 Tambon Phay Mengrai is the site of a 2,700 rai Cavindish banana plantation owned and operated by the Chinese firm, Hongta International, a major local employer.The Cavendish banana is controversial as its cultivation requires the intensive use of chemical pesticides to yield harvests for export.The Mekong-Lanna nature conservation network has accused the Chinese plantation of heavy use of pesticides and excessive water takings from Mae Ing Creek.