Growing itchy beans is rash advice for farmers
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A few days ago Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha questioned why poverty-stricken farmers do not have the wit to cultivate more lucrative crops, such as the velvet bean (Mucuna pruriens, ma-mui in Thai), an aphrodisiac herb that could be exported and sold f
The PM’s answer to farmers’ plight prompts several questions:
First, has the government studied the annual level of demand for this commodity in the global market? What if farmers switched to growing the beans, only to find later they had a surplus on their hands? Where would we dump the oversupply?
Second, this weed is difficult to handle since it can cause severe itching. What if farmers fail to heed the dangers in their eagerness for potential profit?
Third, in the event of a glut, what if angry farmers decide to vent their frustration by dumping lorry-loads of ma-mui on the steps of Government House and provincial halls? That would be a greater threat to public order than, say, the oversupply of rice or any other crop.
This is an idea that should be dropped.
Vint Chavala
