Vientiane's organic farmers seek permanent markets
Vientiane's organic farmers seek permanent markets
Growers of organic vegetables in Vientiane are seeking permanent marketplaces where they can sell their produce.
A senior member of the Vientiane Organic Farmers' Group Mr Bountham Phimphong told Vientiane Times recently that growers are now unsure of the situation because of varying markets.
“Most growers of organic vegetables in Vientiane are worried about markets which are not permanent fixtures because we were asked to move many times over the last few years,” he said.
He also noted that farmers are quite confident of being able to meet the demand for organic produce but a market that is not fixed in its location is an unsolved problem and is causing farmers to be hesitant over the amount of vegetables they will grow.
At the same time, the relevant sector of the government should also help farmers through legislation because the group has experienced rejection by contract companies.
“Over the past few years, we have had a bitter experience with a company that signed a contract with us. In the agreement we signed, they were to buy a large quantity of our produce but finally they only bought a few kilogrammes from individual members of our group,” Mr Bountham said.
He said it was obvious the company had broken the agreement but the group cannot do anything about it at all.
“We made a complaint to the authorities in Vientiane but there has been no sign of a r esult on the complaint and everything has now gone completely quiet,” he said. An orga nic market has operated at the That Luang esplanade since 2006. It opened two days per week, displaying several hundred tonne s of organic produce on Wednesdays and Saturdays but now the group has had to move to Huayhong market and the Asean shopping mall.
“The owner of Huayhong market gives us a chance to display our organic goods at their place but we still have to take a bit longer to let our regular customers know about it,” he said.
Meanwhile the organic market at Chao Fa Ngum Park that takes place every Monday will also be relocated because the park belongs to the public through the Vientiane authority, Mr Bountham added.
Vientia ne has some 15-16 groups of organic vegetable growers but the difficulty to find a permanent market is still a problem, making them hesitant over whether they will continue with their long-time occupation or permanently stop growing vegetables.
Laos has the potential benefits of high quality soil, fresh air and clean water for organic production, so the government will need to pay more attention to promoting local growers by allowing them access to finance and doing proper market research.
