Sweet potatoes hurt farmers! Cassava prices in Laos hit a decade low

Low prices hurt farmers! Cassava prices in Laos hit a decade low

Introduction: In recent years, cassava has firmly held the top spot in Laos' agricultural product exports, enjoying unlimited popularity for a time. More and more investors and local farmers are expanding their planting areas, and in some areas, deforestation and conversion to cassava have even occurred. At present, it is the concentrated harvest season of cassava, but the price of cassava has encountered a "Waterloo", and the purchase price continues to drop, causing many farmers to be in a difficult situation and suffering.

From December 16th to 24th, 2024, the People's Assembly of Vientiane, the capital of Laos, held its 8th ordinary session. Mr. Bane, a member of the Vientiane People's Assembly, proposed to stakeholders in Vientiane that it would be beneficial to address the issue of low cassava prices.

Legislators have proposed that there are thousands of hectares of cassava plantations in the capital city of Vientiane, and it is currently the harvest season. Due to low prices, normal harvesting is not possible. Currently, the purchase price of cassava is 1300 Kip/kg, which is approximately 1.3 million Kip/ton, with a maximum of 1.5 million Kip/ton. If labor and transportation costs to the cassava factory are included, there is not much profit to be made, so even if the factory opens up for purchase, due to the low price, it cannot be collected and sold normally. Therefore, he called on relevant departments to take measures to coordinate or promote the search for reasonable prices, so that local residents can have a normal income.

The legislator added that in the past, cassava factories were open for purchase, but when people brought a large amount of cassava for sale, some factories suspended the purchase citing machine problems and a lack of labor. Also, cassava factory management personnel have additional conditions. If they know the people in the factory, they can sell, but if they don't know the people in the factory, they cannot sell. When the new day comes, the price will decrease. Therefore, he hopes that relevant departments must find ways to solve these problems, so that the people who grow cassava can have food to eat, and also enable the smooth production and sales of cassava for the people.

The response from the Minister of Industry and Trade of Vientiane City to the proposal from the legislators is: for cassava factories, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry is the manager; As for the price of cassava, it has not yet been included in the price control list, nor has a maximum minimum price been set. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry is currently studying it; However, the industry and trade department of Vientiane City will actively cooperate with relevant departments to better solve related problems.

According to another Chinese netizen, the more than 100 acres of cassava planted by him and his friends in the suburbs of Vientiane have suffered a huge loss this year.