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Beekeeping Trial to Sweeten Champassak Honey Production

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Laos and Vietnam are to begin cooperation in a commercial beekeeping trial to boost honey production in Champassak province.

After the trial, the cooperative project under the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) will be able to supply beehives and training to local apiarists.

National Project Director of the Sustainable Natural Resources Management and Productivity Enhancement Project, Mr Vinoth Vansy, told Vientiane Times that Vietnam is providing 250 beehives for the trial in Champassak province.

The trial is looking to locate hives where the province’s bees typically make honey, he said.

They expect to know the best areas for honey production after the end of this year.

According to the provincial Agriculture and Forestry Department, Vietnam is currently supplying large quantities of honey to EU countries.

The number of beekeepers in Champassak has declined in recent years due to insufficient market demand with some people abandoning their beehives and leaving them to the wild.

Today, some bottles of honey can be seen for sale in markets with the honey being sourced from the wild by local people.

Some Vientiane consumers are distrustful of local products believing it is blended with imported honey or other ingredients such as sugar and water.

They think that because there are now fewer beehives people are taking shortcuts to ensure sufficient supplies.

However, honey from the southern provinces is still in reasonable supply across the country, even though the peak honey season only occurs in April and May. At this time honey can be seen on sale in many markets, restaurants, guesthouses and hotels by the bottle or jarful.

People have varied uses for honey and it is a popular household ingredient. Many people put half a spoonful into bottled water to give it flavour while others use the honey as a healing product.

A common belief in Vientiane is that honey has a calming effect ensuring a good night’s sleep.

Honey is a natural product which is a safe and wholesome food for adults, children and the elderly. Apart from its great taste and general capacity for enhancing well-being, honey is a healthy substitute for sugar and can help combat obesity and diabetes.

 

Source: Vientiane Times

Laos, Development Partners to Strengthen Ties for Effective Cooperation

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Vientiane province : — Laos will need continuous support from friendly countries and development partners despite the significant achievements that have been made in socio-economic development in recent years.

High level government officials and local authorities revealed the circumstances at the 2016 Round Table Implementation Meeting, which ended yesterday in Vientiane provincial capital.

The meeting was titled Accelerating the implementation of the Eighth National Socio-Economic Development Plan (8th NSEDP 2016-2020) for Least Developed Country graduation and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Discussion focused on localisation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), effective development partnerships, food and nutrition security, green growth, as well as climate change and disaster response preparedness.

In his opening remarks, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Mr Somdy Duangdy noted the significance of the meeting taking place outside the country’s capital, and Vientiane province’s socio-economic conditions were explained to participants.

This shows the government’s effort in comprehensively pursuing local development following the Sam Sang (Three Builds) directive: building provinces as strategic units, building districts as comprehensively strong, and building villages as development units, Mr Somdy said.

He reminded the audience of the country’s continuing economic growth, which has been 6.9 percent over the past 10 months, and is predicted to reach 7 percent by the end of this year with income per capita at US$2,027.

Meanwhile, Mr Somdy also noted the internal and external impacts on the country’s economy such as the fall in mineral prices, the rubber price decline, and natural disasters, which he said seriously affected agricultural crops and exports, as well as revenue collection, which did not meet the planned target.

Speaking at the meeting, Minister of Planning and Investment Dr Souphanh Keomixay stressed the inclusion of localisation of the SDGs into the national development agenda as well as at the local level, saying these should reflect effective use of money and labour in project implementation, and strongly support the participation of all sectors, including private businesses and residents.

He also proposed for such participation in the implementation of food and nutrition programmes with stronger and more harmonious coordination.

For green growth and climate change and disaster response preparedness, the minster pressed for the strategy to be realised following the government having ratified the United Nations Agreement on Climate Change.

Amendment of Government Decree No. 75 on Effective Development Aid Implementation was mentioned by Dr Souphanh as a real need, while calling for the ministry and other sectors to pay attention to the matter.

