High on the list of fruits Thais cannot live without is kluai namwa, or cultivated banana, a tropical strand only grown in South and Southeast Asia. The cultivated banana has long been an affordable, ubiquitous food staple for Thais, the same way apples are for Westerners.
But kluai namwa has become a major concern across the country during the last few months. Media has reported an unprecedented surge in the price of cultivated bananas from 20-30 baht a bunch to over 70-80 baht. A shortage of the fruit from drought is the primary reason (besides seasonal influences such as the hike in demand during the Chinese Spirit Festival this week). The historic price hike affects households and related businesses; the shortage of what Thais often take for granted as a ubiquitous foodstuff is an economic and environmental issue as well as a case of food security whose impact is felt at the street level.
It was once easy to get a cheap bunch of cultivated bananas by just walking into any fresh market or random street vendor. Now at a fried banana cart at Talat Nang Linchee, a vendor needs to limit the number of pieces of fried banana from eight to six in a 20 baht bag. Few vendors, such as a well-known lady who sold khao tom mud (sticky rice dessert with banana filling) at BTS On Nut, simply had to stop after the price of wholesale cultivated bananas rose.
Vendors now need to reduce the number of pieces of fried banana per bag. Photo: TAWATCHAI KEMGUMNERD
Thanapat Narktieng, producer of branded sun-dried bananas from Phitsanulok, said in a report that he had to discontinue production, at least for now, because of supply shortage.
Earlier this month in Sa Kaeo, police had to break up a fight among a competing horde of buyers from Cambodia who came over to the Thai side to get a limited amount of kluai namwa.
"Bananas have never been this expensive," said one policeman in a report, adding that he saw bananas for sale at 200 baht per bunch -- an unimaginable price for something that once cost 10 times less.
Meanwhile, in a village in Chon Buri, a man had to install CCTV cameras in his orchards after thieves stole 30 bunches of bananas three times in July. At Wat Don Sai Temple in Prachuap Khiri Khan, thieves repeatedly stole bananas from the small plantation in the temple's cemetery. The abbot had to place a sign in front of the temple begging the thieves to stop.
Witoon Lianchamroon, director of Biothai, a conservation group campaigning for sustainable farm policy and food security, said the kluai namwa shortage is a warning sign of our food security problem.
"The kluai namwa problem warns us that our food production system is going to change, and the good old days when Thais could enjoy cheap vegetables and fruits might become a thing of the past," said Witoon.
The climate change-induced drought of the past few years may return, he said. Changing weather patterns will affect supply of farm products and change the way the country manages agricultural production.
"Once-ubiquitous and cheap products like vegetables and fruits will become commercial goods, and that will drive up the price," he said.
The banana headache also highlights a more complex dynamic of supply and demand in international trade. As local consumers witness kluai namwa sold at historic prices, society is alarmed by the invasion of Chinese investors using Laos and Thai plantations to grow Cavendish bananas, or kluai hom. The Cavendish banana plantations have led to conflict over water and the excessive use of chemical pesticides. Local banana growers are becoming part of the international market. Local food once sold in fresh markets will be pinned with the law of supply and demand.
"Farmers will plant for supply chain markets or even for export. The era of when Thais can enjoy affordable fresh fruits and good vegetables will become a thing of the past, because under the law of supply and demand, farmers must sell their products at highest price offer," Witoon said.
The price of bananas has risen as high as 80 baht per bunch at markets. Photo: CHINNAWAT SINGHA
The only way to counter this trend, Witoon suggested, is for authorities and networks of consumers to create an alternative market where farmers can sell their products directly to consumers at a fair price, in the model of organic markets. Without an alternative that favours small growers, the food production and distribution will be in the hands of big companies that will inevitably control supply as well as demand.
Professor Benjamas Silayoy, an expert on bananas and former lecturer on banana cultivation at Kasetsart University, watched the phenomenon of expensive bananas in disbelief. Known as a scholar who promotes the conservation of local banana species, Benjamas has been trying to encourage Thais to consume more bananas, and farmers to plant more bananas for export.
"As an advocate of bananas, I'm quite glad that people eat more of them, because they're rich in vitamins and good for health. But I am not happy when the price of the once highly affordable kluai namwa rises to 70 baht for a single bunch. It's too expensive, and the size is too small," Benjamas said.
Growers and experts seem to agree that despite the "banana crisis", the rising price of kluai namwa is likely temporary. The drought has been contained, the rainy season is in full swing, and in the next few months more supply will flood the market, bringing down prices.
Still, Professor Benjamas suggests that the solution for the kluai namwa shortage might be easier than imagined. She recommends each home start by planting one or two banana trees for household consumption.
No more than 20 years ago, it was a given that almost every Thai house had a few kluai namwa trees in its backyard. Then apartment buildings became a dominant form of accommodation and today children no longer even know what a banana tree looks like. Meanwhile, in farms and orchards, farmers often plant a few banana trees at corners for family consumption.
Thais know how to make use of kluai namwa. Its bloom (or hua plee) is used as an ingredient in cooking and as a traditional supplement for mothers during breast feeding. The banana flesh itself has long been a natural snack for Thais and a food for low-income earners.
During the economic crisis in the late 90s, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) under former governor Bhichit Rattakul ordered suburban districts to plant kluai namwa trees along the streets. The plan was well-received by community residents and pedestrians, who often cut the bananas from the trees.
"In old days, our ancestors often planted banana trees in their homes," Benjamas said. "Of course, there was banana trading in ancient Ayutthaya, but that was the buying and selling of exotic, rare bananas, not the ubiquitous kluai namwa. Then people started cutting down banana trees to build houses, and the kluai namwa has been sold in markets ever since."
Benjamas hopes the rise of banana prices inspires people to plant banana trees in their homes again.
"Why not? It's easy to grow. They just need water and little space," she said. "If each household dedicates a small space to growing kluai namwa, the supply will no longer be a problem."
