Laos has seen a substantial growth in agriculture, which accounts for 24.6 percent of the country’s total gross domestic product (GDP).

The country expects to earn over 394 million USD from agricultural exports in 2014 and even higher in the coming year.

From a country with rice shortages before its liberation in 1975, Laos recorded its rice output of 3.41 million tonnes in 2013, not only meeting domestic demands but also contributing to its export.

The country also witnessed a remarkable development in other crops such as corn, sugar cane, coffee and rubber.

In 2012-2013 fiscal year, rubber exports brought 96.7 million USD to Laos , making it one of the country’s top export agricultural products. It was followed by fruits with 72 million USD, and coffee with 70 million USD.

Under the strategy for agricultural development up to 2025 with a vision to 2030, the country plans to zone off 4.5 million hectares for agricultural production, including 2 million hectares for rice growing.

Over the past 39 years, Vietnam and Laos have seen strong collaboration in agricultural development, with a number of joint projects on irrigation, water-rice growing, rubber and coffee tree planting and animal husbandry.

Vietnam has provided personnel training for and transferred advanced technology to Laos, as an effort to help improve the quality and competitiveness of the latter’s agricultural products on the threshold of the ASEAN Economic Community, which is scheduled to be formed in late 2015.-VNA