Recommendations

Through the analysis of the problems and challenges discussed earlier as well as on the development strategy framework of Lao's government, policy recommendations for promoting export of agricultural products are made as follows:

Regulation and procedure

It takes longer in Laos than any other countries in Asia to start a business. So in order to reduce the number of procedure, time and cost first of all the government needs to learn the experience from neighboring countries like Thailand and Vietnam in drafting the law or regulation that related to agriculture sector. By doing so the government can set up the most suitable import and export policy for they own country. Secondly, government should streamline clearance procedures by cutting off unnecessary documents and establish a one-stop service to facilitate to the private sectors, so when they needs the export license or related certificate they don't have to go to many concern departments. By doing so, the government can help private sector reduce time and cost, at the same time the government can also attach more foreign direct investment.

Promotion and Support

The government, especially the Ministry of Agriculture will play an important role in promoting and supporting the development of agricultural products. The government can set up the small business program to promote brand development by support to smallholders who have good business ideas but do not have capability to carry out those ideas due to the lack of capital and certain basic business knowledge and skills that can be learnt. A small business program that assists small and mid-sized farms in brand development will enable some small family farms to vertically

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integrate agriculture business operations and increase total revenue. Although only some small family farms will be able to take advantage of the program and succeed in brand development, the program will not only contribute to distributing growth across individual households, it will create an environment to foster faster specialty agriculture development that will also gradually benefit all farmers from higher values.

Human Resource Development

The government have to invest more in education especially farmer's education and expand the number of man power in order to meet the needs of new labour market and international standard. The government as well as ministry of Agriculture and Forestry need to set up long and medium term activity and program for instant build up the school for farmers in some province to train skills to farmers. Firstly, the training initially has to focus on the potential crops like rice, vegetable and cassava and expand to fruit and other crops. Besides that, the governments have to pay attention on training of trainer and many other file researches like prevalent insect pests and diseases, field support functions and off-season vegetable production. By doing so, government not only can expand man power and meet the need of international standard but they can help farmers enhance with farmer's ability to use of fertilizer and machinery, market access and off-farm works.

Food Safety Standard

The government and exporters association plays a major role in raising food safety standard. Indirect subsidies through public spending on raising food safety standard by the government can reduce short-run adjustment cost. At the same time, the government should spend some budget to buy some necessary testing equipment to facilitate to the firms inside country. Further more in order to enhance food safety standard, the government can banning imports of forbidden preservatives and antibiotic. In addition, exporters and producers' association should cooperate closely with

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government through supply vital information of industry. This kind of information is very important when the government engage in policy formulation and in international negotiations.

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