Lao construction firm sees potential in organic vegetables
Lao construction firm sees potential in organic vegetables
Khamphay Sana Group, one of the Lao construction firms expects to begin producing organic vegetables next year for domestic supply and export.
The project has currently just finished its farm design and will start work on farm infrastructure next month, the group's president Mr Khamphay Somsana told Vientiane Times last week.
The farm is located in Na Ghang village, Naxaithong district, Vientiane, on a site of 10 hectares of land.
In the beginning, the group will create a demonstration farm on about two hectares and then expand more once trade picks up.
Mr Khamphay is a Lao model business operator and the Khamphay group is operating various different businesses such as construction firms, furniture trading and tourism.
As organic crops are in high demand and the numbers of people shifting to consume these crops for their health is increasing, there is plenty of scope for expansion in the sector.
Organic vegetables are creating opportunities for farmers in and around Vientiane to boost their incomes through the sale of the premium crops. The price of organic vegetables is higher than vegetables grown with chemicals, due to their safety, longer production time and time spent managing the farm and keeping crops free from pests.
The organic markets in Vientiane are currently located at That Luang esplanade, which usually operates on Wednesday and Saturday mornings and on Monday afternoons at Chao Fa Ngum Park.
There are more than 30 varieties of vegetables on sale at the markets including mint, lettuce, onion, coriander, dill, morning glory, tomato, eggplant, papaya, turnip and long bean.
In Laos, despite the numbers of organic farms increasing, farmers are not yet producing sufficient crops to supply the demand of the market.
Organic crops are a food product in which Laos can complete with neighbouring countries after integrating with the Asean Economic Community next year. The government is formulating principles and measures in quality management to develop and promote organic agriculture.
Laos has a good potential environment to produce organic crops for sale and export but currently most farmers are producing crops only for family consumption and some surplus sales to local markets.
However, the country still has limited funding to promote this method and many farmers are concerned that it takes longer to yield a crop.
With strong cooperation and support from international organisations and more work by the government, it is hoped Laos will be one of the Greater Mekong countries to produce organic crops to supply the market on the East-West Economic Corridor
vientiane times