United Nations Coordinator and United Nations Development Programme Representative, Ms Kaarina Immonen, praised the government’s decision to provide a provincial location as the venue for this year’s Round Table meeting.

She congratulated the government for promoting Laos as the first ASEAN country to have submitted the ratification instrument in respect of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

She also praised the government as a champion in achieving the Millennium Development Goals, the National Assembly’s engagement in policy issues regarding national development, and the newly founded provincial people’s assemblies as new advocates for the implementation of the NSEDP and SDGs at the local level.

Some areas to be considered for further consultation were revenue and public debt management, which Ms Immonen said required particular attention.

She said the government is encouraged in its commitment to the production of integrated transparent and accountable national budgeting and alignment with ODA growth.

 

Source: Vientiane Times

Group Visits Route to Freedom Taken by Leaders in 1960

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Over 300 people gathered near Tadxone Waterfall in Vientiane’s Naxaithong district on Friday to trace the path taken by the 16 Lao Patriotic Front leaders who made a daring escape from Phonkheng Jail 56 years ago.

The breakout by the revolutionary leaders including Prince Souphanouvong, Nouhak Phoumsavanh and Phoumy Vongvichit was an extraordinary feat and is considered a significant event in Lao history which remains talked about to this day.

Among those joining the 2-km walk to trace the route taken by the Lao Patriotic Front leaders were Party Politburo Member and President of the Lao Front for National Construction, Dr Xaysomphone Phomvihane, and other leaders.

The crowd walked to a cave where Prince Souphanouvong and the other escapees hid before heading to the revolutionary stronghold in northern Laos.

The event was organised by the Lao Front for National Construction and the Vientiane Elderly People’s Association.

President of the Vientiane Elderly People’s Association, Mr Somphong Mongkhonvilay, told the crowd that the goal of the walk was to raise awareness among the younger generation and encourage people never to forget the valiant deeds of the revolutionary leaders who sacrificed so much for the nation.

On July 28, 1959, the American-backed Vientiane government arrested the 16 Lao Patriotic Front leaders and put them in Phonkheng Jail in a bid to suppress the revolutionary movement, Mr Somphong said.

During their time in jail, the group told the soldiers guarding the prison about the political views, revolutionary morale, spirit of patriotism and sacrifices of the revolutionary forces and eventually persuaded their guards to side with them.

Although our revolutionary leaders were in jail, they jointly signed a letter which they sent to the Phouy Sananikone Prime Minister-led government, requesting (the Vientiane government) to release them. But the Vientiane government did not care about the letter, Mr Somphong said.

Over a period of almost 300 days, the situation became more tense and the revolutionary leaders talked their guards into a position of sympathy so that they prepared an escape route.

Finally the leaders escaped in 1960 and headed to Naxaithong district, before walking to the north and the safety of the revolutionary stronghold.

To commemorate the courage of the 16 revolutionary leaders, the Lao Front for National Construction and Vientiane Elderly People’s Association published a book about the incident.

The book keeps alive the story of the leaders’ break for freedom and ensures that the younger generations can learn about the incredible story of their escape.

The book was written by Mr Buasy Chaleunsouk, one of the 16 revolutionary leaders.

A second edition of the book has been printed and earnings from sales will be used to build a memorial to the escapees.

 

Source: Vientiane Times

BCEL-KT: Trade Summary (Nov 25, 2016)

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Trade Summary

At the end of the week, LSX closed unchanged at 1,014.43 point. The market generated about 211 million kip form the trading of BCEL shares. The banking shares today traded down at 5,000 kip. However, it managed to close unchanged at 5,100 kip with the total trading volume of 42,100 shares. In the meantime, other stocks saw no matching, with EDL-Gen closing at 5,000 kip, LWPC at 6,000 kip, PTL at 2,500 kip and SVN at 3,000 kip.

