Growing the rice bowl

Organic advantage: Just Fruits hopes to grow with the market’s appetite for organic products.

THE agriculture industry is one of the most established industries in the region, but many farming households still live below the poverty line. And Thai farmers are among the poorest in the world, according to Peetachai Dejkraisak, chief executive officer and co-founder of Siam Organic.

When Peetachai observed that efforts by non-governmental organisations and charities failed to lift these farmers out of debt following the rice pledging fiasco in Thailand in 2011, he decided that a social business model was needed to tackle the problem.