Migrant worker shortage drives Thai fruit growers to abandon harvests

Fruit growers in the Chanthaburi region of eastern Thailand are abandoning large portions of their mangosteen and rambutan harvest because a sudden shortage of migrant workers has made picking financially untenable. The exodus of five Cambodian laborers after a border dispute, combined with prolonged recruitment delays in Myanmar, has pushed daily wages from roughly 350-400 baht to between 800 and 1,000 baht. With migrants accounting for roughly ten percent of Thailand’s labor force and a shrinking domestic pool, the country is turning to new sources such as Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh, with the first Sri Lankan arrivals slated for January.

The construction sector, where migrants represent 60-70% of a 4.2-4.5 million-strong workforce, warns that continued shortages could stall major infrastructure projects. The labour ministry also plans a broader registration drive to legalise undocumented workers already in the country. For growers like Jomsak Putirattana, these reforms may arrive too late to save one outlet season’s fruit, valued at an estimated 200 billion baht.