December 5, 2024
“We want producers and buyers to discuss their needs. If they don’t communicate, farmers grow what they think is needed but very often this exceeds demand or is not enough,” an official said, speaking at the meeting at the Haddokkeo Horticulture Research Centre in Hadxaifong district. “We need to reduce imports but the problem is that local harvests are not enough to supply buyers’ needs. This meeting is a good opportunity for producers and buyers to discuss what they want and together make a plan for the future,” the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Dr Phouangparisack Pravongviengkham, said. “The purpose of this meeting is to hear growers’ problems and to use this opportunity to introduce standards for harvests. We have the capacity to grow enough vegetables to meet demand in Vientiane but we do not have any data on what and how much the market needs,” he added.
The meeting was led by Dr Phouangparisack and attended by officials, local farmers, middlemen and other interested parties. Officials heard the problems of local farmers and discussed ways to help them boost yields such as arranging for technicians to provide training. “We can grow lots of vegetable but the problem is that we grow more than is needed so we cannot sell it all. Sometimes middlemen give us very low prices for our crops but we have no choice but to accept what they offer,” said a representative of Hadkansa village in Hadxaifong district. In the past, each ministry has arranged meetings to try to solve this problem but it proved difficult to implement their decisions.
Now the government has appointed a special division to link the information provided between the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Ministry of Industry and Commerce, and other agencies.
Information source: Vientiane Times.
