NAKHON PHANOM, July 12 – Exporting geckos is a lucrative business in Thailand’s northeastern province of Nakhon Phanom with millions of baht in circulation each month.
In Na Wa district, local people are earning incomes of about 20-30 million baht per month from exporting dried geckos.
A dried gecko costs 30-80 baht, depending on its size.
According to the province’s wildlife checkpoint, more than 100,000 live geckos are exported monthly.
Chavalit Ruengwattana, one of the gecko exporters, said he bought live geckos for export to China.
Business has been good, but it can get better if he exports more, he said, so he has just started raising geckos in his own farm for breeding and selling to the market.
Kritsada Sakornwong, head of the Nakhon Phanom wildlife checkpoint said there are high demand and order volume for geckos from foreign markets.
Last year, five entrepreneurs exported about 150 million baht in live geckos. It is believed that the gecko business will become a major income for farmers in this northeastern province.
