A survey of information on producers, production and marketing systems of salak fruit in Chanthaburi Province, Thailand

Information on salak fruit (or snake fruit) producers was gathered from Mueang, Khlung, Tha Mai, Na Yai Am and Khao Kitchakut districts in Chantaburi. Each district comprised about 10 producers, totalling 50 producers. Only the districts of Mueang, Khlung and Tha Mai are certified for good agricultural practice (GAP) while Na Yai Am and Khao Kitchakut are not. Producers of about 94.4 ha were surveyed using questionnaires. The most popular salak cultivar for the producers was 'Noen Wong', followed by 'Sumali' and 'Mo'. Salak planting was integrated with that of other plants. Plant spacing was mostly 4×4 m, followed by 5×5 and 6×6 m. Most producers use sprinkler irrigation, applied organic and chemical fertilizers and used pesticides for insect and disease control on their salak farms. Pruning of leaf stalks was mostly done once a year. The clusters of salak fruits were also pruned with between 6 and 10 clusters branch^-1 retained, followed by 11-15 clusters branch^-1 and then 5 clusters branch^-1. Based on the survey, the highest abundance of salak fruits was in May-July, while fruit was rare in February-April. The pollen of rakam (Salacca wallichiana Mart.) was mostly used for pollination. The most commonly used artificial pollination method was the flower sack shaking method. After salak fruit harvest, about 64% of the producers used a brush to clean up the fruits, while 36% used fresh water. About 68% of the producers brought the salak fruits to the market and sold them themselves, while only 32% of producers had middlemen to buy fruit from their farms. The average cost of production was about 2852 USD year^-1 for each of the 'Noen Wong' and 'Mo' cultivars, while it was 2402 USD year^-1 for the 'Sumali' cultivar.