Changing Mekong Currents Compound Dam Anxieties in Southeast Asia

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The government of Laos officially submitted the Pak Beng Dam to the Mekong River Commission in mid-November and has begun preparatory work around the future dam site. While this announcement appears to indicate that the government of Laos and international funders for more than 100 hydropower projects are continuing to move full steam ahead despite serious concerns from downstream countries and affected communities, emerging financial risks and regional shifts are increasingly impacting the risk calculus for future projects.

There are three regional factors disrupting the terrain for investment in large hydropower dams in mainland Southeast Asia. The first is the emergence of Myanmar as a competitor for energy sector investment. Myanmar is an underdeveloped country with significant hydropower potential of up to 100,000 megawatts (MW), nearly four times that of Laos. Western sanctions and domestic instability previously prevented hydropower from moving ahead in Myanmar, and as a result the Salween and Irrawaddy remain largely undisturbed.

Although internal political issues in Myanmar raise questions about the speed and extent of development that is politically feasible, investors are interested. The IFC is supporting a country-wide Strategic Environmental Assessment for hydropower development, and there have been a plethora of Thai-Chinese joint projects in the Salween River Basin announced in recent years. These projects will compete strongly for financing that previously may have flowed towards projects in Laos.

The second trend is the economic slowdown in China. China’s role in designing and constructing more than half of all large dams globally means that it would previously have been a likely replacement for any loss of funding from ODA donors or MDBs. However, there is emerging evidence that China’s economic slowdown may impact the ability of Chinese developers to get financing for large infrastructure investments abroad. Chinese banks were previously given political mandates to support projects abroad in strategic sectors such as hydropower, mining, and fossil fuels. Even in cases where financing analysts recognized high project risks, such as the Myitsone Dam in Myanmar, the political mandate and the influence of large investment companies meant that loans gained approval.

While supporting unprofitable projects was possible in years of fast growth, the central government is increasingly concerned over China’s rising stock of non-performing loans. As year-on-year growth forecasts drop to a range of only 6.5-4.5 percent for 2016, financial institutions in China are increasingly under pressure to rein in bad debt. China’s debt issue is now widely recognized, and concerns over debt prompting a recessionhave prompted greater consideration of risks by Chinese regulators.

This may lead to a drop in support for risky projects such as hydropower projects, where profit margins are returned over long periods of time, subject to shocks in electricity pricing and demand, and face long term maintenance costs. Anecdotal evidence shows this is already happening: China Export-Import Bank has a hold on loans for six hydropower projects in Myanmar until political issues over the Myitsone Dam are addressed. In Laos, Chinese developers are postponing the construction of some tributary dams due to the inability of Chinese banks to follow up on funding the continued development of projects.

This raises the question: if China becomes unwilling to fund the controversial and potentially risky projects on the Mekong mainstream, who will? All of the signed MOUs for mainstream Mekong hydropower are build-own-operate-transfer (BOOT) projects. Neither Laos nor Cambodia has the financial strength to finance such large projects themselves. Practical concerns over losing money have led many Chinese hydropower companies to shift from the BOOT model, where they have to take on loans directly, towards a sub-contracting model that allows Chinese companies to avoid long-term ownership and management risks while continuing to export the design, procurement, and construction of dams.

This appears to be what happened with the Don Sahong Project, which is owned and financed by a Malaysian company called Mega First but will be built by Sinohydro. In other cases, Chinese firms may projects into joint ventures to share the risk: the Pak Beng project, which has been on the books as a Datang Hydropower project for years, has apparently shifted to a joint venture with a Thai company.

Finally, the severe drought in 2016 has highlighted the need for a more coordinated approach to water management throughout the basin. Food security and livelihoods have been impacted throughout the region and particularly in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, with up to half of the Delta’s paddy affected by encroaching salinization during the worst drought recorded in 90 years. In Thailand the 2016 drought prompted the government to announce intensive irrigation plans to draw water from the Mekong tributary system when reservoirs ran dry. This stirred regional controversy, as the diversion of water was done without consultation through the MRC and in the face of concerns from Vietnam and Cambodia.

