AGRICULTURE INVESTMENT TRENDS-THE ROLE OF PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTOR IN Lao PDR
By Linkham Douangsavanh, Ph.D
Mr. Pasalath Kunsy
☞Average GDP Growth: 7.9% per year
☞Inflation rate has decreased steadily, averaging 5.15%
☞Total Investment: 28.8% of the GDP per year
☞Budget Revenue: 16.5% of GDP and public expenditure 21.2% of GDP
☞Budget deficit 4.7% of GDP
☞Trade deficit 5.4% GDP
☞Foreign Reserves covers 6 months of imports
Achievements of the 6th NSEDP Stable Macroeconomic Growth
• Total Public Investment: 24,747 billion kip (US$ 2.9 Billion) of which,
☞Domestic (Government) financing 3,982 billion kips; (US$ 468 Million)
☞ODA 20,765 bill. kip (est. US$ 2.4 Billion, average US$ 488 million per year);
• Total Private Investment; approved private domestic and
foreign direct investments in the past five years stood at US$ 9.7 billion USD, of which
☞FDI amounted to US$ 8 billion ☞Private domestic investments amounted to US$ 1.7
billion
Achievements of the 6th NSEDP Domestic and Foreign Investments
Enabling Environment for Business
• Agriculture Law • Foreign Investment Promotion Law • Enterprise Law • Ministry of Planning and Investment
– Investment Promotion Department • Committee for Promotion and Management of
Investment
• Investment promotion incentives: profit tax exemptions for different zones
Lao Agriculture is Open to Investment
Core agribusiness sectors of economic interest: production
• China – Mostly in the North – Rubber, tea, vegetables,
livestock, NTFPs – Rubber processing
• Europe – North, South – France: Jatropha, benzoin – Hungary: livestock
• Japan – Central, South – Eucalyptus, Acacia, vegetables
• Korea – Central, South, North – Jatropha, NTFPs
• Singapore – South – Trade zones, coffee
• Thailand – Central, South – Sugar cane, coffee, vegetables,
cassava, pigs, cattle, maize, macadamia nuts, oil palm, peanuts, castor bean, cardamom
• Viet Nam – South, North – Cassava, rubber, livestock,
forestry, NTFPs, maize, cattle, buffalo
Rubber trees in perspective
• Total land area = 23.08 mil ha (FAO)
• Total forest area = 15.986 mil ha (FAO)
• Forest cover target in 2020: 15 mil ha (Lao sub-working group on forestry)
• DOF forest cover target for 2010 = 12 mil ha
• Total agriculture land = 2.129 mil ha (FAO)
• Total arable land = 1.170 mil ha (FAO)
• Concessions as of 2009 = 1.5 mil ha
• MAF industrial plantations target 2020 = 0.5 mil ha (Barney, 2007)
• Rubber planted = 0.4 mil ha (LaoFAB, 2009)
Core agribusiness sectors of economic interest: processing
• Agro-processing: North – Organic tea to
China
– Rubber to China
– Maize to China, Thailand, Viet Nam
– Soybeans to Thailand
– White sesame to Thailand
– NTFPs to China, Japan, Korea
Core agribusiness sectors of economic interest: processing
• Agro-processing South – Okra to Japan – Coffee to Hongkong, Europe,
Thailand – Cabbages to Thailand, Viet
Nam – Bananas to Thailand, Viet
Nam – Cotton indigo products to
Japan – Peanuts to Thailand, Viet
Nam – Cassava to Viet Nam – Rubber to Viet Nam – Soybeans to Thailand, Viet
Nam
Core agribusiness sectors of economic interest: processing
• Agro-processing: Central – Maize to Thailand
– Sweet corn to Europe
– Vegetables to Europe
– Peanuts to Thailand
– Cassava to Thailand
– Black glutinous rice to Europe, some organic
Observations on investments and investors
• Successful agribusinesses are well financed and have a good working relationship with Government
• Beer Lao is the model for mega-projects
The Cast of Characters • Coffee
– Dao Heung – Sinouk – Lao Mountain Coffee – AGPC – Olam International (Pakxong
Highlands??? )(Thai-Singapore)
• Vegetables – Lao Agro Industry (Vientiane
Province) – Mme. Inpeng (Champasak) – Taniyama-Siam (Sekong)
• Textiles – La’ha (cotton indigo)
(Savannakhet) – Lao Sericulture (Mulberries)
(Xieng Khouang) • Benzoin
– Agroforex (Houa Phanh)
• Sugar cane – Mitr Lao (Savannakhet) – Khonekene (Savannakhet) – TCC Capital Land
(Champasak) • Jatropha
– Kolao • Tree plantations
– Oji – Stora Enso
• Cassava (South) – Binh Dinh Pharmaceutical
and Medical Equipment Company (BIDIPHAR)
– CBF Pharma Company (a Lao-Viet Nam joint-venture)
– Ou Phu Ko Co. (Viet Nam)
• Rubber – Dak Lak Rubber Co.
