This study aimed to investigate the pig production and pig trade inthe Lower Mun Basin during 1926-1941. For production, the investigationfocused upon purposes of production, factors of production, andrelationships of production

whereas, for trade, the investigation focusedupon the process of trade from producers to wholesale traders andconsumers. It also aimed to investigate the results of changes mentioned. The findings were as follows: Before 1926, in the Lower Mun Basin area there was a limitationof pig production that went on under traditional producing techniques.Because pork was unnecessary food, there resulted a limitation of local pigmarkets and being unable to carry increasing products while the externalregion markets had problems of transportation. Until 1926, the development of transportation by railway systemand migration of Chinese merchants to run businesses caused changes of pigproduction and trade from substantive production to commercial production.Some Chinese merchants operated wholesale trade by sending pigs to Bangkokmarkets. Some opened retail pork shops, and some had rice mill businessesthat produced chief factors for pig production. The increasing needs forconsumption of both internal and external regions caused the people in manyareas to raise pigs as their chief occupation, particularly in the urbanareas where rice mills, railway stations, and consumer markets weresituated. Although in the outskirt communities there were not so manyfactors helping production as in the urban communities, petty raisersregularly took their pigs to sell to the wholesale merchants at the railwaystation. For pig production as a chief career, raisers had to rely on moreknowledge and skills in production, and moreover, it caused the raisers toget involved in the business of the Chinese merchants both in relying onproduction factors and selling products. The Chinese merchants thus tookthe chance to tale over the pig business through the people for theaccumulation of capital.