Herbal product distributors seek expansion overseas
Herbal product distributors seek expansion overseas
Distributors of organic herbal products are rushing to have the government guarantee them One District One Product (ODOP) certification in hopes of taking advantage of opportunities overseas.
Representative of the herbal products group, Ms Viengphousy explained that Lao herbal products are now receiving interest both domestically and internationally and have seen some good feedback when they’ve put their products on sale at expos oversees, especially during the recent China-Asean Expo.
The government has made efforts to encourage organic product vendors to develop and improve their goods in response to the potential wider customer base, she added.
Ms Viengphousy also believes that Lao organic herbal products will see even more success in overseas markets if the government continues encouraging Lao vendors to improve to more attractive packaging and improve product quality in response to the government’s ODOP regulations.
“As you know there are many organic herbal products being imported to distribute in Lao markets, so Lao products should think more about expanding their own markets with an aim to compete in the region where Lao products can be placed in other markets,” she said.
Moreover, she also plans to work on encouraging group members to improve their products’ quality and receive certification from the Food and Drug Department as a One District One Product.
An herbal shampoo owner, Ms Bouaphim commented that Laos can take advantage in overseas markets because they are still asking for herbal materials which has made for a health lover’s marketplace.
She stressed that Laos will join other countries as trade partners, so the market will not only focus domestically but also in other regional markets as well.
Ms Bouaphim added that Lao herbal products are becoming more widely known and accepted in international markets because of their quality and organic production methods.
She believes this would be a good opportunity to drive the growth of Lao organic herbal products to compete and further expand in other countries around the region and beyond.
Officials from the Lao Organic Agriculture Group said the number of farmers and consumers in organic production has grown since the government launched the ODOP project in 2004.
Each year, organic markets, especially herbal products are in high demand but Lao farmers are still challenged to produce products to supply both domestic and overseas markets.
However, the group is now carrying on expanding and will continue promoting organic agriculture on a larger scale to increase its export.
