Laos

Companies acquired concessions amounting to the size of a small European country, while rural residents of Southeast Asia’s Mekong region saw their landholdings shrink or disappear over the past two decades

Lao workers at Chinese-operated banana plantations are falling ill in large numbers from exposure to chemicals used on the farms, with many suffering from respiratory or liver problems

China’s agricultural investment abroad grew more than tenfold in less than a decade and parallels its emergence as a major importer of agricultural commodities. But the focus of investments are shifting from farming and raw materials to business acquisition.

Laos government has authorised a Chinese firm to carry out a feasibility study in southern Laos, with a view to turning it into top agri-business and agri-tourism destination. Deputy Governor of Champassak province said the Chinese firm also intended to grow organic crops for export to China.

Laos and other countries located along the Mekong River will assess the challenges of large-scale agricultural investments to find better solutions for sustainable development and boost economic growth in the region.

The official visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Laos will boost the business ties between the two nations. Agriculture is one of the main sectors targeted by Chinese investors in the neighboring country. Xi will visit the country from Monday to Tuesday.

China has approved plans to establish international agricultural demonstration zones in 10 countries. The projects include an agriculture technology park in Laos, Zambia dan Fiji, said agriculture ministry in a statement.

Le ministère chinois de l'Agriculture a validé la création de "zones de démonstration agricole à l'international" dans 10 pays, rapporte Reuters. Objectif : accroître son influence sur le secteur agricole mondial.

Laos is allocating 1,500 hectares of farmland along the That Luang marsh channel to grow the feed grasses needed for cattle raising, according to Vientiane Livestock and Fisheries section official. Vientiane is cooperating with distributors in Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City to expand the numbers of cattle.

This report seeks to provide an overview of the current state of China’s overseas investment in agriculture in the Mekong region - including through land acquisitions - with a focus on Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.

Lao Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with China's Xuanye (Lao) Co., Ltd/AVIC International Beijing Co., Ltd on a modern agricultural industrial park project in Laos.

Some Chinese investors plan to shutter their banana farms in Laos and relocate to other countries while others plan to replace the yellow herbaceous fruit with other agricultural crops after sustaining losses.