"If the government bans the use of din sor pong during Songkran, it will definitely affect our income," she said.
A native of Hin Song Kon village in Muang district of Lop Buri province, Payong is the third generation in her family to produce din sor pong powder. Lop Buri, according to her, is one of the country's largest producers of din sor pong. Her village is one of few places in Thailand where marly limestone — natural talc used for producing din sor pong — can be found underground.
In Lop Buri, there are three villages that make the powder. In Hin Song Kon alone, 60 families earn a living by making it, using local wisdom that has been passed on from one generation to the next. Locals learn the production through on-the-job training.
Din sor pong makers call themselves chao din — soil people. Each family makes an average of more than 10 tonnes of din sor pong a month. Middlemen buy the powder at approximately 1,500 baht per tonne, which means a family earns an approximate monthly income of more than 15,000 baht from din sor pong.