To ensure the production of rice for export, the government, especially the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, will increase the quantity of white rice production to 35 per cent of the total rice production. This will be in line with the government\u2019s policy to promote the planting of sticky rice that has the potential for growth in most regions.\u00a0Sticky rice, including black rice,\u00a0kay noi rice\u00a0and\u00a0thadokkham,\u00a0phonngarm, home\u00a0and\u00a0thasano\u00a0rice, are high in demand.\u00a0The ministry will also produce rice following good agriculture practices (GAP) to access regional and international markets, especially the Chinese\u00a0market.<\/p>\n
According to the strategic ministry plan, it is expected to encourage farmers to produce paddy rice to the tune of 4.7 million tonnes by 2020 or expand production by 5 per cent. Of this, the land under rice cultivation will expand by about 2 per cent, and the yield will be 3-3.5 tonnes a hectare.\u00a0However, production is expected to be less than the target due to natural calamities with rice exports stable at 1 million tonne a year.<\/p>\n
The government believes that rice markets in Laos may face stronger\u00a0fluctuations next year with\u00a0harvests unlikely to meet targets this year.\u00a0The production of rice is expected to be around 3.5 million tonnes \u2013down from 4.4 million tonnes.\u00a0The ministry plans to encourage farmers to supply 2.5 million tonnes, of which 2.1 million will be\u00a0for local consumption and 400,000 tonnes set aside as a stockpile. Around 100,000 tonnes of rice seeds and 500,00-600,000 tonnes of rice will be used for processing.<\/p>\n
To encourage rice production in Laos and access to regional and international markets, the government will focus on clean and good agriculture practices, along with the adoption of green policies to ensure quality.\u00a0The country set a target of US$45.6 million for rice exports last year, but could only achieve US$31.4 million, according to the Ministry of Industry and Commerce.\u00a0This year, the government is projecting to earn only US$25.2 million from rice\u00a0exports, a significant decline\u00a0compared to last year\u2019s\u00a0figure.\u00a0China, Vietnam and Thailand are important markets for the Lao-grown staple.<\/p>\n