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Laotians turn their noses up at locally produced jam
by Hans Carl
On the outskirts of Vientiane lies a tiny marmalade factory. Well, you wouldn't know from the street. The pretty villa in its leafy, green garden looks very much like its neighbors. The driveway is clean swept, the gate newly painted and as the day draws to a close, peace is descending on the house. But, inside lies a small miracle: a local initiative that helps mountain villagers and increases employment in the capital. And all without any outside assistance! In the small factory such delicious products as pineapple marmalade and tamarin chutney are made from fruit grown by villagers but without any local consumers. The marmalades, sold under the "Lao charmers' Products" label, are produced without chemical preservatives and thus qualify as "natural" or ecological foods.
The small factory has a capacity of only a few tons per month and has for quite some time tried to sell its produce locally, but it seems that jams and marmalades are not well known to the average Laotian consumer. On top of that, the jams suffer from being "locally produced." In the eyes of many consumers therefore, the quality can not--by definition--be compared with foreign produce--for example, the many consumer products imported from neighboring Thailand--and sales have been disappointing.
To find a better outlet, it is therefore necessary for Lao Farmers' Products to find buyers far away. Small quantities have been exported to France and attempts are being made to extend this limited success to Switzerland and other European countries. But, the transport is long and expensive. For example, it is more expensive to transport the marmalade from Vientiane to Bangkok than from Bangkok to France. If a local market could be developed, higher prices could be obtained by Lao Farmers' Products and, as a consequence, better prices could be paid to the farmers and scarce foreign exchange, now spent on transport, could be saved. As it is, Lao Farmers' Products are trying to obtain EU certification of their manufacturing process, but the cost of bringing out the EU inspector far exceeds the tiny factory's budget.
If local consumers are reluctant to buy a product which basically is "foreign" in nature, i.e., not something which the average, unsophisticated housewife would buy, then other buyers have to be found. The obvious buyers, therefore, are the growing number of hotels that cater to foreign tourists. Here, Lao Farmers’ Products would certainly grow rapidly.
New products are being planned. For example, a variety of oranges grow in Laos, and several recipes are being tested to find the taste which best appeals to customers. With luck and perseverance Lao Farmers' Products should soon be able to increase their production. For further information concerning Lao Farmers' Products contact the factory at Ban Saphantong Tay, Vientiane, telephone (856) 21-313976. In France further information can be obtained from Solidar-Monde S.A., 86 rue Bertie Albrecht, 94400 Vitry.