Sweetcorn supply drops after crop disease
Sweetcorn supply drops after crop disease
Laos' only fruit and vegetable canning company has reported a lower-than-expected export of sweetcorn this year thanks to lower supply, caused by reduced farming area and an infection that has been damaging crops.
The Lao Agro Industry Company (LAICO) had planned to export at least 200 containers of canned fruit and vegetables this year, a similar quantity to last year, but now looks like it will only reach around 150 containers.
“We cannot meet the plan because the sweetcorn supply for the factory has dropped by 2,582 tonnes,” Mr Chavakorn Thongbai, a member of the company's technical staff, said yesterday.
The company reported that last year its factory was supplied a yield of 5,382 tonnes of sweetcorn from farmers in Vientiane province.
“This can produce over 156 containers of canned sweetcorn,” Mr Chavakorn said.
This year the company had planned to receive a harvest of at least 4,000 tonnes but the reality has fallen short at around 2,800 tonnes, which Mr Chavakorn said would produce “only 75 containers of canned sweetcorn”.
He said the reason for the shortfall was a kind of germ that has affected corn plantations, causing growth problems.
Another cause is the reduction in the area of land being used for corn cultivation.
Mr Chavakorn said the crop was grown on 584 hectares of land last year but only 480 hectares this year.
The farmers, mostly in Thoulakhom district, grow the corn f or supply to the local factory for canning and export to both EU and Asian markets.
The recent drop ends a trend of year-on-year growth in production, rising from 802 tonnes in 2008 to 1,960 tonnes in 2009, 2,856 tonnes in 2010 and over 3,000 tonnes in 2011.
Besides its canned sweetcorn, LAICO produces pick led garlic and cabbage, rambutan in syrup, baby corn in brine, bamboo shoots, sweetcorn milk and palm seeds at its 5 hectare factory in Thoulakhom district. It sources most of its raw materials from forests and local farms, although some vegetables are imported.
LAICO's factory employs 300 people when there is a large supply of corn, its workforce comprising both permanent and temporary staff.
The company can produce an average of 3,600 tonnes of canned or bottled fruit and vegetables each year. About 5 percent is sold on the domestic market while the remaining 95 percent is e xported.
The company has a large number of foreign buyers in both EU and Asean countries, including the UK, France, Germany, Poland, Vietnam and Thailand. It is currently focusing on finding more buyer s in Asia.
It has three international accreditations which certify production and product quality, namely Good Manufacturing Practice, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point and British Retail Consortium.
vientiane times
