Gecko exports in the northeastern province of Nakhon Phanom has become a lucrative business with total export value of at least ten million baht a month.
According to information from the wildlife checkpoint in Nakhon Phanom, entrepreneurs buy the lizards for export to China and Vietnam during this season with more than 100,000 geckos being exported each month. A gecko can fetch a price ranging from 30-100 baht depending on its size.
Normally, in summer, about Bt10 million is circulated monthly in the province’s gecko export business.
In 2012, more than 1.4 million geckos were exported, accounting for an income of over 140 million baht.
Kritsada Sakornwong, head of the Nakhon Phanom wildlife checkpoint said that gecko exports are permitted as a business, but permission must be asked to export the lizards. The authorities will soon try raising the animals to promote as a local business to help local people earn extra income.
