Lao people's democratic republic rice policy study

The results of this study confirm the continuing structural transformation of the Lao rice sector which started a decade ago. To some extent, the sector transformations being led by inter related factors not strictly related to government rice sector policies, including: (i) continued GDP growth led by mineral and hydropower exports; (ii) increasing job opportunities in the non-tradable, non-agricultural sector, and in neighboring countries, associated with increasing incomes; (iii) increasing shortages of farm labour and an ageing farm population; (iv) increasing urbanization and related changes in food consumption patterns; and (v) stabilization of aggregate national rice consumption as a result of a declining population growth rate and gradual diversification of diets away from rice as a source of calories. Furthermore, emergence of new private sector driven export crops. The current situation, which decouples rice sector-related government policies between farm and post-farm, each governed by different sector line ministries, may no longer be efficient. The growth in the number of commercially-oriented rice farmers as shown by the 2010 agriculture census data means that investments in further productivity improvements need to be well articulated with measures to sustain a sound market environment and this has trade policy implications.

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