Overview
Purchasing of large quantities of food within Lao is difficult. Suppliers do not have access to large stocks nor can provide consistent quality. In many cases when tendering in the local market for food commodities suppliers import food from neighboring countries because they cannot source the commodities locally.
Additional information can be located from sources which are regularly maintained and reflect current facts and figures. For more specific and detailed overviews of food availability and market conditions, please consult the following sources:
WFP Vulnerability and Analysis Mapping (VAM): http://vam.wfp.org/
USAID Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET): http://www.fews.net/
For more information on food supplier contact details, please see the following link: 4.10 Supplier Contact List.
Retail Sector
The majority of Lao people are not familiar with supermarkets and convenient stores/mini markets which are mostly accessible to the urban population in the capital city and major provinces. Local market and individually/family owned store at village and district level with a limited selection of goods and supply capacity are commonly used by the population. These local retailers usually have established relationship with wholesalers in provincial level by which the retailers are supplied.
|
Types of Retailers Available |
|
|---|---|
|
Type of Retailer |
Rank (1-5) |
|
Supermarket – concentrates mainly in supplying a range of food, beverage, cleaning and sanitation products; have significant purchasing power; are often part of national/regional/global chains. |
3 |
|
Convenience Store/Mini Market – medium sized shop; offers a more limited range of products than supermarkets; usually has good/stable purchasing power; may be part of chain or cooperative. |
3 |
|
Permanent shop with strong supply capacity – individually/family owned store; usually offers fewer commodities and a limited selection of brands; good storage and reliable supply options. |
1 |
|
Permanent shop with limited supply capacity – individually/family owned store; offers fewer commodities and a limited selection of brands; limited storage and unstable supply options. |
1 |
|
Mobile Shop/Market Stand – individually/family owned store; usually offers fewer commodities and a limited selection of brands; may be found at outdoor markets, camps or unstable environments. |
1 |
Please copy the below section for each wholesale-level supplier assessed.
Wholesale – Champahom Trading Import-Export Sole Co., Ltd.
There are two notable rice suppliers that have recently made news headlines as promising rice exporters from Laos to European and Chinese markets.
|
Supplier Overview |
|
|---|---|
|
Company Name |
Champahom Trading Import-Export Sole Co., Ltd., |
|
Address |
Don Noun Village, Xaythany district, Vientiane Capital, Laos, Mobile: 020-2991 7778 |
|
Does the supplier have its own production / manufacturing capacity?
|
No, the supplier is directly engaged in encouraging and working with rice farmer groups who work on 600 hectares of rice plantation in four districts in Vientiane Capital that supply paddy rice |
|
Does the supplier have its own retail capacity?
|
Yes, the supplier provides commodities directly to the consumer/end user and directly manages retail locations. |
|
Does the supplier have its own transport capacity? |
Yes, but limited |
|
Does the supplier have its own storage facilities? |
Yes, but limited |
|
Approximate Turnover in MT
|
Milling capacity is 42 mt per day. |
|
Payment Methods Accepted |
Cash, transfer |
|
Other Comments or Key Information |
Champahom Trade Import-Export Sole Co.Ltd is a woman-led company. Originally a traditional, quasi-informal family trading business (Known locally as Bounhieng Phommixay Rice Mill), the company was formally registered in October 2016. It currently has 16 full-time employees. The supplier is a target for being supported and promoted as a model for rice exporter. With the utilization of modern technology (drying and milling), both to increase milling capacity and achieve better quality output to comply with good manufacturing practices (GMP), food safety consultation from the Systematic Mechanism for Safer Trade (SYMST) project, financed by the European Union and implemented by the International Trade Centre (ITC) and a loan from the World Bank for rice export resource, the supplier was the first companies in Laos to succeed in exporting rice to the European Union market, sending 50 tonnes of rice to Belgium as the first purchase destination in 2021 and 400 tonnes in 2022. In September, the supplier signed an agreement with Wech Gros Import-Export from France, to sell 1,000 tonnes of glutinous rice each year for an unspecified number of years with the first shipment of rice, 25 tonnes, sent to France in January 2023. Another agreement signed was to export rice to the United States in 2024. |
Wholesale – Xuanye (Laos) Co., Ltd.
