Thailand
Country information
GenebankChumphon Horticulture Research Center |
ContactDr. Adisak Sreesunpagit |
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Aromatic Green Dwarf (AROD)
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The Kingdom of Thailand is a country of Southeast Asia, bordered to the north by Laos and Myanmar, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and Myanmar. Thailand has a population of about 63 million people and a surface area of approximately 513,000 km2.
Coconut is an important subsistence crop in Thailand. Over 200,000 farm families are directly or partially dependent on the coconut industry for their livelihood. The total area under coconut is about 376,000 ha, which are predominantly planted with local Talls even though high yielding coconut varieties have been released to farmers since 1982. Coconut research in Thailand started in 1960 with the establishment of the Sawi Horticultural Experiment Station in Amphoe Sawi, Chumphon Province, and later renamed Chumphon Horticultural Research
Centre (CHRC). This is the main Thailand’s coconut research centre (Carpio et al. 2005) where over 50 coconut accessions are conserved, including local and exotic varieties. The first hybrid experiment was set up in 1975. The hybrids performed very well under local conditions and a coconut seedgarden was established simultaneously to
keep pace with the demand for planting materials.
In the 2000’s, a survey was conducted in 10 young tender coconut growing provinces with the aim of collecting germplasm with diversified characteristics. During the survey, it was found that two groups of the Green Dwarfs, Aromatic coconut (Nam Hom) and Sweet water coconut (Nam Wan), were widely grown on a commercial scale.
More info: 
Conserved coconut germplasm from Thailand (1.9MB), Part 2 (1.8MB)
Collaborative Activities between BIOVERSITY/COGENT and Thailand
1. Capacity Building
a) Technical assistance/expert advice
From 1994 to 2000, seven specialists have been sent to Thailand on five technical assistance missions.
b) Training and human resources development
From 1999 to 2007, five local staff of partner agencies and institutions in the country underwent BIOVERSITY-COGENT-sponsored staff development training on technical/proposal writing and seminar presentation, coconut data analysis, embryo culture techniques, MSPGR; the STANTECH; Socioeconomics and Participatory Approaches to Reduce Poverty in Coconut Growing Communities; and Markets and Market Development for the project on Overcoming Poverty in Coconut Growing Communities.
c) COGENT meetings/workshops
From 1996 to 2005, one workshop and three meetings have been hosted by Thailand, including the 11th COGENT Steering Committee Meeting held in Bangkok.
2. Research Projects
Eight projects have been carried out in the country, with the Chumphon Horticulture Research Centre (CHRC) as the implementing agency.
3. Financial Support and Funding
Donor funding support for projects in Thailand amounts to US$ 127,626, mostly from ADB, APCC, DFID and IFAD; while national government counterpart financing amounts to US$556,893.
4. Summary of Activities and Accomplishments, Thailand
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1. Capacity building a) Technical assistance provided by experts to Thailand |
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Expert |
Dates |
Purpose |
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P Batugal |
July 1994 |
Assess R & D capability, assist national programme identify common problems, opportunities and projects for network collaboration |
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TKG Ranasinghe |
Oct – Nov 1998 |
To identify marketable alternative products of the coconut (apart from copra and coconut oil) and to identify suitable varieties suitable for processing into identified marketable products |
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CIRAD (L.Baudouin, R.Bourdeix, J. Ollivier) |
Feb – Apr 1999 |
To evaluate COGENT’s collecting strategies, identify gaps in germplasm collecting and recommend ways to improve conservation effort. |
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Erlinda Rillo |
18 – 25 October 2000 |
To assist the laboratory set-up and embryo culture experiments in Vietnam and Thailand |
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Peyanoot Naka |
20 Sep – 31 Dec 2000 |
Identifying researchable constraints and opportunities to enhance income and reduce poverty in coconut growing communities in Thailand |
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b) In-country training courses conducted with Thailand research participants |
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Schedule |
Course/Training Activities |
Venue/Host |
No. Trainees/ Countries |
Funding Agency |
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None |
- |
- |
- |
- |
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c) Local researchers trained in other countries |
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Name |
Dates, Country |
Training Course |
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Chulapan Petchpiroon |
