Charcoal

          More than 1200 year ago, In Tang dynasty, a very famous Chinese poet Bai Juyi wrote a poem name “a old man sale charcoal” (Mai Tai Wen). The poem describes hard life of a old man who make his life by producing and marketing charcoal.

          I have learned the poem in primary school but I do not have chance to visit a workshop or factor making charcoal until I last month I have a chance to visit a workshop of charcoal workshop.

          Certainly, the life of charcoal producer is much better than described in the poem but they are still has a not-easy life. Mr.Tanu Payontyim a former teacher and owner a workshop of charcoal introduced the situation of local farmer who used to or making life of charcoal producing. I was learned that many farmers lost his land due to debt or just shift their business from charcoal making to shrimp farming for a big company.

          Charcoal making is traditional industry for hundred years for the village in Yisan, a community in central Thailand in the gulf of Thailand. It is the only community has license to produce charcoal using local mangrove. Using the traditional method the villagers can produce charcoal with harmonies with nature. They plant new tress after the cut mangrove to produce charcoal and keep the mangrove in balance.

          Because of the good wood material the quality of charcoal produced in Yisan is very good. But due to the villagers do not have marketing channel the price they received from market is quite low. The village only can make low profit from producing charcoal. That is the reason why many villages shift producing charcoal to shrimp farming. They need help to upgrade the technology to produce the charcoal and to marketing their production for better profits.