According to Viet Nam News Agency’s reporters in Laos, the inauguration ceremony of the Namxiem Arrowroot Plant Project was held on December 14^th in Nam Xiem village, Phaxay district, Xieng Khouang province. The Plant is invested by the Metallurgy and Minerals One Member Limited Company, under Co-operative Economic Corporation (COECCO) from Vietnam.

Attending the ceremony, there were Mr. Thongvan Vilayheuang, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Deputy Head of the Central Committee for Poverty Alleviation; Comrade Pham Hung Thang, General Director of Co-operative Economic Corporation (COECCO Vietnam); Mr. Bounhom ​​Thetthany, Standing Member of Provincial Party Committee, Director of Xiengkhuang Agriculture and Forestry Department and representatives from relevant agencies of Vietnam and Laos,  representatives of the people in the arrowroot cultivation groups of the two villages Namxie and Namxia.

The Namxiem Arrowroot Plant is located in Phaxay District, Xieng Khouang Province, in the area where two years ago, bad forces regularly attacked and caused large damages on people’s lives and facilities for the Namxia and Nam Xiem villages. In order to support Laos to develop and stabilize people’s life, Minerals and Metallurgy One Member Limited Company has invested more than US $ 1 million to build Namxiem Arrowroot Plant Project on an area of ​​over 20,000 m2, This is one of the key projects by COECCO in Namxiem village, Phaxay district, Xieng Khouang province.

With a capacity of 6,000 tons per year, the factory is expected to create new development in modern agriculture for localities, creating stable jobs and income for people in the project area.

After more than two years of project development, up to now, 100 households in Namxiem village have been involved in producing raw materials for Namxiem Arrowroot Plant. With a total cultivation area of ​​62 hectares and yield of about 50 tons / ha, the average income of each household participating in the project will be about 15 million kip per year (about 42 million VND / year).

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Chief of Namxiem village, Mr. Giang Nhia Lau said: despite of being established in 2005 in a fertile and large area of land, in the past, people in the village are only used to old cultivation way, cultivating spontaneous products such as maize and rice was to provide for the family but not to produce goods for the market. Therefore, despite their hard work, their families situation is still very difficult, money for children to study is not sufficient.

From the end of 2016, when the project was brought to the area, and over 2 years of implementation, the project has brought practical benefits to the people of Namxiem village and some families of Namxie village. Thanks to the project, people in the area have stable jobs; 100% of products they made are sold to the Plant at reasonable prices, which not only bringing high income, helping people to settle their business, but also contributing to the development of the village. Especially, thanks to the income from the sale of arrowroot, this year people in the village had a happy and warm H’mong traditional New Year. Moreover, thanks to the project, the Namxiem village is well known to many people in Laos and Vietnam.

On behalf of the people in the village, Giang Nhia Lau sincerely thanked the authorities of Xieng Khouang province, especially COECCO’s  Mineral and Metallurgy One Member Company Limited from Vietnam for their support and help so people in the area can have a better and better life as of today.

Source: VNA