Laos has agreed to let a Vietnamese company lease an additional 8,000 hectares to plant rubber trees in Sekong province. The lease is for a period of 50 years with the first seven year rent-free and tax exempt for the first two.
The new lease is in addition to a previous one granted to the same Vietnamese company in 2006 to plant rubber trees in Sekong province. The company said it will spend $4 million to plant rubber trees on a 4,000-hectare land, and will use the rest to build rubber processing plant.
Vietnamese companies are the major leasee of land in southern Laos for agricultural production while in the North, Chinese companies are major investors, leasing land and bringing seeds for Lao farmers to grow for them under a agreement to purchase agricultural products from Laos.
Listen to our Laos Today report for more details.