Saravan exports surge
Saravan exports surge
Exports from Saravan province to Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia almost doubled in the first three quarters of this fiscal year while the value of imports reduced due to local production taking up demand.
The provincial Planning and Investment Department reported recently that exports had reached 194.67 billion kip (US$24.33 million) in the first nine months of the fiscal year which represents about 88.03 percent of the year plan. It was also almost a two fold increase on the same period last year.
The department official said on Wednesday the total export figure included more than 141 billion kip (US$17.62 million) from agricultural produce, around 72.48 percent of provincial exports.
The main export crops were coffee, cardamom, peanuts, dried maize, raw maize, sweet potato, rubber, wooden products, dried cassava chips, cassava powder and some forestry produce such as resin.
The official said coffee made up the largest export with 4,210 tonnes worth over 56.95 billion kip (US$ 7.11 million), followed by 3,169 tonnes of peanuts worth about 31.5 billion kip and more than 19,575 tonnes of cassava products valued at 26 billion kip.
Maize production also accounted for around 11,500 tonnes wort h 15.48 billion kip, 222 tonnes of rubber at 3 billion kip along with 82 tonnes of cardamom valued at 2.84 billion kip. Saravan province is now confident that exports of agricultural produce this fiscal year 2013-14 will be way over plan projections given the excellent performance achieved in the first nine mont hs.
Meanwhile, the provincial Planning and Investment Department also detailed that imports were only 99.87 billion kip (US$12.48 million) in the first nine months, a large drop from the same period last fiscal year. The department's official said that import values decreased because the province now only mainly brings in equipment and machinery for agricultural purposes.
“For construction materials, we now mainly utilise local production and buy from other provinces. The local products include cement and steel,” the official said.
Imported products from Thailand and Vietnam include food and drinks, electrical equipment, machinery, some construction materials and fuel.
In the last fiscal year 2012-13, the province exported more than 70 billion kip (US$8.75 million) in agricultural goods with over 36 billion kip (US$4.5 million) going to Ubon-Ratchathani, Thailand and the rest exported to Vietnam.
vientiane times
