Rice: Natural resources in Thailand - Assignment Example

Running head: Natural resources in Thailand (Rice) 8th April Executive summary One of the most natural resource in Thailand is rice. This paper indicates that rice has positively impacted on Thailand economy, for example in 2014 when more than 10 million tonnes were produced. Apart from government support, World Bank offers additional support to Thailand farmers. The top ten rice growing nations are China, Indonesia, Thailand, India, Vietnam, Japans, Brazil, Myanmar and Philippines. Another point covered by the paper is on the negative effects of the rice harvesting and production process. The production results into carbon emission and air pollution. This has forced the government though its agencies to introduce policies like Bangkok Declaration on Mitigation of climate change to deal with pollution within the city of Bangkok. The private and public companies are encouraged to adopt green methods of transportation and production. As the result of the research I have done, the paper provides a reflection part that highlights the skills I have gained. Another section that the paper has included is the recommendations that I would provide for a company that I work as a leader. These touches on corporate social responsibility, employee training, improved wages and improved health care for farmers. Within the conclusion part, the paper indicates some of the most important issues that have been covered. Brief overview of rice in Thailand With the increased global population, most countries have resulted to diversification of food products in order to have ability to feed their population thus enhancing their productivity. One of the food products that are common in developing as well as developed countries is rice. In Thailand, rice production represents a significant size of the country’s economy and labor force. Thailand has more than 9.2 million hectares of rice growing areas and the government is contemplating on increasing the hectares. One of the major reason as to why more farmers are now engaging on rice production is the support by the government after elimination of rice premium policy that discriminated the peasant farmers (Evenson, Robert, Mahabub, 1996). The government has adopted strong incentives for rice production an aspect that has made other stakeholders such as World Bank to provide similar support. In Thailand society, rice is central. Apart from being the source of nutrition for most of the households, it is the major export that has resulted to economic growth and increased job opportunities. Evolution of rice production in Thailand Thailand is among the top five nations in rice cultivation and the second largest rice exporter in the world. In 1960s, planting of rice was done by peasant farmers in small areas and produced unpretentious amount of rice. The delta of Chao Phraya River was the backbone of the rice production. Agriculture was the main source of livelihood in Thailand hence most of the people worked on farms. Due to the availability of vast amount of land for cultivation and government imposing policy of land and clearing, protection of peasant rights in the agriculture sector rose. The government of Thailand took the responsibility of protecting the farmers hence the Urban merchants were not able to control the rice industry. In 1970s, Thailand encountered various uprisings by the farmers from the central Thai provinces. After Thailand changed to a democratic government, several organizations rioted in the streets including the farmers. Farmers were demanding that Thai prime minister should reduce their debt and also enhance proper prices for rice How rice has helped shape trade/businesses through time locally Rice production in Thailand has greatly impacted on the country’s economy. While in the past central Thailand was the major source of production that resulted to emergence of many rice businesses, northeast Thailand joined as the result of the construction of new roads that connected the ports in the coastline with northeast Thailand. In that past, cows were being used for irrigation but this has been replaced with farm tractors and irrigation technology resulting to more production nationally (Nirmal, 2008). As the result of the support by the government, peasant farmers have embarked on more production. In 2014, the country exported more than 10 million tonnes valued at $5.37 billion which was the highest in the history. One of the major impact of the rice industry in Thailand is that it has resulted to emergence of leading exporters who have invested in plantations as well as mills and trading companies in the country and foreign countries. As the Thailand government puts effort to make the country the leader in rice exportation, it is encouraging the rice business community to enter Myanmar and utilize the opportunities there. Impact on the availability of rice through time Rice is located in many parts of the world. The top ten rice growing nations are China, Indonesia, Thailand, India, Vietnam, Japans, Brazil, Myanmar and Philippines. In Africa, rice originated in Niger Delta around 1500 and 800 BC and later expanded to Senegal. With the introduction of Asian species, the cultivation of Oryza glaberrima, which was the African species, was stopped. This was due to the fact that the new Asian species was more diseases resistant. However, in most of the African region rise growing still exist with top producers being Senegal, Mali, Sierra Leone, Ghana and Burkina Faso among others. Archaeologists trace rice growing