2.5. Maize production in North Thailand: Corporate gains for smallholder pains Daniel Hayward
Maize is a key cash crop in Thailand, primarily used in animal feed to support poultry production. Between 2008 and 2015, an increase in land-use for cultivation took place in the north of the country, principally stimulated by high crop prices, but with corporate and government support to promote the crop. In recent years, production practices have come under intense scrutiny. Media reports highlight farmer encroachment on state forestlands, leading to deforestation and biodiversity loss. Forest clearances and the burning of crop stubble are seen to contribute to an annual haze in North Thailand. The intensive use of chemicals is associated with polluted water sources and soil degradation. Much blame falls on farmers, despite the fact that they bear the production risks of price drops, low output, or polluting practices. Meanwhile, multinationals involved through‑ out the meat value chain promote sustainability schemes to deflect attention from their role, despite maintaining market control. Indeed, companies can benefit from recent expansions into Myanmar and Lao PDR, where new markets compensate for problems elsewhere, spread financial risk, and open up further avenues to generate capital. In this sense, maize production is seen to compound inequality, centralizing returns for corporations at the expense of rural peripheries. 2.5.1. Introduction
Alongside rice, cassava, rubber, oil palm, and sugar cane, maize production has emerged as a key cash crop in Thailand. Its commercial use appeared in the 1950s (Ekasingh et al., 2004), expanding during the 1960s and 1970s when an industrializing agricultural sector extended its use of land. As a “flex” crop, maize can be used for human or animal consumption, or in biofuels (Ranum, Peña-Rosas, and Garcia-Casal, 2014; Woods, 2015a). Since the 1980s, the greatest influence on maize production in Thailand has been the growth of the poultry industry. According to UN trade figures, for over a decade Thailand has been the world’s largest exporter of prepared — as opposed to uncooked — chicken meat products (ITC, 2020). In 2020, exports were valued at over USD 2.5 billion, which is more than twice that of China, the second highest exporter. Maize is the core ingredient and generally accounts for 55–65% of animal feed, and over 95% of maize production in Thailand is processed into feed (Grudloyma,
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