Stable year expected for Lao bamboo
A BAMBOO processing unit in Laos is expecting exports to Vietnam to remain stable this year as importers have already placed orders for their main products such as chopsticks, incense sticks and barbeque skewers.
The firm now has plans to produce 2,000 tonnes of commodities to meet overseas demand.
An executive of Soukchalern bamboo factory told Vientiane Times recently, “The number of our shipments may be the same as last year.”
Vietnam is the main buyer for the bamboo products, with strong economic growth in the Asean region. At the same time, the unit also supplies some products to enlarge its domestic market share.
Soukchalern bamboo processing is one of four factories in Sangthong district, located to the west of Vientiane, the capital city of Laos. These units rely on raw materials from the district, which has a lot of resources to feed production.
The Soukchalern enterprise orders raw materials from local suppliers and pays them 500,000 kip ($60) per tonne of bamboo, said the executive .
Vietnam is the third largest trade partner of Laos, after Thailand and China, with total trade of more than $1 billion during 2016. This figure was expected to hit $1.17 billion last year and further rise to $1.32 billion in 2018. Vietnam is now also the third largest foreign investor in Laos, with 276 projects worth around $5 billion.
A senior forest official told Vientiane Times on Friday that the district authorities received bamboo excavation quotas from the government in 2017, with total set at 2 million stems. The allocated quotas are now almost exhausted.
The authorities plan to work with processing industries and people within the district to plant bamboo in villages where the excavation is being done to ensure sustainable use in the future.