Vice President of Laos, Ms. Pany Yathotou visited a rice factory in Champasack’s Mounlapamok district on Tuesday where they utilize modern machinery to grow rice.
During her visit to the enterprise, Ms. Pany was greeted by the Champasack Governor, Dr. Vilayvong Bouddhakham, and other top authorities.
On her visit, Ms. Pany observed that the machine is set up to plant rice seeds on 350 hectares of land, during the wet and dry seasons, and farmers in the region are happy to have access to such technology.
The mechanized seed planting technology is not only labor-saving and cost-effective, but it also ensures proper seed distribution in the ground. Using this method also requires less water.
According to Media Laos, the cost of farming on a rice field is about LAK 15 million (USD 890) per hectare, resulting in an average yield of 2.5 tons per hectare throughout 2022.
The new farm area and the drainage system have also been improved in 2023 to bolster rice production which is estimated to be four tons per hectare.
The district also has a modern rice mill that can process two tons of rice per hour, and an average of 16 tons per day.
The majority of the rice produced in the district is given to national defense forces in Laos’ southern and central regions and the police force in the area, and some of it is distributed for sale to local markets around the country.
Last week, Republic of Korea Ambassador to Laos Mr. Yung Soo Jung handed over a rice donation to the Minister of Labor and Social Welfare to support the people of Laos in adjusting to the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the fiscal challenges induced by the global food and fuel crisis.
