Laos fifth ranked peanut exporter to Thailand
Laos fifth ranked peanut exporter to Thailand
Laos is the fifth highest ranked country for peanut exports to Thailand according to a Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry official.
The peanut which is in the legume or bean family, has been designated the third priority crop of the ministry for poverty reduction, the Agriculture Department Deputy Director General, Mr Kham Sanatem told Vientiane Times yesterday.
Most of the peanut plantings are in Champassak, Khammuan, Savannakhet, Xayaboury and Borikhamxay provinces.
Some farmers are planting the crop for sale on the domestic market, while others are selling to traders for export.
Versatile peanuts can be processed into different products such as savoury snacks, cooking oil and others, Mr Kham said.
This fiscal year 2013-2014 the country exported about 1,700 tonnes of peanuts valued at more than US$600,000 according to the department.
Most of the crops are exported to China, Thailand and Vietnam.
These numbers just collected represent the official figures of peanuts that pass through the international border checkpoints and local checkpoints. Meanwhile, there are also thousands of tonnes of peanuts illegally exported via border checkpoints.
Peanuts are proving a valuable commercial crop for the country helping to create jobs and income for local farming families.
However, rice is still the top priority crop of the government, especially the ministry, but the highest ranked commercial crop for exports which brings in the most revenue for the country is coffee, followed by sweet corn.
An issue that worries Agriculture Department officials is that most Lao farmers still lack technical experience growing their produce.
The department in cooperation with relevant sectors is trying to provide technical assistance to boost production yields along with quality.
The department currently is allocating priority areas for promotion and is encouraging domestic and foreign investment on concession land for agriculture production in this sector.
This year, the country received US$134.5 million from about 400,000 tonnes of commercial plants and crops for export including rice, coffee, cassava, bananas, Job's tear fruit, sugarcane plus beans and this is expected to increase next year.
vientiane times
