The land where durian and mangosteen grow

Thailand’s southeast is not just home to the country’s most developed industry clusters, it is also an agricultural hot spot where exotic fruits and herbs popular all over Southeast Asia and beyond are growing.
Among the fruits are some of the tastiest, non-smelling and therefore most expensive durians in the entire region, together with other yummy fruits such as rambutan, longan and snake fruit, and they are grown in Rayong province at the Southeastern Seaboard of Thailand.
The best-known community that grows the delicious fruits is Ban Chamrung, widely seen as a model community not just for fruit cultivation, but also for rubber farming and exotic ventures such as turtle breeding. It follows, like many other rural communities in Thailand, the sufficiency economy principle purported by Thailand’s king, meaning the community is more or less self-sustaining and can supply most of its needs from within its boundaries, relying on a neighborhood network based on kinship relations.

The community has long been known for its excellent fruits and in the past put its emphasis on organic farming, which makes its products even more desirable. It has established a learning center for farmers and visitors, a community shop which sells fresh fruits and processed organic products, and a number of homestays for agritourism which attract both domestic and international tourists.
[caption id="attachment_28537" align="alignleft" width="300"] Durians ready for harvesting All pictures © Arno Maierbrugger[/caption] Thailand's southeast is not just home to the country's most developed industry clusters, it is also an agricultural hot spot where exotic fruits and herbs popular all over Southeast Asia and beyond are growing. Among the fruits are some of the tastiest, non-smelling and therefore most expensive durians in the entire region, together with other yummy fruits such as rambutan, longan and snake fruit, and they are grown in Rayong province at the Southeastern Seaboard of Thailand. The best-known community that grows the delicious fruits is Ban...

Thailand’s southeast is not just home to the country’s most developed industry clusters, it is also an agricultural hot spot where exotic fruits and herbs popular all over Southeast Asia and beyond are growing.
Among the fruits are some of the tastiest, non-smelling and therefore most expensive durians in the entire region, together with other yummy fruits such as rambutan, longan and snake fruit, and they are grown in Rayong province at the Southeastern Seaboard of Thailand.
The best-known community that grows the delicious fruits is Ban Chamrung, widely seen as a model community not just for fruit cultivation, but also for rubber farming and exotic ventures such as turtle breeding. It follows, like many other rural communities in Thailand, the sufficiency economy principle purported by Thailand’s king, meaning the community is more or less self-sustaining and can supply most of its needs from within its boundaries, relying on a neighborhood network based on kinship relations.

The community has long been known for its excellent fruits and in the past put its emphasis on organic farming, which makes its products even more desirable. It has established a learning center for farmers and visitors, a community shop which sells fresh fruits and processed organic products, and a number of homestays for agritourism which attract both domestic and international tourists.