In a bid to promote its efforts as a future rice exporter, Laos is working hard to raise awareness of rice producers and manufacturers in relation to sanitary and phyto sanitary issues. Particularly, on behalf of the Lao government, Department of Agriculture under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry hosted a dissemination meeting, aiming to boost the understanding of sanitary measures for rice and other crop production. Dr Ty Phommasack, Vice Minister of Agricultural and Forestry who presided over the meeting, said that Laos signed a phytosanitary agreement with its trade partners for exporting products to other countries. We signed phytosanitary agreements with China in relation to four agricultural products, especially for corn, dried cassava, banana and watermelon.
Dr Monthathip Chanphengxay, the department’s Director General also said various measures were created by the Chinese side which will be disseminated to the Lao producers and entrepreneurs so they can meet the demands of their trade partners. The business sector also asked the government to help in various policies to fulfill the capacity of competitiveness with other traders from ASEAN countries.
Laos recently signed agricultural and crop production agreements with neighboring countries including Thailand, Vietnam and China. Regarding to the agreements, Laos is also asked by the trade partners to follow the conditions of food safety and plant sanitary measures. China has also approached Laos to buy rice from Laos but it has asked the Lao exporters to follow the standards of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in relation to the protocols of biosafety, and Sanitary and Phyto Sanitary (SPS Protocol). An agreement on phytosanitary measures for rice exports to China was also signed by high-ranking officials from Laos and China in Beijing, China recently. The agreement refers to the phytosanitary and pest management measures required, the methods of processing, packaging, transport and other important measures.
Laos aims to produce 4.2 million tons of rice by 2015 in the hope of turning itself into a rice exporter alongside its neighbors in relation to the demand of rice in ASEAN and world markets. This may create the possibility for Laos to export rice within the region but it needs about a decade to improve itself in terms of the use of new technology and the improvements of integrated irrigation systems. Laos will be able to shift its status from a rice importer to a minor rice exporter over the next decade if it can maintain current grain production and consumption growth rates, according to the Asian Development Bank.
Source: Vientiane Times Newspapers
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