Thai chili growers running out of bird manure

Straits TImes ^

[DeaconBenjamin]

BANGKOK - Thailand's fiery chillies, a vital ingredient in the kingdom's renowned cuisine, have reportedly become the latest casualty of the bird flu outbreak as farmers run out of the bird manure needed to grow them.

Hundreds of chilli farmers in Hua Rua district of north-eastern Ubon Ratchathani province are in crisis, owing to a lack of manure to nurture their crops, the Bangkok Post reported yesterday.

'We can't use chemical or other organic fertilisers. It must be chicken manure,' a grower in the district famed for its chillies, Mr Chantai Khamdee, told the English-language daily.

Farmers were using their remaining stockpiles of manure frugally because they could not be sure of getting their hands on fresh supplies, he said.

As part of emergency measures introduced after the deadly H5N1 virus was detected in the kingdom last Friday, all poultry products are banned from being transported within a 50km radius of infected areas.

Chicken manure trader Nongkan Orn said her supplies were disappearing fast.

'Now we're selling what's left in our stockpiles and they're running out,' she was quoted as saying.

Chillies are used in the vast majority of Thailand's famed dishes, such as Tom Yam Kung, a spicy soup of prawns, and Larb Neua, a mouth-tingling salad of beef with fresh herbs

[DeaconBenjamin]

Next time you are eating spicy Thai food, remember...

[GOP_1900AD]

Well, there are some d$#& good Thai chiles (aka "Prigh Kahnoo") right nearby here in lovely Fremont, CA. So far, no bird flu in these here parts....

[Dr. Marten]

no wonder those Thai Dragon Peppers are such hot sh!t...

[PurVirgo]

mmmm..... and pud thai, my alltime favorite dish

pud krapow, a close second

four stars, if you please....

[Luke Skyfreeper]

Here's where the current crop of Democratic Presidential candidates could make a major economic contribution. Just one week's worth of their output could put the Thai farmers on solid ground for an entire year.

[Viking2002]

Hey, the Thais know what they're talking about. I have my best luck in the summer by putting dried chicken squeezin's on my plants. Everything from the peppers to the tomatoes and squash love it. And it doesn't reek like cow manure, either, although I wouldn't advise sticking your head in the sack and taking a snort. LMAO :-)

[Paleo Conservative]

No $^&#!

[Fitzcarraldo]

shortage of bird doo doo in Thailand? Bush is to blame...

[Fitzcarraldo]

Seriously, it's the nitrogen in ammonia that makes peppers hot.

[In_25_words_or_less]

This is guano be series.

[andy58-in-nh]

This is guano be series.

Hugh must be kidding.

[cavtrooper21]

..or maybe they could stop by ABC, CBS and MSNBC, lots o' chicken S#!t there...

[Blue Highway]

Seriously, it's the nitrogen in ammonia that makes peppers hot.

Actually capsacain is what makes peppers hot. Also interesting to note is that birds aren't affected by capsacain. That's how they can eat tepins and piquins and not need fire retardent.

[JimSEA]

Thai saying: Ta Mai Mee Kee Gai liaw Mai Mee Prik Kee Nuu.

Translation: If you don't have chicken sh!t, then you can't have rat sh!t chilli.

[LaraCroft]

OH please.. whate do you think your potatos are grown in?

What do you think all your veggies are grown in?

Jeesh..city people are such a pain.

[Viking2002]

Many moons ago, I had a Chinese girlfriend - she was forever cooking with that stuff. Now, I can eat hot and spicy food elbow-to-elbow with most people, but some of those Asian hot peppers don't follow through your digestive tract normally - they try to burn their own path down to the exit. LOL

[DeaconBenjamin]

What do you think your potatoes are grown in. Idaho

[JimSEA]

What get me is when you stop at a road side food stand and ask for something "not hot at all" they only use one kind of chilli!! Also, when your desert brings tears to your eyes and you like it, you have been hooked.