Vietnamese, Lao provinces implement hi-tech agriculture project

Thanh Hoa (VNA) – Vietnam’s north-central province of Thanh Hoa and Laos’ eastern province of Houaphanh are implementing a project using modern science and technology to grow mushrooms.

The project is being carried out by the centre for applied research and development of biotechnology of Thanh Hoa’s Department of Science and Technology and Houaphanh’s mushroom production centre.

The project built a model producing 12 tonnes of mushroom spawn per year and two others on commercial mushroom cultivation, each with designed capacity of 30 tonnes of material per year.

The Vietnamese centre has handed over the infrastructure and equipment of the project to its Lao counterpart.

Director of the Thanh Hoa Department of Science and Technology Le Minh Thong said the two provinces have cooperated in various fields, including science-technology.

While implementing the project in Houaphanh, the Vietnamese centre conducted fact-finding tours to the province to study its natural, social and economic conditions to build a development plan for its mushroom cultivation industry, he said.

The centre also arranged for Lao technicians to visit mushroom production facilities in Vietnam, he added.

Thanks to the project, Houaphanh farmers are now able to grow mushrooms using locally-made spawn.

The project is expected to create a foundation for the development of hi-tech agriculture in the Lao province, thus increasing cooperation between Thanh Hoa and Houaphanh.-VNA