Xekong pushes exports of agricultural produce
Xekong pushes exports of agricultural produce
Xekong province expects to increase agricultural exports by 50 percent from about 16 billion to 24 billion kip (US$2 million to US$3 million) in fiscal year 2013-14.
“We have already done 13.68 billion kip (US$1.71 million) in the first six months,” Xekong Governor Mr Khampheuy Butdavieng reported recently.
The agricultural produce is mainly exported to the Vietnamese, Thai and Chinese markets.
To achieve the plan the province is now focusing on the promotion of agriculture to further increase sector growth, focusing on bulk crops and livestock.
“Our main bulk crops are coffee, mark naeng (cardamom), maize for animal feed, cassava, Chinese cabbage, peanuts and bananas,” Mr Khampheuy said.
“Livestock production involves mainly the breeding of cows, buffaloes, goats, pigs, fish and poultry,” he reported.
The province is promoting livestock breeding by establishing cooperative groups. Currently the province has 23 livestock farms, 13 pig farms, three poultry farms and seven fish farms.
The crop production and industrial tree plantations are also becoming popular in the province.
In the first six months the province had a total plantation area of 19,823 hectares and harvested more than 35,570 tonnes of crops.
The 19,823 hectares covered orchards of fruit trees and fields of coffee, cardamom, vegetables and other crops and rubber t ree plantations.
The province will become a large agricultural production area, especially in the production of rubber, maize, vegetables and other crops that are attracting both local and foreign investors.
Lamam district is a centre for agricultural production in the province. The district reported recently that it expects exports to rise sharply in the next five year plan while investment during the current five year plan (fiscal years 2009-14) has already seen a large increase.
The district authorities have set a target for exports to rise to more than 11 billion kip in the next five year plan on the back of strong growth in agricultural production from crops and livestock.
The 11 billion kip figure is a very significant increase over the current five year period which reached only about 1.84 billion kip.
That 1.84 billion kip, however, was also a huge increase, by about 550 percent, over the previous five year period ending in 2009.
The authorities in Xekong are currently encouraging businesspeople to invest in the agricultural sector as the produce can be supplied to local and foreign markets and create a better potential income for local farmers. The sector will be the largest contributor to provincial socio-economic development.
Xekong Deputy Governor Mr Lieng Khamphoun recently reported that socio-economic development growth will be more than 14 percent in the next fiscal year, 2 014-15.
The Provincial Gross Domestic Product (PGDP) will reach a value of about 1,758 billion kip and income per capita will be an average of about US$1,910 per year.
The 1,758 billion kip will include about 36.8 percent from the agricultural sector which will be about a nine percent increase from 2013-14.
The industrial and handicraft sector will cover about 26.5 percent of PGDP, and the trade and service sector will provide the balance of 36.7 percent.
vientiane times