(Viet Nam)
– Seunly Company (China)
– Sino-Lao Rubber Co., Ltd. (China)
– Natural Rubber of Yunnan (China)
– Zenhua Rubber (China)
– Siphan Salika Rubber Development
– Jianfong Rubber Development Co., Ltd.
The Cast of Characters
How to proceed
The next phase of agribusiness development
Entering the Lao value chain • Emphasize commodity-based projects • Corporate taxes can be negotiated based on social
sensitivity of the agribusiness • Lao version of CSR: Corporate Social Responsibility
Examples: • Contract farming with producers • Transfer of technology to producers • Micro-financing for producers • Training of officials for accredited certification • International standard SPS laboratories: BOT basis =
build operate and transfer (to GoL) • Value-added processing in country • Profit sharing with producers
P-P-P-P • A network of PARTNERSHIPS • Public & public: Government to Government
– MOU: Lao Government and Singapore Government
• Public & private: Government to private company: – MOU: Lao Government and private company
• Private & producers: Private company to producers – Contract farming: Private company and producers
How to proceed Prerequisite: • Role for the Lao Government at the
policy level – GoL sits on the board – GoL coordinates, facilitates, arbitrates,
resolves problems – GoL assists with negotiations with
farmers during start-up and with problems as they arise
How to proceed Alternative #1 -- Terms and conditions: • Management contract
for 1 or more irrigated areas – Minimum size = 5,000
ha
– Experienced producer groups are in place
– Contract farming are with producers or producer groups
Case Study: Gnommalath Plain,
Khammouane Province
How to proceed Alternative #2 -- Terms and conditions: • Barren land available as a
land concession – 30 year renewable lease
– 30 ha – 1,000 ha
– Operate as a nucleus estate
– Contract farming outreach program with local farmers
– Lease land from farmers
– Use farmers as workers while transferring technology
Case Study:
Taniyama-Siam, Thateng District, Sekong Province
Okra: Sekong to Japan in 72 hours
policy recommendations
The Sixth Plan (2006-2010) was translate programme into actions and methods for economic development that incorporate foreign investments. There will be an immediate materialization of laws
related to foreign investments. The 5th National Assembly already made some changes to the
mechanisms, policy, plans, procedures for granting investment permits, etc. These will be monitored regularly for further improvement and to enlarge the investment environment. This will create fast
investment procedures, which will become simpler.
Agricultural development Targets - Reform the laws and regulations involved in setting up enterprises and streamline the process; - Finalisation, implementation and enforcement of the implementing regulations for the Business Law; - Improve the quality and professionalism of public service provision; Increasing transparency; - Hold regular meetings between the central and local level Government and the private sector; - Reform regulations and administrative constraints that give rise to monopolies such as: lift restrictions on the movement of goods between provinces; and abolish limitations on restricting provincial contracts to local firms; - Lift some restrictions on foreign workers; - Reform the tax system, setting up proper monitoring agencies; - Increase foreign investment; - Continue to develop regulations and business operation laws and improve the business licensing processes; reduce unnecessary procedures; and increase fast and convenient services to businesses and entrepreneurs; - Promote the establishment of enterprises, cooperatives and family businesses in all areas permitted by the Government; Increase people’s access to financing.
Lessons learned
• Technology driven market-transition has been risky • Cash crops should not be promoted unless the market
is well-understood • Local-level organization should focus not only on
production, but also processing and marketing • Equity in access to opportunities is key to
understanding the economic impact of markets • The skills to support market-oriented production are
still lacking at the local level – need for not only technical expertise, but also experience with contracts, marketing and negotiation
• Improvement in the capacity of research centres and seed multiplication stations to sustainably produce large quantity of high quality seed according to demand of the most appropriate varieties for the different Lao conditions
The End
Thank you