Xaythany farmers form cooperative to boost supply of organic produce

The Organic Agriculture Group in Thongmang village, Xaythany district, Vientiane, has set up the Thongmang Organic Agriculture Cooperative to supply quality produce that meets market demand and satisfies consumers.
A ceremony to announce the Thongmang Organic Agriculture Cooperative took place in Thongmang village on Wednesday.
The event was attended by the Acting Director General of the Department of Rural Development and Cooperatives, Mr Khamouan Khamphoukeo;  Deputy Director General of the Department of Agricultural Extension and Technical Processing, Mr Thongsavanh Phanthalavong; Executive Director of the Poverty Reduction Fund, Mr Chit Thavisay; and other officials.
Thongmang village is a major supplier of organically farmed fruit and vegetables to Vientiane markets.
The cooperative has more than 40 members in the villages of Thongmang, Duangboddy, Nakhanthoung, Khoutsambat and Nakoung.
Speaking at the ceremony, Head of the Thongmang Organic Agriculture Cooperative, Mrs Khammorn Luanglath, said that over the next three years the cooperative would set up 100 new greenhouses to grow organic vegetables and would also improve their offices.
“We will also improve the shops that sell produce and the places where produce is packaged. We will organise training in cooperative management and production for our members as well as training in financing and marketing,” she said.
The Thongmang Organic Vegetable Group was established in 2016 when it comprised just 12 families, but they could not grow enough to meet demand. With the forming of the cooperative, the group hopes to increase the supply of quality produce to meet growing customer demand.
The Vientiane organic agriculture group began selling produce at market stalls set up twice a week on the That Luang esplanade in 2006, according to the Vientiane Agriculture and Forestry Department.
The market then moved to Fa Ngum Park in Sikhottabong district where produce was sold twice a week, and farmers also sold their produce at Huayhong market in Chanthabouly district every Saturday morning.
The farmers’ market currently takes place at Lao-ITECC two days a week on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
The market encourages farmers to produce safe and chemical-free products for the benefit of consumers’ health.
There are now 17 organic farmers’ groups in Vientiane with 313 household members, farming 175 hectares of land.
Six of the groups come from Hadxaifong district, six from Xaythany district, two from Xaysettha, and one each from Sikhottabong, Naxaithong and Pakngum districts. Together they grow 1,000 tonnes of produce a year.
These groups look set to continue to expand, securing new members and aiming to grow healthy vegetables on arable land around the capital.

By Phomphong Laoin
(Latest Update October 22, 2020)