What can the government do to support farmers during the fuel shortage?

The fuel shortage is affecting farmers, who are calling on the government to take urgent action to resolve the crisis as they are in desperate need of fuel for their tractors and other farming machinery. Authorities have urged members of the public to avoid unnecessary travel in order to preserve fuel for farming. Vientiane Times asked for people’s thoughts on what could be done to help farmers.

Mr Bountheo Xayyavong, a farmer in Pakngum district, Vientiane: The rainy season began early this year which is good and I planned to plant more rice than last year because I have a big family and my sons are unemployed because of the Covid-19 pandemic. But now we’re faced with a fuel shortage. I’ve been going all over the place trying to get petrol but I’ve been unsuccessful. I urge the government to find a solution to the crisis as soon as possible. If I can’t get petrol, I don’t know where we’re going to get the rice we need to eat next year.   

Ms Lattana, an employee in Sikhottabong district, Vientiane: I think it’s good that the authorities have asked people to save fuel by not making unnecessary journeys, so that enough reserves of petrol are available for farming and other essential activities. But right now it’s impossible for most people to go anywhere anyway because we just can’t get any petrol. Everyone has to go to work to earn money, or go to school, as well as doing other essential things. In my view, the government must fix this problem as soon as possible. The lack of foreign currency available for companies to buy imported goods means that many importers have been unable to buy more fuel, so we’re all in a mess.
 
Ms Nit Siamphone, a government official in Vientiane province: I know this is a big problem for the government but they must have seen it coming when foreign currency reserves dwindled. Of course, it’s not an easy problem to solve in the short term. The authorities should support farmers, because food security is important. I’m afraid the fuel shortage may result in a lack of rice for people to eat and farmers to sell. I urge everyone to be frugal in their use of fuel and not to travel unnecessarily, so that enough reserves of petrol are available for use by farmers.
 
Mr Pee, tractor owner in Xaythany district, Vientiane: I was contracted to plough 200 rice fields by villagers but I can buy only 20 litres of petrol at one time. I’ve had to stop ploughing because I’ve driven for about 45 kilometres and had to wait an hour to buy just 20 litres. This costs me more money and I haven’t been able to make a profit so I’ve decided to stop ploughing. I think that rice planting will be delayed and that some people may give up farming altogether if this problem isn’t resolved in the very near future. I would like the government to find a solution to this problem as soon as possible so that farmers can get their crops in the ground and we don’t waste the rainy season.  
 
Ms Phut, a farmer in Hadxaifong district, Vientiane: Farmers are facing many problems and now things are even worse because we can’t get petrol. We may have to start using buffalo to do the ploughing again, but they’re no longer available because most people have sold them so they could buy a tractor. In addition, the weather is changeable and there are new diseases that attack crops and animals. And it’s quite difficult to find young people to do farming because it’s hard work. Most manual labourers look for work that’s easier, which affects crop yields. If this crisis continues for much longer we may see a shortfall in the rice harvest this year.

By Lamphone Pasanthong
(Latest Update May 25, 2022)