2nd herd of Australian cattle arrives in Laos
2nd herd of Australian cattle arrives in Laos
The 2nd batch of 305 air freighted cattle from Australia, bound for concession land in Xieng Khuang province, arrived in Laos on Tuesday following the first herd of 304 cattle.
Lao-Japan Agro Development Xieng Khuang Company Limited, a joint investment company between Laos and Japan has already invested a total of US$5 million in soil improvement to grow higher quality pasture to feed the cattle.
Company Director Mr Khampheng Vongkhanty said they appreciated Xieng Khuang province authorities granting the land concession for this mega project.
“We are confident that the cattle breeding project will also benefit local residents as they are now already employed to work with our company,” he said, saying that another herd of 300 cattle will come again this month.
Meanwhile, Governor of Xieng Khuang province Prof. Dr Somkot Mangnomek said the cattle farming project also matched the government guidelines for promoting commercial production.
“This mega project will contribute to the socioeconomic development of the province as well as enabling local people to graduate from poverty gradually,” he said.
The company is aiming to create and develop a brand new business in Xieng Khuang province, with capital investment in the enterprise set to grow in the years ahead.
At the same time, the investor is also confident that Xieng Khuang province will be an ideal supply base for milk and beef products for local consumption and Asean markets as annual demand is on the rise.
According to the company's Chairman Mr Tomoyuki Nakayama, Xieng Khuang province was an ideal cattle production base but has not yet been properly developed due to unexploded ordnance (UXO) problems and poor transport infrastructure.
He said recently that the company decided to invest in the province because of its potential for cattle farming and agriculture.
To date, the company has invested a total of US$5 million as the first phase of the investment project, on a concession of 2,000 hectares of land, granted by the Xieng Khuang Investment Department.
“By next year, the investment capital will climb to US$10 million and in a couple of years will be reaching US$20 million and later on it should hit US$50 million,” Mr Nakayama said during the ceremony for the arrival of the first charter flight of cattle last month.
According to the company, it planned to farm almost 2,000 cattle including beef cattle heifers and the Holstein heifers for milking within the next year.
