Herbal Production, Processing and Marketing: Women’s Group Case in Thailand

Case Profile

• Location: Saiyok, Kanchanaburi Province, Thailand

• Product: Herbal product for cooking and health

• Farmers’ Group involved: Women farmers entrepreneur group

• Market: Consignment with Private Shop

Production

• 9 kind of herbs produced– Fang, blueberry, takrai, filkong, etc

• Production area: small plots of land (1 rai per family

• Employ family labor• Harvest daily

Processing

• Sun drying• Common Oven house • Packaging – 120 grams per pack

Marketing Arrangement• Group marketing arrangement– Chairperson of the group gather all the product and

sell it to 5 souvenir shop in kanchanaburi (tourist area)

• Consignement Agreement with 5 shops• Pricing:– farm price is 25 baht/120 grams– Shop price is 35-100 baht / 120 grams

• Risks:– shop owner no risk; all risk with farmer only

Challenges• Need to improve packaging – vacuumed sealed;– design/ branding– tea bags or capsule

• Need to diversify/ include more herbal product not only cooking and also expand to other product e.g indigenous banana for banana chip

• Consignement takes 1 month before payment; farmers would prefer cash upon delivery basis