Process of Developing Strategies for Longan

Abstract

Small longan growers in northern Thailand are facing production and marketing risks with increasing production cost and market uncertainty. The past three years of the government marketing support schemes had resulted in farmer dissatisfaction. This study aims to develop strategies for sustainable production and marketing of quality longan of small grower groups in the upper north through participatory approach, with emphasis on the processes and the outcomes. The process involved: 1) Synthesis of the known information of the longan production systems, both from the secondary data and from the project itself, 2) Review the past government marketing support schemes, particularly the conflict of interest among stakeholders in longan industry, and farmer groups’ initiatives to provide alternative solutions, 3) Facilitating multi-stakeholder workshops to provide mutual understanding, to review on the correctness of information, and to co-develop pathways for achieving sustainable production and marketing. Eight workshops were carried out at monthly interval, beginning on mid-November, 2004 - on June 17, 2005, 4) At the end of each workshop, different groups of stakeholders were asked to take fact-finding assignment and to report in the following workshop. The MCC research team made all the workshop reports, closely monitored on the monthly happenings in relation to production and marketing from various sources, and gathered additional information from farmer groups and 5) Integration of the information and proposed farmer work-plans for short-term solutions in 2005 season was achieved.

The series of multi-stakeholders workshops had built up mutual understanding and trust in moving toward workable solutions for longan marketing in 2005 season, which had the strong emphasis on the competence of farmer institutions. Each session had improved the communication skills through the support of up-to date information and well written farmer work-plans. The outcomes of the eight workshops resulted in two models proposed by the farmer institutions in solving marketing problem in the 2005 season. The first model was government to provide soft loan with low interest rate (1%) to farmer institutions for use as revolving fund to purchase fresh longan from farmers, and to process as dried longan. Farmer institutions would handle own marketing with government support for negotiating with overseas markets. The second model was government to purchase all fresh longan from farmers through the BAAC, and to hire farmers, farmer institutions, and local administration organizations to process dried longan. Government would make all marketing arrangements for both fresh and dried longan. The government had finally selected the first model in 2005. However the expected outcomes were not fully achieved due to many practical problems during implementation.