Laos, Japan partnering to empower coffee farmers

Luang Prabang province: Laos and Japan are launching a partnership aimed at empowering coffee farmers in Luang Prabang province, under the Cocreation of Food Security for Farmers with Economic Empowerment with Japan (COFFEE-JAPAN) project.
The initiative will bolster production and marketing efforts, while promoting access to and understanding of essential nutrition.

Mrs Siriphone Souphanthong and Ambassador Kenichi Kobayashi examine seedlings during a visit to Phonxay district, Luang Prabang province.

COFFEE-JAPAN is a project funded by the Japanese government with US$1 million and will be carried out in collaboration between the Lao Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the United Nations World Food Programme, Saka no Tochu, a Japanese private company active in Laos, and Saffron Coffee, a Lao fair-trade coffee company.
The project targets eight villages in Luang Prabang’s Phonxay and Viengkham districts, and will be implemented over a period of 30 months.
The coffee produced under the project will be sold to Japan. The partners aim to create a replicable model of incorporating nutrition into the coffee value chain.
Speaking at a ceremony in Luang Prabang city on Thursday, the Deputy Governor of Luang Prabang province, Mrs Siriphone Souphanthong, said that coffee, as a cash crop, has strong potential to boost people’s incomes.
However, there is a dearth of high-quality internationally marketable coffee, as farmers in northern areas of Laos have limited skills to grow and process the crop in ways that meet the needs of international markets.
The project’s activities will support people in target communities, help them to create income from coffee production, and access sustainable food security and nutrition, with a focus on women, and children under the age of five.
The Ambassador of Japan to Laos, Kenichi Kobayashi, said Japan has been continuously supporting the development of the agriculture and forestry sectors in Laos, including the partnership with the World Food Programme.
The Japanese government is delighted to support this initiative, hoping to contribute to stabilising and improving rural incomes, while ensuring food security and improving nutrition.
The founder and CEO of Saka no Tochu, Mr Kunihiko Ono, said the company believes that numerous social issues exist in relation to coffee production, and addressing them rather than turning them away is crucial for the future.
The cooperation project aims to provide training and infrastructure for farmers, which will benefit their whole village, with the ultimate goal of a better life for all in the community.
Through the project’s activities, it is hoped to increase the volume of coffee that will be available for export, to specifically target the market of small and medium roasters in Japan, Mr Ono said.
World Food Programme Representative and Country Director, Marc-André Prost, said the primary goal of the agency is to help families to access a diversified diet that meets their needs.
Nutrition education will create awareness in communities about people’s needs at different stages in life, while the increased income from coffee production will allow farmers to buy the food they don’t already produce, he added.
COFFEE-JAPAN is an innovative public-private partnership with a sustainable people-centred approach, integrating export-grade coffee production, capacity building and nutrition awareness to empower communities and drive positive change.

By Keoviengkhone Bounviseth
 (Latest Update February 16, 2024)