Disruption in neighboring countries has Thailand looking further abroad for workers to help pick its fruit
Thai fruit growers have been forced to let fruit rot as they struggle to find migrant workers to pick their crops.
According to a report from Bloomberg, the industry is facing reduced labour availability and increased costs as a result of geopolitical pressures in the region. Migrants account for approximately one tenth of the country’s labour force, with workers typically traveling from countries such as Cambodia, and Myanmar.
Thailand’s border dispute with Cambodia has seen some workers leave the country, while political turmoil and recruitment restrictions have complicated the labour supply from Myanmar.
Jomsak Putirattana, a fruit grower in Chanthaburi province, said daily wages had almost doubled in some cases, making it unviable to harvest some crops.
“We have to choose which fruit to harvest and leave the lower-priced fruit to rot on the trees,” said Putirattana.
Thailand has turned to other countries in search of a solution, exploring the prospect of sourcing labour from the likes of Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh for the first time, according to labor minister Julapun Amornviva.
“We need to build resilience and flexibility, rather than depend too heavily on any one source,” Amornviva said.
