Vientiane provincial authorities mull banana investment projects
Vientiane provincial authorities mull banana investment projects
Vientiane provincial authorities are currently considering proposals made by two Chinese companies for banana plantation projects in the province.
The two Chinese companies informed authorities they would plant bananas grown with bio-fertiliser using small quantities of chemical substances.
But authorities remain concerned about chemical substances used in large scale banana plantations after learning that farmers in northern provinces have complained about suffering environmental damage caused by their overuse in banana projects.
Director of Vientiane Provincial Department of Agriculture and Forestry Mr Phouvong Bounxou told Vientiane Times on Monday the government had banned banana investment projects and their expansion across the country.
“If the Chinese companies plant bananas using natural fertiliser, I think it will be okay. What we fear is that they will use a lot of chemicals as other Chinese companies did in Bokeo, Oudomxay, Luang Namtha and other northern provinces,” Mr Phouvong said.
“Our authorities are considering these kinds of projects. If their intention is to grow bananas using bio-fertiliser, we might approve them.”
One of the main challenges is that Laos still does not have equipment to test for chemical substances used in the banana projects.
In many other countries, fruit and vegetables are tested for pesticide and herbicide contamination which can lead authorities to shutdown farms if harmful chemicals are found in their crops.
In December last year, local villagers from Luang Prabang, Oudomxay and Luang Namtha provinces called the National Assembly telephone hotline asking the relevant sectors to inspect banana projects in their provinces.
They said Chinese companies overused chemical substances on their farms, sparking fears that these projects were causing long-term effects to the environment and people's health.
Local people do not dare to eat mushrooms and other forest products in the areas where herbicides have been used.
In Bokeo province, over 3,000 hectares of banana plantations have been planted since 2010. The Chinese companies have rented the land plots from villagers to grow bananas for export to China.
The companies have hired Lao people to spray the herbicide on their farms due to the lack of sufficient labour to clear the land manually.
In Vientiane province, over 100 hectares of bana nas have been planted in the province but there are no reports about the overuse of chemical substances on these farms. However Vientiane provincial authorities are mulling large scale banan a projects to avoid painful lessons from the northern provinces.
Officials have said there is still demand for bananas in China but the investment projects must benefit local people.
