Pakngum fertiliser producer group hopes to expand production
Pakngum fertiliser producer group hopes to expand production
The Thinpieng farmers' group in Pakngum district, Vientiane, hopes to produce at least 300 tonnes of organic fertiliser every year, if they can attract shareholders or they can find enough revolving capital.
“To produce such a large quantity, we need a revolving capital of over 400 million kip,” Pakngum district Agriculture and Forestry Office Chief, Mr Boungnang Souphan-amath, said yesterday.
Recently there were three business people, two Lao and one from New Zealand, interested in the organic fertiliser production of the group and they hope to cooperate on the production expansion in the future.
“However we have not yet had a detailed discussion with them on any cooperation,” Mr Boungnang said.
“We expect that the more detailed discussions will be organised after Pi Mai Lao (Lao New Year) in April.”
He said the businessman from New Zealand is a major chemical fertiliser supplier and also has a food business operation. He is now interested in organic fertiliser production because it produces better quality food and protects the environment.
Currently the Thinpieng farmers' group can produce only about 100 to 120 tonnes per year, at a cost of over 100 million kip.
The current production is only for supply to farmers in the district; the group can't produce enough for all the potential buyers from other districts and provinces.
The group borrows about 100 million kip each year to buy the raw materials they need and to cover their expenses in producing the fertiliser, which they repay annually once they've sold their stock.
They make organic fertiliser in the form of pellets, made from vegetables, fruit, grass, banana trees, fish, snails, leaves, and animal dung. The farmers' group has been making their fertiliser for five years now. They once received a large order from industrial tree growers but they can't sell to them anymore as they don't have enough stock.
Mr Boungnang said they're hoping to find a bank that the group can work with. Ideally, the bank would look after the revolving capital while the group would work on production and supply.
Pakngum district has another group of farmers, Thaxang, who produce fertiliser for use in organic farming through the use of effective micro-organisms. Their product is also only supplied within the district.
Currently, farmers in the district are planting vegetables along the Nam Ngum River.
Mr Boungnang said the farmers supply more than 3,000 tonnes of vegetables, including organic crops, each year to city markets, which are grown on an area of about 380 hectares. But this is still not enough to meet the huge demand.
Pakngum district Governor, Mr Vongdeuane Bounyaseng, reported recently that crops are grown on 18,488 hectares in the district, including rice, vegetables, and cassava. Farmers also grow fruit and other trees on a commercial basis.
vientiane times
