Resource information
The most comprehensive publication to date on land concessions and leases in Lao PDR has been presented to the public. In a symposium Vice Minister Dr. Akhom Tounalom of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE), German Ambassador Mr Robert von Rimscha and SDC Director for the Mekong Region Ms. Ruth Huber applauded the study as key to a better understanding of actual land uses in Laos and the contributions and demands of investors.
The publication shows that over 2,600 land lease and concession agreements were granted covering a total amount of 1.1 million hectares of the national area, roughly five per cent of the land of Lao PDR. Today, one out of five villages in the country is affected by these investments. They exceed the area used for wet rice production.
The land concession inventory is the result of a trilateral cooperation between the Lao government, Switzerland, and Germany. Representatives from the three partners jointly introduced the document published by MoNRE, the Center for Development and Environment (CDE), the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), and the Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer InternationaleZusammenarbeit (GIZ).