19 – 28 June 1995, Indonesia |
STANTECH Trainers' Course |
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Chulapan Petchpiroon |
30 Aug – 3 Sep 1999, Philippines |
Technical Writing/Seminar Presentation and Proposal Writing Course |
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Chulapan Petchpiroon |
6 – 10 Sep 1999, Philippines |
Coconut Data Analysis Training Course |
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Somdej Woralakphakdi |
9 – 14 Oct 2000, Philippines |
Hands-On Embryo Culture Training Course |
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Wilaiwan Paenkhao |
Oct 2000 – Oct 2002, Philippines |
MSc PGR scholarship |
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Wilaiwan Paenkhao |
2 – 7 Apr 2001, Philippines |
Coconut STANTECH Training Course |
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Peyanoot Naka |
12 – 14 June, 2006, Bogor, Indonesia |
Training Course on Technical Writing, Seminar Presentation, Public Awareness and Proposal Preparation |
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Wilaiwan Twishsri |
15 – 17 June, 2006, Bogor, Indonesia |
Training Course on Socioeconomics and Participatory Approaches to Reduce Poverty in Coconut Growing Communities |
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Peyanoot Naka |
2-3 July 2007, Hainan, China |
Training course on Markets and Market Development for the project on Overcoming Poverty in Coconut Growing Communities |
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Wilaiwan Twishsri |
2-3 July 2007, Hainan, China |
Training course on Markets and Market Development for the project on Overcoming Poverty in Coconut Growing Communities |
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d) BIOVERSITY-COGENT meetings/workshops held in Thailand |
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Date |
Activity |
Location |
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26 - 29 September 1996 |
Workshop on User’s Perspective to Promote Multi-Purpose Uses of the Coconut |
Chumphon, Thailand |
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30 September – 2 October 1996 |
CGRNAP Annual Review and Planning Meeting |
-do- |
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25 – 28 June 2002 |
11th COGENT Steering Committee Meeting |
Bangkok, Thailand |
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9 – 13 May 2005 |
IFAD funded project training workshop and inception meeting |
Hatyai, Thailand |
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2. BIOVERSITY-COGENT projects in Thailand |
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Project Title |
Host Institute |
Budget/ Funding Agency (US$) |
Budget/ National Funding (US$) |
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a) Coconut germplasm collection and establishment in field genebank in Thailand |
Chumphon Hort. Research Center |
13,800/ADB |
208,353 |
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b) Varietal improvement for sap yield |
-do- |
13,000/ADB |
10,200 |
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c) Supply of computer, printer software and peripherals |
-do- |
3,326/ADB |
- |
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d) Screening varieties for sugar production and improvement of the quality of granulated sugar |
-do- |
30,000/IFAD |
315,540 |
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e) Assessment of performance of coconut hybrids and farmers’ varietal preferences |
-do- |
2,000/APCC |
1,000 |
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f) Feasibility studies on coconut palm sugar and coconut shell handicrafts production |
-do- |
5,000/IFAD |
2,500 |
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g) Catalogue of Conserved Coconut Germplasm |
-do- |
500/ADB |
250 |
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h) Establishing a framework and selecting project sites for a nationwide deployment of coconut-based poverty reduction interventions in coconut growing communities using COGENT’s 3-pronged strategy in Thailand |
-do- |
1,500/DFID |
750 |
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i) Application of COGENT Upgraded Coconut Embryo Culture Protocol using 3 Thai Coconut Varieties |
-do- |
1,500/DFID |
750 |
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j) Overcoming Poverty in Coconut-Growing Communities: Coconut Genetic Resources for Sustainable Livelihoods in Thailand (2005) |
Horticulture Research Institute |
33,810/IFAD |
11,050 |
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k) Overcoming Poverty in Coconut-Growing Communities: Coconut Genetic Resources for Sustainable Livelihoods in Thailand (2006) |
Horticulture Research Institute |
18,110/IFAD |
5,750 |
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l) Overcoming Poverty in Coconut-Growing Communities: Coconut Genetic Resources for Sustainable Livelihoods in Thailand (2007) |
Ditto |
5,080/IFAD |
5,750 |
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TOTAL |
127,626 |
561,893 |
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| As of November 2009 |
Prepared by:
Yeow Giap Seng, COGENT Programme Assistant