Cassava is an important commercial crop in Borikhamxay province, helping farming families to boost their incomes and improve their standard of living.
Many farmers in the province are now clearing land that is unsuitable for rice cultivation to plant cassava crops instead, Head of the provincial Agriculture Section, Mr Bounman Vongsavath, told Vientiane Times yesterday.
He said cassava, tobacco and sweetcorn are the most popular commercial crops in the province at the moment as they are fetching good prices in domestic and regional markets.
However, farmers in Viengthong and Xaychamphone districts find it difficult to grow commercial crops due to poor road conditions in the wet season.
Provincial authorities are working to build and repair access roads to facilitate the transportation of produce all year round. About 90 percent of roads in the province are now passable throughout the year.
Last year, farmers around the province planted about 1,480 hectares of cassava. This year they planted 1,500 hectares, yielding an average of 65 tonnes a hectare, said Mr Bounman.
He said the number of farmers growing cassava continues to increase due to rising market demand.
Demand for the crop has continued to grow and farmers don't need to worry about finding a market for their produce.
Some domestic companies help farming families to grow cassava by providing advice, seedlings and some credit and agreeing to purchase the harvested crop for a set price, Mr Bounman said.
“The major markets for cassava are Vietnam and the Lao Indochina processing factory in Vientiane ,” he said.
The Lao Indochina Group purchases many thousands of tonnes of cassava from around Laos for processing each year.
Mr Bounman said the company may open a processing factory in Borikhamxay province.
He said if construction goes ahead the number of farmers growing cassava in the province will soon outstrip those growing sweetcorn, the number one crop at present.
Last year the provincial authorities encouraged farmers to plant 2,370 hectares of sweetcorn, which rose to 2,470 hectares this year, Mr Bounman said.
