Young farmers turn to social media to stimulate growth
The rice price crisis may be a pressing problem for most rice growers, but not for a group of young farmers who know how to exploit sales through social media. For Pongpat Sukarbjai, the key to selling crops is in reducing the use of pesticides and chemical fertilisers. The 29 year-old master’s degree student at the Faculty of Economics at Kasetsart University manages 100 rai of paddy fields in Bang Len district of Nakhon Pathom. Less use of chemicals is making up for the modest productivity of the farm because some customers prefer organic produce. Previously, all the rice he harvested went to the mill. Later, he turned to social media as a channel for marketing and selling his rice berry, at a healthy 100 baht per kg, and his rice was well-received.