|
Supplier Overview |
|
|---|---|
|
Company Name |
Xuanye (Laos) Co., Ltd.
|
|
Address |
Sisattanak district, Vientiane Capital, Laos, Mobile: 020-5832 0099 |
|
Does the supplier have its own production / manufacturing capacity? |
No, the supplier is engaging in the utilization of 2+3 Investment Promotion Scheme. Under this scheme, farmers contribute their land and labour, while the company provides funding, technical assistance and a market. |
|
Does the supplier have its own retail capacity?
|
Yes, the supplier provides commodities directly to the consumer/end user and directly manages retail locations. |
|
Does the supplier have its own transport capacity? |
N/A |
|
Does the supplier have its own storage facilities? |
N/A |
|
Approximate Turnover in MT
|
Estimated yearly supply capacity 4,000 mt from 7 rice mills |
|
Payment Methods Accepted |
N/A |
|
Other Comments or Key Information |
Registered in October 2014, Xuanye (Laos) Co., Ltd., is a Chinese company involved in the export of Lao agricultural products including rice to China. In 2015 the company was approved as the sole exporter of both glutinous and non-glutinous rice, drawing on the output of 7 mills, to China with a quota of 8,000 mt, increasing to 20,000 mt in 2017. However, the company has not yet been able to meet the quota, exporting only 4,000 to 5,000 mt per year, largely due to issues with quality. |
*Basic details for the main office should be shown here, additional contact details for local/regional offices and full contact details for the main office to be included in section 4.10 Supplier Contact List.
|
Primary Goods / Commodities Available |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Commodities by Type** (SITC Rev 4 Division Code - Title) |
Comments |
|
|
00 - Live animals (other than fish, crustaceans, molluscs, etc.) |
i.e. sheep and goats, swine, poultry… |
Produced locally |
|
01 - Meat and meat preparations |
i.e meat of bovine animals, meat of sheep, dried or smoked meat of swine, sausages… |
Produced locally |
|
02 - Dairy products and birds’ eggs |
i.e. milk, yogurt, butter, cheese, eggs… |
Mostly imported and produced locally (eg: eggs) |
|
03 - Fish (not marine mammals), crustaceans, molluscs… |
i.e. fish (chilled or frozen), fish (salted or in brine), fish liver and roes… |
Produced locally |
|
04 - Cereals and cereal preparations |
i.e. wheat, rice, flour of maize, pasta... |
Produced locally |
|
05 - Vegetables and fruit |
i.e. vegetables, fruit and nuts, jams/jellies, fruit juices… |
Produced locally |
|
06 - Sugars, sugar preparations and honey |
i.e. sugars (beet or cane) raw, natural honey, fruit/nuts preserved by sugar … |
Imported and produced locally |
|
07 - Coffee, tea, cocoa, spices and manufactures thereof |
i.e. coffee, cocoa, chocolate, tea, mate, pepper… |
Produced locally and import (eg: chocolate) |
|
09 - Miscellaneous edible products and preparations |
i.e. ready-to-eat foods, margarine, sauces, soups and broths, yeasts… |
Imported |
|
41 - Animal oils and fats |
i.e. lard, fats and oils… |
Imported |
|
42/43 - Fixed vegetable fats and oils, crude, refined or fractionated |
i.e. soya bean oil, olive oil, maize oil, vegetable oil… |
Imported |
**For non-FOOD products please see section 3.5.2 Additional Suppliers, and for FUEL/PETROLEUM products please see section 3.1 Fuel.
Disclaimer: Inclusion of company information in the LCA does not imply any business relationship between the supplier and WFP / Logistics Cluster, and is used solely as a determinant of services, and capacities.
Please note: WFP / Logistics Cluster maintain complete impartiality and are not in a position to endorse, comment on any company's suitability as a reputable service provider.
