The production and distribution of the sunflower seeds in Thailand

Abstract

The sunflower is a very useful plant as a source of oil. The oil extracted from the sunflower seed is glyceride of polyunsaturated, is easily digested and does not accumulate in the human body. The residue remaining after oil extraction contains much protein that is very useful as an animal food. The oil is not only used for salad and cooking oil, but it is also used popularly in the manufacture of margarine, paints, varnishes and soap. Almost every other part of the sunflower can be utilized. This thesis attempts to present problems concerning planting seed production, and marketing in the past, to set up a plan to solve these problems, to encourage planters to plant the sunflower as an economic crop, and to encourage utilization of the sunflower seed in industry. This study has been done by gathering informations from the agricultural and other related documents, [surveying] on random planters in six provinces which have been determined to have appropriate [geographical] habitats for growing sunflower. The research is a preliminary one because sunflower is still rarely known and its production is in the early stage so there are not enough information and data available for a more rigorous study. The paper indicates that problems concerning the production and distribution of sunflower seeds are: 1) Agricultured Aspect of Problem Resulting in low seed output, unstable quantity, too many thin seeds and low oil percentage. 2) Problems Concerning Marketing Sunflower seed producers are confronted with the problem of not being able to find the market for the supply and the selling price is too low to make a profit from being worthy for an investment. This can be accunted to the agricultural aspect of problem that hinders successful sunflower seed production and the quality of seed to be utilized. Eventually the market demand decreases. Industrialists have no confident in risking investment in industrial that consume sunflower seed as raw material. Therefore measure should be taken to solve the agricultural obstacles, improving the seed quality and increasing the production to [satisfy] the market demand.