Cassavas planting in Lao PDR is strongly supported. Production is growing both in quality and quantity throughout the country with related issues of food security, built-in earnings for rural people and supply of raw materials for agricultural plantation. At the start of the previous rainy season in 2011, there was an outbreak of a pest that survives by taking water from plants. This makes plants in cassava farms of neighboring country grow weak and largely die.  This trend is on the increase and several hectares of cassava plantations have been damaged. Furthermore, the climate in Lao PDR accelerates the outbreak of the pest in cassava powder and its spread to other areas. Furthermore, exchanging and importing of cassava reformed species from neighboring countries for processing is a risk factor for the spread of the pest in cassava powder.

Therefore, the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry has issued an instruction to the Plantation Department, the Agriculture Departments in the Provinces and Vientiane Capital to coordinate with related sectors in order to evaluate cassava planting areas under their responsibility in order to develop a plan and measures to prevent and protect from pest outbreaks, carry out strict  and  regular inspections of the import-export of plant species, especially the cassava plant, at border check-points as well as international and traditional borders according to the Law on Animal and Plant Protection and the Law on Agriculture.

 

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