in Si Sa Ket said he had taken much less time than Min as he had only seven rai. Apart from being happy to save costs, he is proud of himself for taking on his 12-year-old boy to work the farm with him. It is all part of the preservation of traditional farming, he said. Roi Et agriculture officer Somwong Khongphet said the energy-saving initiative of the farmers should be supported by the government since it is also represented sustainable development. Watcharin Khechornwong, Prayote Udomvej The Nation
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