Farmers to plant new rice varieties

The Agricultural Research Centre in Naphok village, Xaythany district, Vientiane , has produced two new rice varieties for farmers to plant for this year's wet season rice crop.

The centre, run by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, has spent more than 10 years conducting trials on new rice species.

The two new Thadokkham varieties it has selected for farmers this year are TDK25 and TDK42, said the centre's Director, Mr Phoumy Inthapanya, on Friday.

“These varieties are robust and will provide farmers with more choice. They will be introduced for the wet season crop this year, and we expect yields of 4-6 tonnes per hectare,” Mr Phoumy said.

On Friday more than 200 farmers from Vientiane and nearby visited the fields at the centre where the rice has been grown. They wanted to learn more about the new strains before deciding whether to plant them.

TDK25 and TDK42 are glutinous rice varieties; they produce rice that has a fragrant smell, is soft and has a good flavour.

The centre will start selling the seeds at the end of this month, with each kind selling for 5,000 kip per kilogram.

After their visit to the centre, most farmers decided on the TDK42 variety. The plants grow tall and produce a large number of grains.

Mr Xeun Khamkong, from Thinphieng Tay village in Pakgnum district, said he would plant TDK42 seeds this year.

He said he had one hectare of land and had originally planned to grow TDK11 rice, because this was popular with many Vientiane farmers. But now he would plant half a hectare with TDK42 rice.

T DK11 has also been tested and produced by the centre and has produced good yields in the past. “Next year I'll stop planting the TDK11 variety if the TDK42 rice I grow this season sells well,” Mr Xeun said.

Another of the farmers visiting the centre, Mr Sor Thongsaysing from Dongbang village in Xaythany district, said he had three hectares of rice fields. He would plant one hectare with TDK42, and two hectares with a traditional rice variety known as Homnang-nuan.

This would be the first time he had used the TDK42 variety in his 20 years as a rice farmer, Mr Sor said.

“Homnang-nuan rice is popular in Lao markets, and its sale price has recently risen from 400,000 to 600,000 kip for a 100-kg sack. It typically yields 2-3.2 tonnes per hectare. “If the TDK42 doesn't sell well I won't grow it next year,” Mr Xeun said. The Agricultural Research Centre has so far developed 13 varieties of TDK rice for use by local farmers.

By Khonesavanh Latsaphao
(Latest Update May 05 , 2008)