Study on Organic Sweet Corn Production and Marketing for Agro-Industry

Abstract

Though major organic products in Thailand are rice, grains, fruits and vegetables, organic sweet corn has been demanded commercially in the market. This paper introduced the first empirical study on the production and marketing of organic sweet corn “ATS-5” developed by “KU Fresh” of Kasetsart University, in collaboration with the food processing company, Malee Samphran Public Company Limited. The results of trials indicated that downy mildew, corn stem borer, and corn earworm were controlled, harvest period was significantly shorten, harvested corn size was as same as the conventional, and percentage of husk weight was significantly reduced as well. Price per kilogram at the farm gate was 2.50 times higher than that of the conventional. In addition, sensory test by the company showed higher average scores of organic “ATS-5” on 5 sensory characteristics compared with the chemical. Direct transportation from farm to the customer was recommended to keep the sweetness.