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PROJECT “NETWORK FOR AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT
THINK-TAKS FOR COUNTRIES IN MEKONG-SUB REGION” (NARDT)

priorities for the nation so far and has started from ensuring rice sufficiency to
guaranteeing food security and nutrition with focusing on agricultural sustainability.
In 1988, the major policy of the government was the announcement of changing from
natural agricultural production to the market economy (MAF, 2010a). In this period,
agricultural production mainly focused on rice production for household consumption
to deal with food insufficiency in the whole country, particularly in the rural areas. This
means that the main purpose of the government was to ensure having enough rice
for household consumption. After that, in 2000, the food security of the nation was
basis sufficiency, particularly basic rice sufficiency in general (MAF, 2010b). It means
that the total rice production is enough for the total population in the country. In
this period, the agricultural sector focused on yield improvement, input utilization
promotion, irrigation system development in major rice areas, and research and
promote modern variety (MAF, 2010b).

In 2010, Lao PDR more focused not only on food security in the whole country,
including rural remote areas but also emphasized nutrition conditions for citizens. It
means not only focusing on having enough food for consumption but also ensuring the
variety of different types of food. In this period the sector focused more on modern
variety utilization, also irrigation system development aiming in rice production areas,
rice commercialization, and the awareness of basic nutrition as a whole country,
particularly in rural remote areas (MAF, 2010b).

In 2020 and currently, the government continues to focus on food security
and nutrition and focusing more on commercialization. During this period, the
agricultural sector focuses on sustainable rice production with a concentration on
clean agriculture like Good Agriculture Practice (GAP), organic agriculture, etc.
(MAF, 2015). Rice commercialization is increasing with the participation of public-
private partnerships for domestic rice commerce and exports. Additionally, there
is the initiative of modernization in the rice sector by using large machines in rice
production in Khammoune and Savannakhet provinces.

As the importance of rice production in the country, the government, as
emphasized on the 7 8 , 9 , and 10 Party Central Committees and the 7 , 8 , and
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th,
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9 National Social Economic Development Plans (NSEPDs), set rice as the priority
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crop for national food security. This is because Lao citizens generally consume sticky
rice more than non-glutinous rice. According to the 8th NSEDP, in the period of 2016-
2020, the agricultural sector is focusing on food security and nutrition with the ensure
of domestic rice production, and rural development and poverty eradication or known
as “3 builds” (MPI, 2011; 2016), while the recent 9th NSEDP focuses on quality; focus
areas, green and sustainability (MPI, 2021). These emphasize the importance of rice in
the country as the priority crop for basic national food security.
Apart from this, for agricultural development strategies (ADSs), in the period of
2010-2015, the main concentration was to ensure the rice production of the average of 250-
300 kg/person/year (MAF, 2010b), while in 2016-2020 was to ensure 2.5 million of paddy
production as a whole country with the guarantee of 2,500 kcal/person/day (MAF, 2015).
Currently, the sector emphasizes ensuring 4.7 million tons of paddy rice production, with
2.5 tons for food security and about 1-1.5 million tons for commercialization and exports,
half-million tons for domestic processing, and 100 thousand tons for seed. Together with
this, the agricultural sector also focuses on clean rice production, particularly GAP and
organic and national seed policy with the establishment of the National Gene Bank as the

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