Many people in Lao-ngam district used to grow bananas but have switched to sweet potatoes instead after the sale price of bananas declined. Mr Khamla Sysombath and his family are among the households who have benefitted from the cultivation and sale of the root crop. Mr Khamla said staff at the Agriculture and Forestry office advised him to grow sweet potatoes so the family went ahead and found that the crop was profitable. The family has enlarged the area on which they grow the crop and now have four hectares under cultivation, reaping two harvests a year. Mr Khamla said they sold some of their sweet potatoes in Saravan province and some to a neighbouring country, which earned them more than 100 million kip a year. Officials from the Agriculture and Forestry office have been giving advice on the best cultivation methods. Now many families in Phanuan village are model potato growers, which is boosting wealth levels in Lao-ngam district.
Information source: Vientiane Times.
