Urgent measures for adequate tapioca production

 The tapioca plantation situation in the crop season 2010/11 is severely affected from the breakout of pink mealy bug, causing reduction of plantation yield from average 3.6 tons per Rai to about 3 tons per Rai. Such effect causes some farmers to cultivate other kinds of crop, resulting the tapioca products are not sufficient for demand. Therefore, the price of fresh tapioca has been increased to 3 Baht per kilogram since the end of year 2010. This affects the consumption of tapioca products both local and overseas e.g. several ethanol factories have to shut down. The most urgent issue at present time is to solve tapioca plantation problem in order to increase production volume adequate for the market demand.

     From author’s opinions, the problems or threats against Thai tapioca production are as follows:

1. Epidemic of pink mealy bug
2. Labor shortage and higher production costs
3. Competition with other crops i.e. sugarcane and rubber
4. Ignorance on tapioca production

Countermeasures Overview

1. Problem of pink mealy bug

     Causes: Some environmental scientists said that because of the global warming, the breakout of pink mealy bug is severe.

     In fact, the breakout of mealy bug is not related with the global warming because the mealy bug has been found in the tapioca since the past time, but the past breakout was not severe. The current breakout is severe because this mealy bug has never been found in this region and spreads in Thailand. The import source and channel is unknown, or imported with other plants i.e. Jatropha curcas could not be proved. The academician of the Department of Agriculture has sent the sample of mealy bug to the foreign expert for examination, and it is found that the pink mealy bug or in scientific name Phenacoccus manihoti is the threatening insect against the tapioca and found in South America i.e. Brazil, Paraguay and Colombia. But in these countries, there are some natural-enemy insects which can control the pink mealy bug population, so the number of pink mealy bugs is not much enough for severe breakout. Anyway, the breakout was severe in several countries of African Continent during the decade of 1970 because such has no natural-enemy insects.

pink mealybug

     From the experiences of pink mealy bugs in Africa, it was found that the chemical use for elimination of insects was not effective because within the short time after spraying the chemical, the breakout of pink mealy bugs reoccurred again. The chemical spray must always be increased so as to eliminate the bugs, and finally could not be control.

     The success on control of pink mealy bugs in Africa by the international agricultural organizations; particularly, ITTA (International Institute of Tropical Agriculture) situated in Nigeria, in cooperation with the entomologist from CIAT (Centro International de Agricultura Tropical), Colombia, brought Parasitoids (hornets), in scientific name as Anagyrus lopezi, the natural enemy of pink mealy bug, from South America and bred them, then diffused throughout African Continent. The breakout of pink mealy bugs could be controlled successfully.

     There are two lessons from African case are; 1) Usage of chemical for elimination of pink mealy bugs was not successful. 2) Control with hornets, Anagyrus lopezi was permanently effective. The farmers did not need to invest anything, the Research unit bred and diffused hornets. Hornet will breed naturally and can permanently control pink mealy bugs, finally the problem of pink mealy bugs was eliminated.

     It is the rapidity of Thai entomologists from the Department of Agriculture by Dr. Amporn Winothai who cooperated and asked for help from the academicians from ITTA, Dr. Georg Georgen, to deliver 500 pairs of hornets from Benin country (adjacent to Nigeria) to the Department of Agriculture on 30th September 2009. The Department had studied about the safety and did breeding at the Rayong Field Crops Research Center, Muang District, Rayong Province in December 2009 and delivered to the Thai Tapioca Development Institute, Foundation of the Thai Tapioca Development Institute, Huay Bong District, Daan Khunthod Amphur, Nakorn Ratchasima Province for breeding expansion and then tested releasing at the Institute the approximate area of 3 thousands Rai and also released in the nearby agricultural farm of 25 villages in Huay Bong District during May 2010.

Anagyrus lopezi

     As result of the author’s follow-up during January 2011 after 1 year past, it was found that both at the Rayong Field Crops Research Center and at the Thai Tapioca Development Institute can effectively control pink mealy bug, as well as at the Research Station Khao Hin Sorn, Kasetsart University, Phanom Sarakham District, Chachoengsao Province and also at the farmers’ land in Kalasin Province, under the operation by National Starch & Chemical (Thailand) Co., Ltd.

     Meanwhile, the pink mealy bugs is found in other farmers’ lands, the author could summarize confidently that the control of pink mealy bugs by the imported hornets is effective. Besides, the project of the National Biological Control Research Center of the Office of the National Research Council of Thailand join with Kasetsart University in Suphan Buri Province using Thai natural pest i.e. weevil is also effective.

     The present official recommendation is to soak the breeding stem before cultivation. The chemical for elimination of pink mealy bugs could prevent it for 1-2 months, together with the use of hornets, will be effective. Anyhow, the chemical spray must not be used, it would not be effective, but the problem would be more severe.

     The challenging issue is how fast breeding and distributing hornets throughout the country. Now, the raising technique of hornet by the Thai Tapioca Development Institute joining with the Department of Agriculture and National Starch & Chemical (Thailand) Co., Ltd. has been developed and could manufacture hornets in February 2011 in number of 13,000 pairs per day. The author expected that if the Department of Agriculture and the private sector cooperated seriously to breed and distribute hornets throughout the country in the year 2011, 10 months remaining, the problem of pink mealy bugs would be alleviated in the year 2012.

