Cassava farmers are rushing to deploy labor to harvest their cassava crops for sale after prices soared to 4.80 - 5 baht per kilogram, following Thailand's closure of border checkpoints to prevent Cambodian goods from entering the country.
On 28 Aug 2026 GMT+7, reporters visited the agricultural harvesting scene in Ban Prasop Chok, Huai Yai Chio Subdistrict, Thep Sathit District, Chaiyaphum Province, where they met Mr. Sit Kasantiya, 56, a cassava farmer. He said they are urgently bringing laborers to harvest eight-month-old cassava over about 10 rai, after receiving news that local processing factories have continuously raised purchase prices to levels unseen in many years. Although the cassava plants have not yet fully matured for complete harvest, tests showed a high enough starch percentage to justify selling at a good price worth the effort.
Moreover, besides the high price of cassava roots, the cassava seedlings have become highly demanded in the market, selling for as much as 1-2 baht per plant, with farmers from other areas coming to buy constantly. The key factors driving the recent price surge include drought conditions reducing cassava yields supplied to factories and the closure of the Thai-Cambodian border banning Cambodian cassava imports, eliminating cheap competition. This has allowed local farmers to improve their incomes again, with prices this year reaching nearly 4.80 - 5 baht per kilogram, up from the usual 2.50-3 baht, which is considered reasonable.
Mr. Sit also appealed to the government to urgently control fertilizer prices, as they are a very costly input. Furthermore, the good prices have led to a surge in thieves stealing cassava from fields. While prices continue to rise, incidents of cassava theft have increased across many areas, causing distress to farmers. He therefore requested that authorities increase patrols to protect local farmers' security.