Organic farmers in Pakxan need market site
Organic farmers in Pakxan need market site
A number of families in Pakxan district, Borikhamxay province are now growing organic vegetables but they still don't have any organic market to sell their goods and the prices they receive are very low.
Mr Boundy Phommavong, Head of Sivilay Organic Vegetable Farmers' Group, said recently Sivilay village in Pakxan district is a target village under the government's ‘Three Builds' initiative.
The Sivilay Organic Vegetable Farmers' Group was formed last year with only three families and five roofs, he explained, so they could not grow many kinds of vegetables. Their income is still modest, averaging around 20 million kip per annum for each family.
Currently the group has five member families and a total of ten organic greenhouses. Mr Boundy's greenhouse is the biggest, at around half a hectare, while the other members have smaller operations.
Each member family can produce around 20-30 kilogrammes of fresh, organic vegetables per day. They grow various kinds of chemical-free vegetables such as morning glory, lettuce and other leafy greens.
Lettuce and other greens are easier to grow under the clear plastic sheeting which shelters them from the sun and rain.
Each of the greenhouses cost around five million kip to construct but they pay for themselves over the long term with reduced crop losses due to heavy rains.
Mr Boundy said growing organic vegetables still had many problems including pest infestations. Organic vegetables also take a longer time to grow than those treated with chemical fertilisers, he added, and the price they receive is about the same.
The organic vegetables don't fetch a premium price as yet, which Mr Boundy attributes to the lack of a dedicated organic market which would allow farmers to set their goods aside from others.
Deputy Head of the Provincial Commerce and Industry Department, who is also working for the ‘Three Builds' initiative in Sivilay village, Mr Seng-Aloun SengAphone told Vientiane Times reporters it was great to have organic vegetables in Pakxan district because they offered consumers more in the way of choice.
Mr Seng-Aloun told Vientiane Times reporters last week that they were looking for a suitable site for an organic market in the district.
He said they wanted to support organic farming, which could offer better incomes for farmers and better health for consumers.
Recently, district authorities also held a training course on growing organic vegetables and the compost making process, which was attended by local farmers.
Mr Boundy said he wanted to call on the government to provide more assistance, in terms of a market site, funding and suitable land for cultivation.
vientiane times
