Dr Oudom Phonekhampheng and other officials visit a dairy procession house in the Pyeongchang Campus of Seoul National University, the Republic of Korea.

Lao, Korean universities mull plans to establish dairy industry in Laos

The National University of Laos (NUOL) and Seoul National University (SNU) in the Republic of Korea are discussing plans to set up a dairy farm in Laos after first introducing a dairy course in the Department of Livestock at the Faculty of Agriculture, NUOL.
It is envisaged that the initiative would take seven years and comprise four main components, with a total cost of US$2.6 million.
First, a dairy course would be offered at the Department of Livestock, followed by the writing of textbooks and other materials for use by students and lecturers.
Lao professors and researchers would then be invited to visit Korea to strengthen their research capabilities.
Fourthly, a pilot farm and milk production facility would be built at the Faculty of Agriculture in cooperation with agricultural companies in Laos so that the technologies learnt could be passed on to Lao dairy farmers.
NUOL President, Assoc. Prof. Dr Oudom Phonekhampheng, and other officials visited Korea from November 14-17 at the invitation of Seoul National University to meet with the university’s President, Dr Ryu Hong-lim, to discuss cooperation in setting up the dairy course at the Faculty of Agriculture.
The visit took place as part of the International Cooperation Leading University Project of the National Research Foundation under Korea’s Ministry of Education.
Head of the SNU project in Laos, Dr Kyounghoon Kim, led the Lao visitors on a tour of dairy technology facilities at the Pyeongchang campus and a visit to the National Research Foundation.
Dr Oudom asked Korea’s universities and institutions for research and talent training to bolster Laos’ development in this and other fields.
Seoul National University is Korea’s representative university, ranking 29th in the world’s university rankings and 7th in Asia in the Quacquarelli Symonds.
It has five campuses that operate 15 colleges and 12 professional graduate schools. One of the campuses located in Pyeongchang has advanced technology in livestock farming, and has been cooperating with the Faculty of Agriculture for the past five years in agriculture and livestock development.
Talks between the two sides are likely to yield continuous cooperation in the promotion of agriculture and will be extended to social sciences and other fields in the future.
The two universities also have links with many other countries in the region which will strengthen their cooperation.
Dr Oudom said the two universities need to work together harmoniously to ensure the visit bears fruit in the near future.
Dr Ryu Hong-lim said the National University of Laos was the heart of Laos’ academic life and served to promote growth.
He hoped the dairy course would be set up as planned and that university staff would actively cooperate with Seoul National University to produce qualified graduates.

By Times​ Reporters
 (Latest Update November 30, 2023)