Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong is welcomed by the people of Nam Siem focused development area.

Mr Thongsing advised provincial authorities to work hard to help farmers increase agricultural production and grow more crops for sale. He urged them to send in agricultural advisors to train villagers in more intensive cropping and animal husbandry techniques, in order to boost yields.

During his two-day visit, the Prime Minister met with provincial and district officials as well as local people to discuss the issues important to them. He also visited several focused development areas in remote parts of the province to explain the intentions of the government to the people, and its determination to help them rise out of poverty.

“Our aim is to have no families living in poverty by 2015 and for Laos to graduate from least developed country status by 2020,” the Prime Minister told a meeting at the Long Cheng development cluster yesterday.

He urged those present to work with the authorities and participate in the tasks of national protection and development. He told them to tap into their own potential, work to raise their living standards and thereby determine their own future.

He also outlined the achievements in terms of national development over the past 36 years, under the leadership of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party. He emphasised that Laos is now developing very rapidly, and there is plenty of scope for people to improve their livelihoods.

“As we can see, development is everywhere, both in the towns and the rural areas,” Mr Thongsing said. “In Phonsavan in Xieng Khuang province, for example, there used to be a lot of bomb craters and damaged buildings. Now it is full of houses and has all the modern facilities such as electricity, water and sealed roads.”

At the meeting, representatives of the Long Cheng development cluster briefed the Prime Minister on the local situation. The cluster covers 1,680 square kilometres and has six villages in which 687 families live.

The people are mostly engaged in farming and some are able to grow surplus crops for sale at markets. This year they harvested 260 tonnes of maize worth 260 million kip, and some families earned more than 50 million kip from selling oranges.

In addition they grow taro which they sell to factories to make glass noodle s.

The Prime Minister also visited the Nam Siem focused development area in Phaxay district, Xieng Khuang province, which is about 45 kilometres from the provincial capital. Local authorities requested the government to provide them with a motor vehicle and eight motorbikes.

They told the Prime Minister that the living conditions of people in the area have improved in recent years, but 90 families are still living in poverty.

They requested a small amount of funding for village officials to go on a study tour to other provinces to learn more about crop growing on a commercial basis, and also asked for funding to carry out development projects that have been approved.