About the group
Number of smallholders: 84 (57 Men, 27 Women)
Total Land Area: 580.17 Ha
Status: Not Certified
Group location: 79 Moo 3, Tha Chang Sub-District, Tha Chang District, Surat Thani Province 84150
Country: Thailand
On-going Facilitator: Tha Chang Oil Palm Industries Co.,Ltd.
TOWARDS SUSTAINABILITY JOURNEY
“Economic conditions have improved. More trade and increased income for the communities resulted in good collaboration and compliance with the RSPO Standards.”
Ms. Wannapa Srisuwan, Group Manager of Tha Chang Oil Palm Community Enterprise
“Farmers had no objections to the RSPO Standards prior to joining the group, but they still preferred to follow their own ideas. They never watered the plants before. However, after attending the trainings, they realised that water is an important factor in weight and productivity. They now irrigate their palm trees and the palms grow better with firmer, fresher fruits,” Wannapa Srisuwan said about the transition of farmers to becoming group members of sustainable oil palm plantations.
“There are numerous benefits to local communities. Economically, sustainable palm plantations create wealth, increase productivity and have greater potential to grow sales in the market. The stability dimension indicates that there are supportive markets for high-quality products. In terms of the environment, farmers collaborate to better protect nature. Herbicide use is restricted to designated areas to avoid herbicidal runoff and contamination of water sources.”
The Group Manager further stated, “Although the group is in the process of preparing data to be certified as an RSPO Member, such economic impacts as a better economy, increased trade and more income for the communities are already evident. From support through their partnership with Tha Chang Oil Palm Industry Co., Ltd., farmers already cooperate well in complying with RSPO Standards.”
Speaking about the group’s obstacles in transitioning to sustainable palm plantation, Wannapa said, “Changing traditional ways of managing farms to be more systematic and meet RSPO Requirements, such as replacing herbicide and pesticide with Integrated Weed Control (IPM) systems, is rather challenging.”
When asked about the change after switching to sustainable palm plantation, Wannapa replied, “Farmers can truly save their costs while enhancing the quality of products and reducing chemical usage on their farms.”
The key factor in ensuring that smallholders remain certified in the long term is compliance with RSPO Standards and achieving Criteria B, the last RSPO Certification milestone.
Target Project Impact
Total area covered by the project
580.17 Ha
Number of smallholders benefitting from this project
84 Smallholders
Number/percentage of women supported by this project
32.14% women in this project
How you can support
Tha Chang Oil Palm Community Enterprise, supported by Tha Chang Oil Palm Industries Company Limited receives support for its various operations, particularly for farmers who participate in the cooperative. The purchase price of oil palm is increased by an additional 0.10 THB per kilogram for members of the cooperative, and if the group has already been certified RSPO ISH, an additional 0.20 THB per kilogram will be added.
In addition, external organisations who wish to support the cooperative are requested to provide support for training and skills development for members.
GROUP CONTACT
Representative Contact
Wannapa Srisuwan | Group Manager | [email protected] |
Saowanee Promchatree
Assistant Group Manager
(+66) 61 241 0065
[email protected]
IMAGE GALLERY
Tha Chang Oil Palm Community Enterprise
Tha Chang Oil Palm Community Enterprise
Tha Chang Oil Palm Community Enterprise