The extreme challenges posed by the drought and growing recognition of emerging political and financial risks have brought the issue of optimization of resources to the forefront of the conversation about regional development. Climate change predictions anticipate more flooding and more drought in coming years, making optimization planning vital if Mekong countries want to efficiently operate cascades in an uncertain water future. According to one senior engineer at the Mekong River Commission, these risks mean Laos will likely only end up building five of the nine proposed dams, including Xayaburi and Don Sahong. This is not unanticipated—globally, most river basins do not proceed with construction for all proposed hydropower projects. This raises questions as to which planned projects will ultimately be built.

The time seems ripe for Laos to consider alternative development options and better cumulative project analysis to ensure that it makes the best decisions about which projects will move forward. There are emerging models and analytical tools that can explore multiple development scenarios and compare the benefits and costs across a variety of sectors, such as The Nature Conservancy’s Hydropower by Design concept. Utilization of these tools could help Lao decision-makers explore different development options that would provide similar amounts of power with differing levels of social and environmental impacts.

It is clear that the government will not end up with a hundred percent of the planned projects currently on the books and considered in its revenue plans. The earlier Lao officials start to consider alternative development scenarios, the higher the likelihood that high-revenue, low-impact options will remain on the table and the more strategic their decisions about which projects to pursue will be.

Courtney Weatherby is a research associate with the Southeast Asia program at the Stimson Center, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank.

Source: The Diplomat

Rice Cooperatives still Held Back by Marketing

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Lao rice cooperatives have made good progress in terms of their rice production efforts but marketing and sales deficiencies are still causing problems for the co-ops.

Agricultural officials and representatives from model cooperatives in the provinces of Xayaboury, Khammuan, Savannakhet and Vientiane are currently meeting in Vientiane to exchange experiences on rice planting techniques and discuss issues related to production and marketing.

Despite the government, especially the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, having launched various initiatives to encourage farmers to boost their yields through new techniques the sale of the surplus rice produced is still proving difficult.

Problems with marketing and sales include the instability of the rice price, farmers’ lack of understanding about rice standards and quality controls, planting of old rice varieties instead of those in high demand in regional markets as well as the lack of contractual arrangements between farmers groups and rice millers and marketers.

Some cooperatives are adopting modern methods including machines, especially tractors, even though most of their rice plots are small.

However some fields have not been properly levelled while there may be no good warehouses to store the rice after it is harvested.

New planting and farming methods, as well as better rice varieties, need to be adopted by farmers if they wish to increase their yields while larger and properly levelled rice plots are preferable where possible.

O f course, a reliable water supply is an essential prerequisite to the production of a good rice crop. Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Dr Lien Thikeo believed that the seminar will help to promote the new rice production methods for expansion around the country in order to reduce capital and food security.

After the meeting, he stressed to agricultural officials to bring the problems for improvement and resolution in the near future.

Many farmers in different areas are still planting their rice crops by traditional methods, which result in reduced yields and large amounts of labour.

Still, thanks to the government’s efforts, each year farmers are able to produce yields that match the government’s plan and quantities have continued to increase every year.

Rice production in Laos for 2012-13 reached about 3.52 million tonnes while 4.12 million tonnes was harvested in 2015-16. This was sufficient for domestic consumption and a surplus was produced for export.

Next year, the government plans to expand the area of rice cultivation by 1.03 million hectares for a yield of 4.35 million tonnes with an average yield of five tonnes per hectare.

About 100,000 tonnes of the rice harvested will be used as seeds while 2.5 million tonnes will be used for consumption within Laos.

 

Source: Vientiane Times

Human Trafficking Needs Urgent Action: Mekong Nations

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Human trafficking continues to flourish within the region, requiring a joint effort by the Mekong countries to actively stamp out the trade and penalise those responsible.

Human trafficking is harmful to socio-economic development and social order in the region and could worsen when the ASEAN Economic Community is fully integrated.

