The vegetable production in Laos has increased year by year, but the sector is facing several challenges nowadays. Some of these challenges include limited vegetable production in the rainy season and therefore difficulties in meeting the market demand, limited technical capacity, high post-harvest losses, and low quality and safety of vegetable products because of limited knowledge by producers, traders and researchers. This is partly caused by the fact that Lao farmers are classified into smallholders and have poor access to information on domestic and foreign markets. The high costs of inputs for cultivation, such as increased labour costs, contribute to higher prices for vegetables and lead to low competition with neighbouring countries.
Therefore, research for development in the vegetable sector continues in order to develop innovative production and supply chain systems and solutions to meet consumers demand year round. Also, collaborations between governmental agencies, NGOs and private sector partners will be further established to contribute to a better vegetable sector. Besides, quality assurance and appropriate certifications need to be implemented in order to support market competitiveness and to guarantee safety standards.
As a next step in the improvement of productivity and profitability of the vegetable sector, the regional vegetable forum with the theme “Supporting the adoption of interventions by smallholders for sustainable year-round production of safe fresh vegetable” was held at the 11th of September in Vientiane. This forum created an opportunity for stakeholders, public and private sector professionals, researchers, development partners and farmers to share their understanding of social, economic, technical and political issues in the sector. Additionally, the forum was also a unique chance to share knowledge, experiences and ideas between the government, NGOs and the commercial sector. As said by Dr. Phuangparisak Pravongviengkham, the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Forestry: “Vegetable production is an important activity for Lao farmers and a source of food and income. Besides, vegetable can improve household nutrition and increase incomes for farmers and traders“. He added that the vegetable sector also provides an alternative source of income for women and can help improve household food security. Therefore, it is important to tackle the current issues in the vegetable sector.
Information source: Vientiane Times.
