The Vietnamese government has signalled its interest in acquiring land for a rubber plantation project in southern Laos , as part of its investment expansion in this country.
High-ranking officials responsible for this sector of Laos and Vietnam agreed on Wednesday in Vientiane to conduct a land allocation project for industrial tree plantations to accommodate Vietnamese investment, mainly for rubber plantations.
The agreement was reached between the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry of Laos, Mr Sitaheng Rajphon, and the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam, Dr Cao Duc Phat, in Vientiane yesterday.
Also on Wednesday, high-ranking officials of both countries visited Dongphosy village in Vientiane , where Dr Cao Duc Phat handed over two irrigation projects funded by the Vietnamese government.
The first project is in Dongphosy village, constructed between 2000 and 2006 with a value of 68 billion dong, and the second is in Thapha and Nongphong villages, constructed between 2001 and 2006, costing 61 billion dong.
The Vietnamese govern-ment will grant 300 million dong this year for cooperation projects relating to agriculture and forestry regarding the works of the two ministries.
Mr Sitaheng said his ministry was focusing on four main areas, namely food security, commercial production, eradicating slash and burn cultivation, and sustainable forestry management, all of which require more cooperation with Vietnam .
The two ministries also agreed to continue implementing a forestry cooperation plan in line with the agreement signed by the two countries on January 11 last year in Vientiane .
They pledged to set up a fisheries development plan in Laos from 2010 to 2020, and the Lao ministry proposed that Vietnam continue assistance in cattle breeding for local farmers.
Vietnam will assign a company for breeding large livestock to work in cooperation with the Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute of Laos, which will in turn work in cooperation with the Corn Research Institute of Vietnam to implement a project to produce hybrid corn.
The private sectors of both countries will be encouraged to enhance their trade and investment cooperation, mainly in the agriculture, forestry and fisheries sector, while respecting the laws of both countries.
The two ministries will propose that the governments of Laos and Vietnam seek funding to continue building an irrigation system in the Long River in Sopbao district of Huaphan province.
They will also propose further cooperation between the Lao-Vietnamese Commissions of both countries to approve priority projects, in particular a project to develop agriculture, forestry and irrigation in the Bolaven plateau in southern Laos .
Vietnam will help develop a plan to prevent further outbreaks of avian influenza in Laos by training officials on bird flu diagnoses, providing equipment and vaccines.
The two ministries agreed to enhance cooperation relating to animal hygiene and plant health.
Vietnam has assisted the Lao agricultural and forestry sector since the 1970s. Before the country's liberation, Vietnam helped train agriculture officials, as well as enhancing plantation techniques and providing new machinery.
Since the liberation, the Vietnamese government has continued to support Laos in this sector, including in human resource and rural development.