back to about 5,000 BC and historian indicate that it was first mentioned in China. Having arrived to the west through explorers, traders and soldiers, rice is still being largely grown in China in areas such as southwest region, along the Yangtze River, and Yunnan among many others. In US, rice was introduced around 17th century in regions such as Virginia, Florida, Louisiana, Carolina and Alabama. While some of these states are not significant producers, six states including Missouri, Louisiana, California, Texas, Arkansas and Mississippi account for 99% of rice produced in US. Social impacts on exploitation of rice in Thailand In Thailand, cultivation of rice is not only carried out just for food production but it is also a part of the Thai culture. Rice farming is passed from one generation to another. Families depend on rice production for household upkeep and also to sell the surplus. Rice has also created many job opportunities for the Thailand residents either as farmers or as employees in the milling companies. By the government trying to promote the urban growth, it had to take several measures. One of them was to impose high taxes on rice industries hence affecting the rice farmer. The government also set monopoly price on exports thus, increasing tax revenues which enhanced the prices of rice to go down in (Thailand and Christopher, 1995). The policy was known as rice premium that was utilized until 1985 when the government gave in. Due to the introduction of the new road systems which connected northeast and the coastline ports, there was an increase on the production of rice in the northeast Thailand, hence forcing farmers from the central Thailand which was the leading rice production to sift to wage labor. Environmental impacts of the rice trading Rice in Thailand account for 13% of phosphate fertilizer use. As the result, the chemical fertilizers contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, decreased soil fertility, and harmful health effects. Methane such as carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide significantly contribute to climate change (Perehudoff, 2007). Once the rice is harvested, it is transported through the roads by the farm trucks referred to as rot i-taen. The farm trucks are also used to transport rice threshers around the plantations. As the result, there is extensive emission of carbon as well as noise along the plantations (Fields, 2002). In addition, the country is known for open burning of rice straws that further results to air pollution especially in Bangkok Metropolitan Region. Thailand has quite a number of rice mills such as Allied Merchandising Co, Molakan Internation Co., Ltd., Thep Nakprnchai Co., Ltd, and Abbaz Company Limited among many others. As a result, the noise pollution is quite high as well as large amount of carbon emission around the factories. Ways of helping to decrease the impacts of the rice growing in Thailand With the increased pollution of Thailand environment, drought and flooding are serious challenges that have emanated. The widespread floods have been a major cause of loss of rice. For example the 2010 floods that resulted to the loss of 0.7 million tonnes of rice. In response to the air pollution and climate change, Thailand government has initiated various policies to decrease the negative impact of rice production. Bangkok Metropolitan Administration for instance signed the Bangkok Declaration on Mitigation of climate change with the private and public organization within the region (Bansal and Roth, 2000). The declaration also aimed at reducing the city’s contribution to climate change, reduction of natural resources consumption, adoption of lifestyle that uphold sufficiency economy and to reduce green house gases. Reflective analysis This assignment has helped me to identify the importance of natural resources and in this case rice in development of trade locally and globally. During my research, I have noted that Thailand is one of the leaders in the production of rice. The country plays a major role of ensuring that the demand of rice locally and globally is adequately met. Additionally, I have noted that as the result of increased rice production in areas around Yangtze River and Yunnan, the level of water pollution has increased to a very high level while the air pollution has drastically increased. However, Thailand government has adopted a number of measures to mitigate the challenges. During the research, I have also learned that business has a vital role as far as natural resources are concerned. For the rice to be effectively distributed in the local and global markets there is need for government to assist the farmers and business owners. For the case of Thailand, I have realized that the government has not been left behind to ensure that rice becomes a major source of foreign exchange for the country. In addition, the support that the government offers to the farmers has enhanced the lives of the local and global communities thus resulting to improved productivity and economic growth. Throughout my research, I have noted that for any country to attain an economic growth there is need for the natural resources to be protected by the government and other stakeholders. Recommendations For the company to be sustainable, workers must be recognized as part and parcel of the organization through improved wages and benefits Workers should also be provided by increased a bonus after the first four months at the beginning of each year and then an annual bonus at the end of the year During the farming practices, farmers