Biotechnology and Developing Country Agriculture: Maize in Thailand

Suthad Setboonsarng

No 20, OECD Development Centre Working Papers from OECD Publishing

Abstract: Maize is a relatively new crop in Thailand, but since commercial production began in the 1950s it has become the second most important crop in terms of planted area and one of the country's top four agricultural exports. Major changes are occurring in the maize market in Thailand. On the supply side, increased production through land expansion will be curtailed in the future to prevent further destruction of forest areas and the area under cultivation actually reduced. On the demand side, until recently most maize was exported, but the rapid increase in domestic demand for livestock feed brings the future of exports into question. Higher yields could be achieved with current maize varieties through the increased application of fertilizer. However, not only is fertilizer expensive (the price of nitrogen is about six times the price of maize): there are also risks involved in applying fertilizer in Thailand's mainly rain-fed production conditions. Public sector maize research in ... La culture du maïs est relativement récente en Thaïlande : la production a commencé à être commercialisée dans les années 50 ; depuis lors, elle occupe la deuxième place en surface cultivée et figure parmi les quatre principaux produits d'exportation agricole du pays. Le marché du maïs en Thaïlande connait d'importants changements. Sur le plan de l'offre, la production, qui a augmenté par conquête de nouvelles terres, sera diminuée dans l'avenir pour éviter la déforestation ; les terres actuellement en culture seront réduites. Sur le plan de la demande, les exportations, qui absorbaient encore récemment la plus grande partie de la récolte, voient leur avenir remis en question par l'augmentation rapide de la consommation intérieure pour l'alimentation du bétail. L'intensification de l'usage des engrais a permis d'atteindre de hauts rendements avec des variétés courantes de maïs. Cependant, ces engrais sont onéreux (le prix de l'azote représente environ six fois celui du maïs) et ...

Date: 1990-07-01
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