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Farmers' group eyes larger organic market
A farmers' group from Thasang village in Pakngum district, Vientiane, hopes to grow organic vegetables fit for supply to the Vientiane Organic Market.
The group already supplies organic lettuces to Thongkhankham, That Luang and Khuadin markets at the rate of one tonne a day since it was set up by the Promotion of Organic Farming and Marketing in Laos (PROFIL) project in October last year, group head Mr Thatsany told the Vientiane Times yesterday.
“The price of our organic lettuce is similar to lettuces grown using chemicals, which sell for 2,000-4000 kip a kg. But this is cheaper than other organic lettuces for sale in the weekly organic market,” he said.
“The group now earns over 100 million kip from selling lettuces, while our costs amount to 64 million kip.”
The relatively good income has given farming families in the group a better standard of living and they no longer rely on rice cultivation as their sole source of income.
The group comprises eight farming families with about 13,000 square metres of land, said Mr Thatsany.
In the coming wet season, the group plans to clear more than 10,000 square metres of land to grow vegetables to supply local markets.
The group grows vegetables on a larger area of land in the wet season when the price of vegetables rises. This is because some farmers don't grow any crops because of the difficulty caring for them.
The land used is free from chemicals as it is new agricultural land which has never been used to plant crops before.
“Although the farmers have not yet received certificates from the organic agriculture project they have been working closely with project staff, who have been providing technical support,” Mr Thatsany said.
He expects the group to be fully certified by June, enabling them to sell their produce at the organic market.
Lao consumers consider organic foods to be safe and healthy and the domestic market for organic vegetables is growing.
Homegrown organic vege-table will help to reduce imports from neighbouring countries.
During the current dry season, Vientiane farmers grow thousands of hectares of vegetables to supply local markets, but most of them use chemicals to speed up and increase growth.
At present, only 30 farmers in Vientiane have received an organic producer's certificate but many families are preparing to grow crops for this lucrative market.
vientiane times
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