Fruit Production and Distribution: Risks of Beautification and ... - RCSD

Chingchai Methaphat 7produce mangkhut piu man, glossy-skinned mangosteens. Their mangosteens arequalified for export.Those who work for present-employers – such as Uncle Man, Uncle Yung,and Phi Su, have different degrees of freedom in getting extra income. Uncle Man andhis wife, a northeastern couple, have been working in their employer’s orchard fornearly 30 years. With 6,000 baht of monthly wage for both of them, they can havesometimes in each day to take care of their own five rai orchard, which they recentlybought from a neighbor. He told me that he could earn extra income from sellingvegetables, and his jackfruit was also productive. Previously, he earned ninetythousands from the fruit. They wanted to quit from working in their boss’ orchardwhen their only son graduated in the computer engineering, but their boss asked themto continue caring for his orchard. He told me that in Ban Noen Durian context, heand his wife are only orchard’s employees (luk chang or khon suan), but in hishometown, they are thoa kae, entrepreneurs, who have a lot of land and cattle andmoney for lending his neighbors. Their wealth resulted from working hard and savingfor many years. Regarding chemical risk, Uncle Man told me that, although he andhis wife have worked with chemicals for decades, they are still healthy because “wefollow the instructions on the label and wear protective devices,” Uncle Man said.By contrast, Uncle Yung and Phi Doung, a couple from the northeasternprovince, who migrated to eastern region when they were children, are relatively poorand trying to make ends meet. Since Phi Doung followed her parents to seekemployment when she was a child, she did not go to school and could neither read norwrite. But her husband, with primary education, can read. Uncle Nan, a localpolitician and their employer, told me that he hired the couple just mainly forspraying pesticides. I observed Uncle Yung and Phi Doung sprayed pesticides threetimes. Their employer mixed chemical solution for them, and Uncle Yung sprayed thechemicals while Phi Doung held the hose. Their 12 years old daughter and sevenyears old granddaughter, being absent from school, followed them while they werespraying the chemicals. Phi Doung often reminded the girls to be in the car and notcome out to climb the trees. But their granddaughter often jumped out from the car toclimb durian trees and played along with them. The truck windows stayed opened, sothe chemical droplets entered. After spraying pesticides, they went to fish and rest.