Yara’s journey in Thailand from a royal encounter to future farming

"For over a century, Yara has placed farmers at the heart of our business. We are more than a fertilizer manufacturer – we work closely on the ground to understand farmer behaviors and the challenges faced in Thailand."

Nantiya Pitakwongdeengam, Country Manager, Yara Thailand & Myanmar

A royal beginning

Thailand holds a unique place in Yara’s history. In 1907, King Chulalongkorn of Siam visited Norway and learned about a breakthrough method for extracting nitrogen from the air. Recognizing its potential for Thai agriculture, he ordered one ton of calcium nitrate fertilizer and became Yara’s first international customer.

Official distribution in Thailand began in 1973, followed by the opening of Yara Thailand’s Bangkok office in 2005. Today, Yara supports some of the country’s most important crops, including rubber and sugarcane, as well as Thailand’s iconic export fruit, durian. Yara’s popularity with durian growers reflect farmers’ trust in our reliable, high-quality crop nutrition.

Putting farmers first

Despite Thailand’s rich agricultural heritage, the sector faces significant structural challenges. Agriculture employs around 30% of the labour force, but generates 10% of the country’s GDP.¹ Moreover, the workforce is aging, and fewer young people are entering the sector. Limited land ownership, uneven access to water, small farm sizes, and monoculture practices further constrain productivity, while climate change adds new risks. These realities highlight the need for innovation, digital tools, and more sustainable practices to secure the future of Thai farming.

This is where Yara Thailand’s work becomes especially important. Farmers remain at the heart of everything the team does, and their strength lies in truly understanding the pressures farmers face, from rising input costs and unpredictable weather to growing labour shortages. By combining high-quality crop nutrition with over a century’s worth of agronomic knowledge, Yara Thailand helps farmers navigate these challenges and keep their farms productive, resilient, and future-ready.

To help farmers address these pressures, new approaches such as fertigation and drone-based fertilizer application are already making a noticeable difference. Drone services, in particular, help farmers overcome labor constraints and ensure precise, even distribution across large areas. Fertigation improves nutrient and water-use efficiency, boosts productivity and contributes to more stable livelihoods for farming communities.

"By sharing our crop expertise and providing premium crop nutrition, we help enhance productivity and prosperity. In addition, we leverage digital solutions to support precision farming, enabling farmers to make informed decisions for better outcomes," shares Nantiya Pitakwongdeengam. "Our dedicated team of agronomists organizes year-round activities together with our distribution partners such as farmer meetings, crop clinics, and demonstration plots. These combined efforts empower Thai farmers to achieve higher yields, maximize returns, and compete successfully in the global market."

Digital tools for a new era of farming

Digital tools are becoming increasingly important as Thai agriculture adapts to fast-changing conditions. To support farmers with timely, data-driven decision-making, Yara Thailand has taken a leading role in digital innovation.

In 2022, the team launched Yara FarmCare, the first app of its kind from a fertilizer company in Thailand. It offers farm mapping, fertilizer calculators, a digital leaf color chart for nitrogen assessment and hyperlocal weather forecasts that help farmers plan around rapidly changing conditions.

“I often refer to the fertilizer program for watermelon on the Yara FarmCare app. It helps remind me of each stage of fertilizer application, from the stage of nourishing the watermelon plant and vines through to the fruit-setting stage before harvest”, comments Somyos Lomwong, a watermelon farmer in Kanchanaburi Province.

“I check the weather forecast on this app to monitor for rainfall and plan my planting schedule as well as fertilizer application”, adds Kongsuek Buaban, a corn farmer in Sa Kaew Province.

A drone-service booking feature was recently added, giving farmers direct access to precision application services through their smartphones.

Today, more than 390,000 farmers use Yara FarmCare. Together with tools like YaraConnect, the team is building an integrated digital ecosystem that strengthens links between farmers and retailers and supports smarter, more sustainable food production.

Reducing environmental impact through better packaging

Yara Thailand is also working to reduce the environmental footprint associated with fertilizer use. The country was the first in Asia to pilot Renobag, a one-layer fertilizer bag that cuts plastic content by 50 percent. This switch already applies to more than 10% of Yara fertilizers in Thailand in 2025, and the team will gradually expand the rollout over the coming years.

Looking ahead

From becoming Yara’s first international customer to emerging as a leader in premium crop nutrition and digital farming, Thailand’s story reflects Yara’s wider mission to feed the world responsibly while protecting the planet.

As agriculture continues to evolve, Yara Thailand remains committed to innovation, sustainability and shared prosperity. The goal is clear: to ensure that farmers across Thailand are prepared not only for the challenges of today, but also for the opportunities of tomorrow.

Sources:

1. United Nations Thailand. Thai Agricultural Sector: From Problems to Solutions.