Speaking at the Coordinated Mekong Ministerial Initiative against Trafficking (COMMIT) meeting in Vientiane yesterday, Minister of Public Security, Major General Somkeo Silavong stressed that human trafficking was destructive and should be tackled more vigorously.

Human trafficking is one of the most harmful crimes and is transnational. It involves the acquisition of people by improper means such as force, fraud or deception, with the aim of exploiting them, he said.

Action is being taken to address the root causes of human trafficking and support the recovery and reintegration of victims. Joining together to address this issue is the responsibility of everybody in society, he added.

He said human trafficking had become a highly profitable business and now ranked third behind the arms trade and drug trafficking.

The victims of trafficking are mostly young women, and girls and boys under the age of 18.

Maj. Gen Somkeo said the linking of regional and international economies, the rapid development of IT, easy transportation, free movement of people and other issues had made it easier for traffickers to carry out their business.

Laos and the other Mekong countries have reaffirmed their commitment to work with neighbouring countries to combat human trafficking more effectively.

In a bid to curb human trafficking, the six lower Mekong countries – Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam – signed a Memorandum of Understanding on COMMIT in 2004.

Some experts and researchers said most human trafficking victims illegally entered neighbouring countries to seek work because they came from poor areas and needed money to support their families.

Other reasons for migration to other provinces or countries are limited job opportunities in Laos and a lack of employers in the form of factories and companies.

Experts said the sectors concerned needed to persuade families to provide their children with information about human trafficking, so they were aware of the risks.

Raising awareness among children and young people about the potential benefits and dangers of migration is very important, and requires the government and the authorities concerned to work together, they said.

Statistics for 2012 from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime show that about 27 million people in 127 countries around the world, including Laos, fall victim to human trafficking every year, with 70-80 percent being women and children.

 

Source: Vientiane Times

Govt, Development Partners to Agree on Next Ten Years Cooperation

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Vientiane province: –Localisation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), effective development partnerships, food and nutrition security, green growth, climate change and disaster response preparedness are cross-sectoral topics of discussion between the government and development partners this year.

Experts from the government and development partners’ representative agencies began discussion on these issues yesterday at the 2016 Round Table Implementation Meeting, which continues today in Vientiane province’s capital.

Serving as a forum to discuss how partners can collaborate on national development priorities, the Round Table Implementation Meeting is taking stock of progress made in 2016 and guiding joint efforts for 2017.

As a main output of this meeting, the government will endorse with its partners, the Vientiane Declaration Country Action Plan for 2016-2025, which outlines key actions to enhance effective development cooperation, and will help put into practice the SDGs and the Eighth Five-Year National Socio-Economic Development Plan (NSEDP).

In his opening remarks at the meeting, Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Dr Kikeo Chanthaboury noted the importance of learning about implementation and achievement of various goals, and the integration of local and national level indicators.

We have to learn about how the indicators are implemented at provincial level so that they continue to comply and are integrated with those at national level, he said.

Dr Kikeo mentioned food and nutrition security, saying it was very important in terms of poverty reduction.

The deputy minister reminded the meeting about the government’s clear policy on environmental protection through issuing the decree to stop logging and timber exportation.

Dr Kikeo noted the cooperation between the government and its development partners over the past 15 years with appreciation, saying the country had became a model in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals.

According to a report from the ministry, 447 projects have been implemented in the 2015/16 fiscal year around the country with Official Development Assistance funding of US$367 million. Of this amount US$228 million has been actually been disbursed.

Speaking at the meeting, Vientiane province Vice Governor Ms Singkham Khongsavanh highlighted the geographic and demographic specifications of the province, which she said had an abundance of nature and diversity of multiethnic cultures.

She also noted the economic growth, which had not been strong enough, referring to several targets not achieved. She pointed to the shortage of funds and capable personnel and specialists, and a large portion of the population still relying on nature for a living as challenges in achieving the goals.

Vientiane province has around 1,000 families or 1.2 percent of total families in the province living under the poverty line, and 10 villages are noted as extremely poor.

 

Source: Vientiane Times

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