More than 300 tiger bean farmers in Mae Hong Son petitioned MP Pakorn, complaining of price suppression by foreign traders who claim their produce fails standards. They urged the establishment of clear and fair purchasing criteria and requested urgent help to resolve their distress.
On 27 Apr 2026 GMT+7, about 300 tiger bean farmers from Mok Cham Pa and Pang Mu subdistricts in Mae Hong Son city district went to MP Pakorn Jeenakham's office, Mae Hong Son Constituency 1, Kla Tham Party, in Chong Kham subdistrict, Mae Hong Son city district, seeking assistance because they could not sell their tiger bean crops. Middlemen, mainly Chinese and Vietnamese, claimed the produce failed standards and suppressed prices. As MP Pakorn was traveling to a parliamentary meeting in Bangkok, he assigned representatives to meet the farmers. Mallika Jeenakham, Mayor of Mae Hong Son city, Phusanee Chaimanee, Mae Hong Son provincial commerce officer, and Phayungsak Sitthilop, Mae Hong Son provincial agriculture officer, also met with the farmers to jointly seek solutions to alleviate their hardships.
Atapa Laommi, a tiger bean farmer from Mae Hong Son, explained that normally they sold their harvested tiger beans to middlemen without issues. However, this year, after farmers harvested and graded their crops per the middlemen's requirements, packed in sacks, and delivered them as usual, many were criticized for failing standards. Traders claimed the beans were imperfect—some were unsightly, incomplete, or insufficiently dry—and rejected the produce again. Farmers were uncertain who would buy the rejected beans since the crops were already harvested. Even though they complied with all middlemen instructions, their beans were deemed substandard. The middlemen promised to find buyers for the rejected beans, and shortly after, new buyers appeared, possibly from the same group, offering only 100 baht per sack, which is much lower than the standard price of 234 baht per sack.
Prapat Inthipwong, a tiger bean farmer from Pang Mu subdistrict, Mae Hong Son city district, said that this year farmers in the city district cultivate tiger beans on about 2,000 rai across Pang Mu and Mok Cham Pa subdistricts. Traders claim prices based on grading outcomes. After grading, beans deemed substandard by middlemen were told to be sun-dried and would be bought for only 20 baht per kilogram, also very low. The middlemen, mostly Chinese and Vietnamese, rent spaces or rooms locally to buy produce, employing Thai assistants. Farmers followed all instructions and procedures given by these middlemen, but when selling, their produce was criticized over standards. Hence, they sought help from MP Pakorn and relevant agencies, as the community faces real hardship. Farmers want middlemen to grade and buy fairly, not just visually deciding what meets standards and what doesn't, rejecting produce arbitrarily. They request clear measuring tools and fair pricing.
Phayungsak Sitthilop, Mae Hong Son provincial agriculture officer, said the registered tiger bean cultivation area is about 2,000 rai, with prices offered by traders generally satisfactory. However, grading must follow standards, and farmers must receive appropriate prices. He emphasized the importance of farmers registering their cultivation to receive support, including for the total cultivated area and peanut processing in various forms, to open additional sales channels.
Phusanee Chaimanee, Mae Hong Son provincial commerce officer, stated that farmers have not been treated fairly in selling their tiger bean produce to traders. The commerce office has received complaints and will send officials to observe the purchasing process and seek cooperation from traders to ensure fairness. They will establish purchase standards since most tiger bean transactions currently lack clear standards, causing farmers concern about receiving fair prices. As the marketing authority, the commerce office will closely oversee the situation.
Phusanee added that although farmers claim their produce meets standards, traders refuse to buy. She hopes other local entrepreneurs or traders in Mae Hong Son who wish to purchase tiger beans from local farmers will contact the provincial commerce office. There remains a large amount of produce available, and facilitating sales will help farmers avoid cost problems. The claim that produce fails standards is often a purchasing or marketing tactic by traders. The office will engage with traders to prevent exploitation of farmers, require clear price signage, and mandate daily price updates on purchase days.