PM backs Xayaboury’s efforts to grow rice as a cash crop

Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith toured Xayaboury province this week, where he lent his support to efforts by provincial authorities and local people to cultivate rice for commercial purposes.
According to a report from the Lao News Agency (KPL), the premier visited Nala village in Xayaboury district, one of the villages that has been successful in growing and selling a quality rice variety known as Thinkeo 17.

The village has a reputation for growing rice on a commercial basis.  At present, it has 62 hectares of irrigated rice fields and 107 households are engaged in rice farming as their main occupation. 
Mr Somchit Phoumakongsi, representing a rice production group, told the visiting delegation that rice farmers had entered into contracts with rice mill owners to grow rice as a way to secure markets for local farmers.
Mr Thongloun urged provincial authorities and villagers to maintain their traditional clean agriculture practices by using bio-fertiliser on their rice crops. He also advised local authorities to produce more rice for commercial purposes.
To encourage village authorities to grow more organic rice on a commercial basis, the prime minister handed over 150 million kip to the rice production group so they could buy modern equipment to improve their farming methods and processing capacity.
While in Xayaboury province, Prime Minister Thongloun visited the Hongsa Lignite Power Plant, one of the largest electricity generating plants in Laos. He also visited an army division where he handed over money to support the administration of the division.
Xayaboury province has great development potential thanks to its fertile land, abundance of natural resources, and strategic location on the Thai border, all of which create favourable conditions for the cultivation of crops for export. The province is also a new tourism gateway as it has four international border crossings.

By Ekaphone Phouthonesy
(Latest Update March 5, 2020)