• Non-Agricultural business: In the village there are four food shops and five necessary commodities shop where farmers are regular customers. In the commodities shops the best selling product was alcohol (lâo khão, Beer) as usual. By proportion 30.02% of Thai adults (age 15+) consumed alcoholic product in a 12-month period, while the North and the Northeast regions had higher proportions than the whole kingdom (NSO, 2008). During the drought year selling of alcohol product came little earlier than as usual. One shopkeeper (Female, 52 years) said-
“In my shop selling of beer and other alcohol was usually highest after harvesting of rice (November to December) but last year selling was pick up during October when drought hit and crops damaged”.
Farmers also agreed with the shopkeeper and they mentioned that alcoholic drinking increased because of crops damage, no hurry for harvesting and plenty of time to socialize which finally lead to drinking more and more.
Selling other commodities decreased while that of drinking water increased. She also mentioned that-
“Usually every dry season drinking water (nam duem) selling was increased but last year selling was highest than ever”.
Commodities shopkeeper also observed an overall decreased of sales, but not of fears of business closures. On the other hand, food shopkeeper (Female, 44 years) said-
“I lost some of my permanent customers as they move from the village and selling was not good. I have to close my shop for some days”.
• Agricultural business: According to the key informants, rice and sugarcane harvesting was done mechanically by contract harvesters but some of the farmers harvested manually, cassava was also harvested manually in the village. The agricultural machines owner spoke of remarkable decreased of harvester rent because rice damaged in most of the field, even the sugarcane. In addition, the following quote came from Agricultural middlemen (Male, 54 years).
“Last year my business was not good because of drought hit in the area…..Cassava yield was decreased, and could not supply enough cassava roots to the factory near our village”.