Govt boosts rice production for export
Govt boosts rice production for export
The government is focusing on increasing rice production for export sales as the country has been growing enough to meet local demand for more than ten years.
In response to the recommendations of the government, farmers all around the country have been changing their growing methods by adopting new planting techniques and acquiring improved seeds.
A large number of farmers have shifted to a more automated form of ploughing and seeding for their rice planting and again at harvest time as the use of the machines speeds up the work and requires much less labour.
In seeking to maximise the yield achieved the government has also encouraged the individual farming families to form collective groups to improve efficiency and to simplify collection and supply of the harvest to rice mills and traders according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.
Despite the country having produced sufficient rice for the Lao market for many years, some remote areas still face shortages as they have only a limited area of cultivation land on which to grow their crops.
Each year, the country exports 200,000-300,000 tonnes of rice to neighbouring countries, some of which goes through illegal exports along the border.
In the first six months of this year, the country exported almost 20,000 tonnes of rice according to the ministry's Agriculture Department.
Most of the rice exported is either sticky, white, black or paddy and the principle buyers are in Vietnam, China, Thailand and France.
Thousands of tonnes of rice are still being illegally exported along the borders, with local traders avoiding going through the correct channels.
In order to ensure the rice supply remains stable, is sufficient for domestic needs and maximises export earnings, the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Mr Vilayvanh Phomkhe has stressed the need for the relevant sectors to maintain the promotion of rice and the new growing techniques.
The ministry next year plans to encourage the farmers to cultivate 999,200 hectares of rice with a yield of over four tonnes per hectare so that the total harvest can reach 4.2 million tonnes.
To achieve this target the ministry hopes to encourage the farmers to grow at least 650,000 tonnes of dry season rice, 3.15 million tonnes of wet season rice and 200,000 tonnes of upland rice.
For the dry season rice, the ministry will focus on expansion of the flat land areas with irrigation systems, and for wet season rice they will develop seven large flat land areas while the upland rice will come from the northern provinces.
Natural disasters have frequently impacted rice production, however, each year causing the harvest to fall short of the ministry's target but the overall figure still increases every year.
vientiane times
