(30/01/2013) — The Thai Embassy’s Minister Counsellor (Commercial) to Laos, Ms Pimol Pongkongkaew, has praised a major Lao tapioca producer, the Lao-Indochina Group (LIG) Public Company, saying the group’s tapioca factory has become a model for development.
“This model plant is a useful manufacturing area that foreign businesses and producers often visit in order to share its experience,” Ms Pimol said during a visit by a group of Thai tapioca producers to the LIG’s tapioca factory in Pakngum district, Vientiane, yesterday.
“We see the company taking part in social and economic development, such as providing employment. It has also won many international certificates and awards,” she said.
A representative of the group of Thai tapioca producers, Mr Boonchai Srichaiyongpanich, said many countries in the region have increased their cassava plantations, including Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia.
Ms Pimol said the foreign trade departments of Asean nations recently held discussions on the 5E & 5I (five exporters and five importers) of rice. The 5E countries, including Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam will be the exporters, and they intend to launch a cooperation project to supply the markets of the five Asean rice importers.“Soon, the free trade area will open up and we are here to find out how we can enhance cooperation to allow our businesses to keep growing in the future, and also because we have a similar market,” Mr Boonchai said.
“So I think that in regards to tapioca production, we can have a similar cooperation effort at the Asean level. This is a preparatory visit as we will soon all be part of the Asean Economic Community,” Ms Pimol said.
The visit was also scheduled to enable an exchange of information on the technical and management systems that the Lao Indochina Group now has in place, and to see how the company is cooperating with cassava growers.
Currently Lao Indochina’s plant can produce about 320 tonnes of tapioca per day, mainly for export to China. It employs more than 300 people and provides an income for more than 4,700 families. The company won an Asean Business Award recently.
Lao Indochina also obtained ISO 9001:2008 certification from the UK in recognition of the company’s quality management system, along with Good Manufacturing Practice certification from both the government and an international organisation regarding food hygiene.
Times Reporters
