Beef cattle prices in Phatthalung fell to 50-70 baht/kg over about seven months, below the roughly 100 baht/kg farmers say they need to break even. Large and mid-sized farmers are selling breeding cows, and the cause cited is cheaper imported beef. Prices have since recovered to about 90 baht/kg as supply tightened, mainly for export to China. Farmers are asking for interest-free loans for three years and tighter import controls, but no government measure has been adopted yet. For a Thai SME in cattle, beef trade or feed supply, the point is that prices are volatile and the market is recovering from a low base; avoid restocking on the assumption of high prices until a policy is actually in place.
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