President visits cutting-edge agriculture project in Xaythany district
President Choummaly Sayasone led government and Party officials along with some chosen model families on a tour to see an innovative agricultural development project in Vientiane's Xaythany district on Monday.
President Choummaly Sayasone ( right ) and other high-ranking officials inspect products produced at the innovative agriculture development project in Vientiane.
The visit was designed as a way to learn about the implementation of the ‘three build' directive – where roles and responsibilities are shared between the province, the district and the village – and how the Xaythany district project has become a model for modern agricultural production.
Accompanying the president were ministers and representatives from the Party Central Committee as well as provincial governors, district governors, village chiefs and model families from the entire country. Participants learned about modern agricultural production and how the project carries out commercial production in new, more complex ways.
The project grows a number of crops and vegetables, including organic vegetables, fruit tree plantations, crops for animal feed, grass growing for breeding animals and breeding cows.
The crop plantation and animal breeding initiatives use modern techniques and equipment to ensure the production is efficient and effective to keep up supply for the market.
The project is in line with the Party's policy to move from natural agriculture to farming that uses modern techniques and science for commercial production.
The model families were drawn from around the nation. The tour was designed to give them an opportunity to learn from the techniques and technology, which they might be able to put to use themselves to generate m ore income and escape poverty.
Laos is considered an agriculture nation as the majority of Lao people rely on farming and for years the government has tried to promote commercial production for both domestic needs and export.
But there have been challenges with the implementation of that policy.
In Laos, the agriculture and forestry sector represents 25.2 percent of GDP while the industrial sector represents 28 percent. The service sector represents 38.9 percent.
In 2012-13 fiscal year, the Lao economy grew 8 percent and average annual income per capita reached US$1,500. The Party and government have set a goal of Laos graduating from least developed country status by 2020.
By Times Reporters
(Latest Update December 25, 2013)