are exposed to water borne diseases. This implies that the company should come up with new methods of health care to ensure that farmers’ health issues are addressed The company should come up with programs to ensure that animals are not used during the farming activities by the peasant farmers The organization should adopt a sustainable corporate social responsibility including tree planting sessions on annual bases The company should come up with programs that ensure farmers are educated on the modern methods of rice farming The company should hold annual exhibitions where the peasant farmers and established business investors are advised on the available business opportunities in foreign countries The organization should establish a department that will be responsible for addressing the complaints and feedbacks from the customers and government The company needs to have environmental conservation policies in order to be in line with the arising climate change requirements locally and globally The company should have establish more outlets in other rice growing countries in Asia and African markets that still have more opportunities and the markets are still not exploited The company should initiate training programs for its employees. In this way it will enhance their productivity thus increasing their output and improve the company’s profitability The organization should establish more research and development centers to come up with new ways to deal with the increasing rice diseases that are affecting rice production in Thailand and foreign countries The company should invest in green methods of transporting rice to reduce the level of pollution that is a major challenge in Thailand (Ruddiman, 2003) The company should adopt more advertising of its rice varieties to ensure that it enjoys strong customer awareness thus creating a strong positive customer brand relationship The company should undertake a market research in foreign countries to identify the areas that it can establish irrigations or an outlet in its effort to expand the customer base The organization should invest in modern machines that are noted to be faster and more effective. In this way, it will be in a position to reduce the wastage being experienced by some companies in the production facilities The company should adopt foreign tours for its departmental managers especially in the rice production leading countries as a way of studying new methods of rice production and management During the manufacturing process the company should ensure that the rice husks are properly exposed to avoid polluting the surrounding environments The company should expand the storage locations to avoid cases of rice destruction before the entire production process is over as well as to avoid destruction by rain The company will need to come up with better methods to avoid illegal trading of rice especially during transporting and when harvesting. Any case of illegal trading by farmers or workers should be handled with the law enforcers or the disciplinary committee With the increasing need to uphold ethics in local and global companies, our company should come with brochures that should be given to all employees as well as farmers indicating the ethics that need to be emulated all the time New employees and upcoming farmers should be given enough orientation to ensure that they perform their activities in line with the company policies and ethics Conclusion From the above discussion, it is clear that rice growing in Thailand has made the country to attain economic growth that has resulted to improved living standard for the country’s residents. While it was grown by peasant farmers in 1960s, rice is now under extensive tracks of land in Thailand. Having been grown for a long period of time, rice in Thailand is used by residents due to its nutrients. The high demand for the commodity has resulted to the establishment of large truck of land leading to negative climatic situation such as increased water pollution and carbon emission during production process. As the result, the government agencies such as Bangkok Metropolitan Administration have come up with declarations that aim at mitigating pollution and carbon emission in the city of Bangkok. This course has exposed me to a number of ways through which as a leader of a company I can adopt to make the organization be sustainable. For instance, through the application of effective corporate social responsibilities, I am able to make the company undertake its duties in line with the government requirements. References Bansal, P and Roth, R. 2000. Why Companies Go Green: A model of Ecological Responsiveness. The Academy of Management Journal 43 (4): 17–36. Evenson, E., Robert W and Mahabub, H. 1996. Rice Research in Asia: Progress and Priorities. Wallingford, UK: CAB International in association with the International Rice Research Institute. Fields, S. 2002. Sustainable Business Makes Dollars and Cents 10 (3). Environmental Health Perspectives. pp. 42–145. Nirmal, G. 2008. Thailand to set aside more land for farming; It plans to increase rice production and stop conversion of agricultural land. Bangkok: Macmillan Publishers. Pasuk, P and Christopher, B. 1995. Thailand, Economy and Politics. Kuala Lumpur: Oxford University Press. Perehudoff, C. Thailands miracle grain for all seasons; Humble rice has the power to feed, cleanse, fight ravages of time. Toronto Star [Toronto] 30 Jun 2007. Ruddiman, F. 2003. The anthropogenic greenhouse era began thousands of years ago. Climate Change 61 (3): 61–93. Read More