Southeast Asia Information Port News (www.dnyxxg.com) – On October 8th, good news came from the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone in Laos: a 168-mu (approximately 10.5 hectares) experimental field of "giant pasture rice" successfully yielded its first harvest. This is the first giant rice project in Laos, a collaboration between the Jinmian Group and the Guangxi Academy of Sciences.
To further implement the "large-scale agriculture" development strategy of the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone in Laos and promote the transformation and development of Lao agriculture, the Jinmian Group, in conjunction with the Guangxi Academy of Sciences, launched the "One Mu of Grain Field to Raise One Cattle" agricultural cooperation project.
The newly planted "giant pasture rice" variety not only possesses the advantages of traditional rice, such as large panicles, many grains, strong tillering ability, and excellent rice quality, but also stands out with its plant height exceeding that of conventional rice, averaging 1.8-2.2 meters per stalk. Its straw can be used as high-quality silage, truly achieving the dual utilization of grain and feed.
The experimental field is located north of the Jinlongshan Golf Resort. In early June, the project team completed land improvement work, including the construction of ponds, irrigation ditches, field ridges, and roads. Faced with the challenges of steep slopes and difficult leveling, the team flexibly adjusted their planting strategy, deciding to use direct seeding for 35 mu (approximately 2.3 hectares) and seedling raising and transplanting for 133 mu (approximately 8.5 hectares), ultimately achieving a total planted area of 168 mu (approximately 10.5 hectares).
Shang Jingying, manager of the Golden Triangle Group's agricultural company, stated, "In the harvesting stage, we initially used manual harvesting. We expect to use combine harvesters to complete the remaining harvest by mid-October. The experimental field is expected to yield 600-800 kg of rice and 3000-3500 kg of wet straw per mu (approximately 0.16 acres), for a total of about 134 tons of rice and over 504 tons of wet straw across the 168 mu experimental field."
Songphong Soothhan, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Forestry of Bokeo Province, Laos, highly praised the rice planting project, stating, "The successful implementation of the giant forage rice project has inspired agricultural production in Laos. We look forward to cooperating with the Golden Triangle Group to jointly promote this successful experience to Bokeo Province and even the whole of Laos."
The Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone boasts uniquely favorable conditions for crop cultivation, and the cultivation of traditional crops such as local vegetables and tropical fruits is becoming increasingly mature. The successful planting and harvest of this "giant forage rice" has injected new vitality into the zone's agricultural development and has also set a new benchmark for international agricultural science and technology cooperation.
In the future, the special economic zone will introduce more high-quality crop varieties and advanced agricultural technologies to promote the upgrading and efficiency of the zone's agricultural industry, contribute more wisdom and strength to the development of Lao agriculture, and help Lao farmers increase their income and become wealthy.
