At the invitation of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Laos, the heads of the Science and Technology Service Department, Scientific Research Department, Rice Research Institute and Hybrid Rice Research Center, headed by Bai Lianyang, secretary of the Party Committee of Hunan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, visited Laos from September 6 to 10.

During the five-day visit, the Hunan delegation visited the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Laos, Vientiane City, Cammon Province, Savannakhet Province, Polikansee Province and other rice advantageous areas in order to introduce into the excellent rice varieties, advanced technologies for high quality, high yield and environmental protection rice production and fully mechanized equipment of the Hunan Academy of Agricultural Sciences into Laos, with the support of the two governments. It is willing to complement Lao excellent geographical phenological conditions, abundant rice planting resources, sufficient agricultural land and labor force, with resources, technologies and talents of Hunan Xuanye Ecological Agriculture Development Co., Ltd., which has laid a good foundation for Lao rice export in the early days,. It is also planned to set up “Xuanye Research and Popularization Center for Laos Rice of Hunan Academy of Agricultural Sciences” in Laos.

Benkuan Kangbenheng, Lao Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, met with the delegation and the two parties had in-depth exchanges on the establishment of the “Xuanye Research and Popularization Center for Laos Rice of Hunan Academy of Agricultural Sciences” in Laos. Benkuan said that the Lao government will actively introduce relevant policies and regulations to promote agricultural development, provide preferential measures for agricultural products export and import of enterprise investment after the opening of the China-Laos railway, jointly promote agricultural development in Laos and strengthen agricultural and trade exchanges between China and Laos. The two parties agreed to strive to introduce excellent rice varieties and advanced technologies from the Hunan Academy of Agricultural Sciences into Laos for demonstration and promotion with the support of the two governments, and to establish a demonstration base for rice breeding and high-quality and efficient cultivation and promotion in Laos, so as to promote the industrialization of rice production and rice export in Laos and benefit rice farmers in Laos.

Relevant departments of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Laos hope that the Hunan Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Xuanye Company will cooperate with each other to actively provide advice and agricultural technical support and guidance for Lao agricultural development, realize breakthrough growth in Lao rice production and standardized export as soon as possible to meet domestic and export demand for rice.

In the exchange with the heads of Vientiane City, Cammon Province, the Agriculture and Forestry Department of Savannah Province and the Tashano Rice Research and Seed Breeding Center of Savannah Province, the Hunan delegation further understood and investigated the local geographical and phenological conditions and rice breeding, planting, processing and sales in Laos.

After on-the-spot investigation of Vientiane Rice Planting Base, Tashanuo Breeding Center in Savannah Province, Xuanye Grain Planting Base, Xuanye Southern Agricultural Industrial Park, and Rice Planting Bases in Cammon Province and Bolikansee Province, Bai lianyang said that foreign agricultural cooperation is an important strategy for China’s “going global” and hoped that the Lao government would seize the opportunity of “the Belt and Road” and introduce Chinese high-quality rice varieties and advanced breeding technologies to establish a “China standard” for rice export to build a high-quality rice planting base, improve the rice yield in Laos and realize large-scale mechanized planting. Hunan Academy of Agricultural Sciences is confident that with the help of China’s agricultural technology and professional team, it will increase the output of rice in Laos by 2-3 tons per hectare to help Lao farmers generate income and become rich. It is also very willing to become a strategic partner with Xuanye Company and become a “Xuanye Lao Rice Research and Popularization Center” of Hunan Academy of Agricultural Sciences based on Laos, forming a rice breeding center and a rice production technology popularization center radiating to Southeast Asia. By doing this, it can realize the industrialization of rice cultivation and the commercialization of rice exports to China, export more “Chinese standard” high-quality rice to China and the world, jointly build a “China Agriculture” world brand, and achieve mutual benefit and win-win agricultural production and import and export cooperation.

It is reported that the current output of rice in Laos is only 2-4 tons per hectare, while the highest output in China is 16 tons per hectare, and the output of large-scale cultivation is 7-8 tons. In contrast, there is still much room for improvement of rice in Laos.

Ben Zhan, Deputy Director of the Planting Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Laos, and Xu Guowu, Chairman of Hunan Xuanye Ecological Agriculture Development Co., Ltd, accompanied the visit. (Source: Hunan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hunan Xuanye Ecological Agriculture Development Co., Ltd.)