Farmers in Vientiane province use a tractor to clear their land for growing cassava.

Cassava a top earner among agricultural products

Laos earned almost US$250 million by exporting cassava during the first six months of the year, making the commodity a top earner among agricultural products.
In 2021, the country earned a total of US$265.5 million from cassava exports during the whole year, and it is expected that the figure for the whole of 2022 will increase by several million dollars, according to the Ministry of Industry and Commerce.
During the first half of 2022, banana exports were worth US$141 million, rubber exports were worth US$132 million, sugar exports were valued at US$112.6 million, and exports of unprocessed coffee were worth US$51 million. Another US$50 million was earned from the export of cattle and buffaloes.         
During the whole of last year, rubber exports generated almost US$270 million, making the commodity a top earner among agricultural products. Sugar exports during 2021 were worth US$96.4 million, exports of unprocessed coffee were worth US$88.2 million, while US$221.5 million was earned from the export of cattle and buffaloes.
Laos earned more than US$870 million by exporting agricultural produce in the first six months of this year, equalling 72.57 percent of the target for the whole of 2022, the government has told the National Assembly (NA).
In 2021, Laos earned more than US$900 million from the export of agricultural produce, accounting for only 82 percent of the target figure set for that year.
The main farm products exported were bananas, rubber, cassava, sugar, cattle and buffaloes, with China being the largest buyer.
Laos has a huge opportunity to boost crop yields for export, particularly to China, with the Laos-China Railway now able to transport perishable goods more efficiently and quickly.
Currently, many farmers are shifting to growing cassava due to the increased demand in markets.
Cassava doesn’t take long to harvest and it is easy to take care of the crop, Ms Suay, a farmer, told Vientiane Times.
Some Lao farmers are also getting rid of their rubber trees to grow cassava because it has a shorter production cycle, she said.
However, farmers and agricultural producers in Laos have been hit by a steep rise in production costs, mainly due to the spiralling increase of fuel prices.
In addition, the cost of machinery, fertilisers and animal feed has risen sharply because these items are imported and must be paid for in foreign currency, which is costly because of the continuing depreciation of the kip.

By Times Reporters
(Latest Update July 13, 2022)