Laotian rice has been named “the world’s best rice”! It has entered the EU market and won over Chinese consumers—so what makes Laotian rice so competitive?

Laotian rice was ranked fourth in the “World’s Best Rice” competition.

According to Lao media reports, the fragrant rice produced by Laos’ IDP Company placed fourth in the “World’s Best Rice” competition at the World Rice Forum. Held in Phuket, Thailand, the contest featured 60 varieties of rice from around the globe. This marks the first time Lao rice has earned a top-four ranking in the “World’s Best Rice” category.

The judges are a panel of professional chefs from various countries, who assess the quality of rice by evaluating its color, aroma, and taste before and after cooking.

Laotian rice exporters have signed an agreement with France to export 1,000 tons of rice to the country annually.

Champahom Trading Import-Export Sole Co., Ltd. has entered into an agreement with Wech Gros Import-Export to serve as the exclusive general agent in France. The first shipment of 25 tons of rice is expected to be dispatched to France in November.

 

 

Champahom Company has been overseeing rice cultivation by local farmers on more than 600 hectares of land across Vientiane’s Banh, Setthathilath, Xaysetha, and Hatsayfong districts.

The company has already exported rice to Belgium, with the first shipment totaling 50 tons, the second 200 tons, and the third also 200 tons.

Last year, Laos exported its first batch of 50 tons of rice to the European Union, offering farmers new hope for increased incomes and bringing much-needed foreign exchange to the country. The initial shipment of Thadokkham-8 (TDK8) rice was sold to Belgium by Champahom Trading Import-Export Sole Co., Ltd.

 

 

Laos expects to produce approximately 5 million tons of rice by the end of this year, aiming to ensure national food security and export to other countries.

Laotian rice has been recognized by the European Union.

According to a report by the Vientiane Times in early October 2021, Laos has exported its first batch of 50 tons of rice to the European Union, offering new hope for boosting farmers’ incomes and generating additional foreign exchange for the country. This also signifies that Lao rice has been recognized by the EU.

 

List of Registered Lao Rice Enterprises and Inspection and Quarantine Requirements

Since Laos began exporting more rice to China, its total rice exports to Vietnam have declined.

In 2017, Laos exported nearly US$29 million worth of rice to Vietnam; however, according to data from the Ministry of Industry and Trade, this figure fell to approximately US$7.6 million in 2019. By contrast, the total value of rice exports to China rose from US$5.6 million in 2017 to over US$11.5 million in 2019, with further increases expected in 2020 and 2021. Laos has also been granted a rice export quota of 50,000 tons by the Chinese government.

Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Laos has continued to ship rice to China as scheduled. Savannakhet is a major rice-producing province in Laos, with rice export revenues reaching US$36 million in 2019 alone.

 

 

Why can Lao rice compete?

Within Laos, the Mekong River basin boasts clean water and fertile soil, providing ideal conditions for rice cultivation.

Laotian rice is grown using traditional, indigenous varieties and is cultivated without the use of pesticides or chemical fertilizers, making it a green and environmentally friendly agricultural product.

 

 

Laos fragrant rice

Adopt traditional agricultural cultivation.

Hand weeding, ecological pest control

No pesticides, hormones, or chemical fertilizers are used.

The taste and nutrition of nature

 

 

Hunan Xuanye Ecological Agricultural Development Co., Ltd. specializes in the cultivation, procurement, processing, and sale of grains and other cash crops, as well as agricultural project investment and agricultural technology development. Adhering to the philosophy of “green, healthy, shared, and sustainable,” the company is committed to ensuring that the public can afford safe and reliable food, promoting the integration of modern agriculture with nature, and developing a green, pollution-free modern agricultural industry.

 

 

In October 2014, the company established a wholly owned subsidiary in Laos—Xuan Ye (Laos) Co., Ltd.—and focused on agricultural development and the construction of modern agricultural industrial parks. It has initially forged a complete industrial chain spanning breeding, cultivation, processing, storage, logistics, and trade, marking a historic “first-ever” export of Lao rice to China and becoming the country’s first exporter of Lao rice to the Chinese market. Its “Landlao” brand rice has been designated as a state gift, presented by Lao national leaders to foreign dignitaries.

Traveling downstream along the Mekong River, deep in the heart of Southeast Asia, lies Laos. In this country, more than 90% of the population are devout Buddhists; there is not a single fertilizer‑producing enterprise, and the circulation of highly toxic pesticides is strictly prohibited. For generations, Lao farmers have cultivated only one rice crop per year, working from sunrise to sunset. They irrigate their fields exclusively with mountain spring water and use cow manure as fertilizer. Healthy grains are nature’s highest reward for a year of diligent farming. To uphold Buddhism is a faith; to remain steadfast is a faith; to preserve tradition is a faith. XuanYe Ecological Agriculture Development Co., Ltd. is dedicated to growing a single grain of rice imbued with faith, even in our bustling world—sourced from a nation rooted in faith. LAND LAO Laotian Rice, exclusively imported by XuanYe Agriculture.