Coffee growers see profits drain away

Champassak is suffering the effects of a 28 percent decrease in the price of coffee exports compared to last year, with the price now standing at 1,800 kip per kilogram compared to 2,500 kip. The province's Industry and Commerce Department said that in the first nine months of this year 17,993 tonnes of coffee was exported, a drop of 28 per cent compared to last year. A senior official at the Industry and Commerce Department in Xekong province, Mr Soukphavanh Xayavongkhamdy, said 1,008 tonnes of coffee was exported and growers were paid 2,200 to 2,400 kip per kilogram. With the market price of coffee following a downward trend, some growers have abandoned the crop and are growing cassava instead as they can harvest it quickly and it is easy to sell.

Information source: Vientiane Times.