2. Labor problem solution

     The present fact is that the agricultural worker is decreasing a lot. Foreign workers can be found in all regions. The problem of labor shortage in the agricultural sector has continued since ten years and getting more severe day by day. Therefore, tapioca plantation needs more machinery and weed elimination chemical.

     The widely used machinery at present includes the tractor for soil preparation and tools equipped with the tractor. The lack is:

1. Plantation Tools. Someone has tried to invent, but not yet widely successful. Brazilian cultivation tool is in the lay down and bury type while our cultivation is done by mean of sticking, which yields more productivity than the lay down type. In the past 40 – 50 years, farmers planted by lay down and bury but changed to sticking. Therefore, the sticking tools needed to be invented.
   
   
2. The roots loading of tapioca onto truck is a tough job, which several tons of tapioca must be carried onto truck. Therefore, the design of the conveyor for loading tapioca onto the truck shall alleviate the difficulty.
   
   
3. The using of fertilizer adding machine and chemical spraying for elimination of weeds shall help reducing labor need for tapioca plantation, if weed is not eliminated in time, the productivity would be sharply decreased. Despite of this existing technology, the farmers don’t prefer using the elimination chemical-Control type, (spraying before weed growing).

     Practically, it is impossible that all tapioca farmers can afford machinery and tools. Therefore, the leading farmers may be encouraged to procure all machines and tools provide full service i.e. planting, adding fertilizer, and spraying chemical for weed elimination and harvesting, as same as rice transplantation seeding. The farmer will inform the contractor of the breeding type. The transplantation tractor shall be contracted 2 weeks in advance. The rice seedlings will be prepared, transplanting, sticking, harvesting and rice threshing by mechanization.

3. Yield per rai Increasing

     If pink mealy bugs can be controlled successfully, the average yield per Rai of 5 tons can be achieved. From experienced research of tapioca planting for many years and in several provinces in 100 areas, it was found that the tapioca plantation of 5 tons yield per rai will be normal when:

1. Use of good breeding, at the range of 0.80 – 1 x 1 meter
2. On-time wee elimination for 2 – 3 times
3. Adding fertilizer as per recommended formula of 15 – 15 – 15 at 50 kg. per Rai
4. Harvesting tapioca roots at over 11 months of age.

     The author ever joined the project of promoting farmers to plant Kasetsart 50 breeding all over the country. The Thai Tapioca Development Institute has distributed 1,500 stems to each farmer, which is enough for 5 Rais plantation area. The top class farmers will be selected to attend the productivity contest for 3 years period i.e. 1995, 1996 and 1997. The winner received a tractor at the value of around 100,000 baht. There were many farmers joining the competition, the harvesting must be attended by referee and found that:

• In the year 1995, 142 land plots were in competition, the average yield is 4,236 kilograms per Rai, the maximum was at 7,116 kilograms per Rai, at starch content of 27.5 percent from Wachiraphum District, Sakon Nakhon Province.
  
  
• In the year 1996, 305 land plots were in competition, the average yield is 5,001 kilograms per Rai, the maximum was at 10,495 kilograms per Rai, at starch content of 28.3 percent from Non Sa-ad District, Udon Thani Province.
  
  
• In the year 1997, 81 land plots were in competition, the average yield is 4,776 kilograms per Rai, the maximum was at of 8,388 kilograms per Rai, at starch content of 27.4 percent from Baan Rai District, Uthai Thani Province.

     Currently, the farmers have more choices because the prices of several crops are high e.g. the price of sugarcane is over thousand baht per ton, rubber price is over 100 baht per kilogram. Many farmers change to these crops, the plantation area for tapioca is reduced by other plants. The low yield and higher production cost is not good for olantation.

4. Ignorance in Tapioca Industry

     In the past 3 - 4 years, there were many false on microbe sales, special substance, tapioca planting of condo type to yield 30 tons per Rai. There are some farmer banks, tapioca factories and some governors did participation negligently. Sometimes, they have to buy such material with high investment. The Thai Tapioca Development Institute and author has ever joined the test several methods but didn’t get higher yield than normal.

     For non-experienced person, the plantation of 1 – 2 tapioca trees with good take care for 1 year, the tapioca roots will weight around 30-50 kg. When multiplied this weight with 1,600 trees per Rai, we will obtain the productivity of 48 – 80 tons per Rai. This is just the selection of large tapioca tree multiplied with 1,600 trees per Rai. The author ever applied similar methods i.e. harvest of tapioca in the outer area and dig old large tapioca for exhibition to attract the visitors. There was no advertisement as “miraculous tapioca”. The author still remembered the large tapioca contest organized by the Ministry of Commerce in the World Tapioca Forum 2009, the weight of each roots is more than 50 kilograms. If multiplied with 1,600 trees per Rai, the yield of 80 tons per Rai will be obtained. Such matter should not be occurred at present, but it is better that the matter og 30 tons per Rai has got less attention after clear explanation or testing of correct information tothe related parties. The yield of 10 – 12 tons per Rai is possible is possible if water is sprayed in the dry season and harvest at the maturity of 12 – 15 months, which was done by the advanced farmers.

5. Free trade

     As the area of tapioca plantation area in Thailand is limited, but the tapioca market expanded so much, the free trade policy i.e. importing fresh roots from neighboring countries and processed into the tapioca chips or starch for exporting, this generates more income to the nation. It is better than passing this root to other country and then competing with Thai in export market. Such policy should be seriously studied and carefully considered. Besides, the ASEAN Economic Community in the year 2015 must be well prepared, which shall cause great benefits to the public.