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Official launching of the Project for the Reinforcement of Commercial Capacities in the Lao Coffee sector (PRCC COFFEE NORTH)

The Bolaven Coffee, Tea & other agricultural products Festival was successfully hosted by Champassak province on 2-4 February in Pakxong.
The event took place in the traditional land of Lao coffee, the Bolaven plateau, right after the coffee harvest season. It gathered a crowd of farmers, commercial and development partners, visitors from across the country.

As side-event of festival, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF-DoA) organised the kick-off meeting of the PRCC COFFEE NORTH on February 2. This new phase follows a long-standing support of the French government to the Lao coffee sector; the project is funded by AFD and implemented by the MAF, in partnership with the Lao coffee stakeholders from the private and development sectors.
France has been supporting the coffee sector in Laos for 25 years, first in the Bolaven Plateau, and more recently in Northern provinces to develop a clean and fair coffee value-chain, offering sustainable alternatives for upland communities through viable incomes and regeneration of natural resources.
The PRCC COFFEE NORTH project will be implemented from 2023 to 2026 with the overall objective to support the Lao coffee sector towards the production of quality coffee resilient to climate change, recognised on regional and international markets, and through inclusive and efficient governance models.
To conclude this important event, Deputy Minister of MAF Mr Kikeo Singnavong, deputy governor of Champassak Mr Somboun Huangvongsa, the DDG of DoA and the representative of the AFD in Laos symbolically cut the ribbon to launch the project. Government representatives from the North and South, farmers organisations, and some members of LCA also attended the ceremony which gathered 80 participants.
During the festival, a Seminar on the promotion of trade and investment in the agriculture sector was co-organised by the authorities of agriculture, industry and commerce, and the LCA with the support of the PRCC COFFEE NORTH and other partners.
The 150 attendees were honored by the participation of Vice President of Laos Mrs Pany Yathortou, Vice President of Lao National Assembly Mr Sommath Pholsena, Governor of Champassak province Mr Vilavong Boutdakham, and a delegation of high-ranked authorities from Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand provinces bordering Champassak.
As closing remarks to the seminar, Mrs Pany Yathortou, provided directives and advices to all the provincial authorities and participants: 1) increase the production of coffee, tea and other commercial products where conditions are favorable and following green agriculture environment-friendly systems in order to generate decent and sustainable incomes for the farmers and communities, 2) extension and expansion of the experience on coffee production from the South to Northern provinces to give new professions to upland farmers, especially by using the experience of the MAF/AFD funded projects, 3) encourage and promote the investment of the private sector in agriculture by building commercial partnership between the private sector and the farmers, 4) strongly mobilise and facilitate the trade and investment from the foreign investors and particularly from the neibouring countries in the agriculture and tourism sectors in the frame of the asean cooperation, and ASEAN + 3.

 

By Advertorial Desk
 (Latest Update February 8, 2023)

   

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