7.1 Purchasing power
Table 20 illustrates average annual income per household by region during 1976-1998. During this period, average annual household-income of the whole country advanced 10.2% per annum. Average percentage rate of increased income per year was not significantly different among the regions. However, disparities in earnings among regions were great, particularly between Greater Bangkok and other parts of the country. Consumers who resided in the greater Bangkok area, earned the highest income, as much as 318 852 Baht in 1998, which was triple the amount of the average income earned in the north-eastern area, the poorest region of Thailand. Household-income in the central region was relatively high, next to income earned in Greater Bangkok, yet the amount was still only half of what people made in Greater Bangkok.
Comparison of average annual income and expenditure in 1996 (Table 21) for the country revealed that, on average, income exceeded expenditure by 19 068 Baht per annum or 1 589 Baht per month. When we considered regions and administrative areas, earnings of all households in all regions and all administrative areas were higher than expenditures, which earlier surveys[45] had indicated. Households in the greater Bangkok municipal area posted the highest percentage difference between income and expenditure (26%), whereas the disparity was the lowest for northeastern households (10.9%).
Table 20 shows the level of household income by administrative areas, namely, municipal areas, sanitary districts and villages. We observed great disparities in income between administrative areas. In the poorest, the northeastern region, income in municipal areas was higher than in other regions, except for earnings in the greater Bangkok area. In contrast, people in villages in the northeast were the poorest among the poor, with an income of about 30% of that posted for households in municipal areas.
Therefore, the purchasing powers of the Thai people show great discrepancies from region to region and from area to area within the same region. As for purchasing cultured fish, people in villages have little access to products from aquaculture. Their intake of protein was derived from fishes in natural water bodies.
7.2 Price level of animal protein sources
Table 21 shows the retail price of selected animal protein sources in 1995-1998. Price is the decisive factor influencing consumers' choice of a product that is deemed suitable and affordable. Generally, the price of freshwater fish is relatively low, which may be attributed to increasing supplies and competitive prices. We expect that cultured freshwater fish will become an increasingly important source of protein, particularly for those in medium- and low-income groups.
7.3 Role of women in fish production and fish trade
Table 22 provides general information on the characteristics of fish farmers and fish traders with regards to gender, age, education and experience. Ninety-five percent of fish farmers are males, whereas no apparent gender discrimination exists in the fish trade, where over 50% of participants engaged in post-harvest activities, such as distribution and marketing/processing, are women.[46]
Women share fish-farming activities with men, such as, for example, rearing fish, and are accountable as partners to their husbands. It is obvious that women are also actively involved in marketing and processing of fish. Women participate on all levels, particularly in retailing. They dominate the fish trade in assembly-and retail markets. Business in primary- and intermediate markets is, more or less, conducted as a family operation. Thus, it is common to see women work side by side with men. Women are employed in other service areas also, such as cleaning, grading and packing. Generally, division of responsibilities depends on the nature of the endeavour; men carry out activities that require much physical effort.
7.4 Socio-economics of fish traders
Over half, or 52.6%, of fish traders are less than 40 years old, whereas only 24.3% of fish farmers belong to this age group. Most fish traders and fish farmers completed elementary school. However, traders are generally better educated. Forty-two percent of them have less than five years of experience in the trade, and only 21.1% of fish traders have been engaged in this business for more than ten years (Table 22).
At present, we have no comprehensive socio-economic data on fish traders, and collecting and compiling reliable information on them is not easy. Preliminary survey and anecdotal data indicate that fish traders stand a good chance of earning high returns under present circumstances. Our case study on marketing margins for all types of fish traders suggests that the fish trading business appears to be a promising one.
