Vientiane's 'Made in Laos' fair a huge success

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN): The Made in Laos 2020 is projected to lead to a turnover of almost 1 billion kip and the value of products on exhibition at the fair has been recorded at 13 billion kip, a senior official has said.

The Vice President of the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LNCCI), Chanthachone Vongsay, said at the fair’s opening ceremony on Wednesday that the event will help support efforts to overcome the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Covid-19 has had a huge impact on many companies. However, there are 220 exhibition booths set up by 121 companies from all provinces in the country that have come to exhibit their products in this event.”

Chanthachone said the number of booths and exhibitors had significantly increased when compared to the figures for the last year, when there were only 171 booths from 117 companies.

Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith was the guest of honour at the official opening ceremony of the event, which was attended by ministers, deputy ministers, diplomats and other guests.

Made in Laos 2020 has been organised by the LNCCI, the Vientiane Chamber of Commerce and Industry(VCCI) and all provincial chambers of commerce and industries. This year, the fair was co-hosted by LNCCI and VCCI.

The 10-day fair began on Dec 25 and will continue till Jan 3.

Chanthachone said LNCCI has a strong commitment to building the capacity of the private sector so that it can contribute to the growth of the Lao economy and the country under the supervision of the Party and government, especially the Ministry of Industry and Commerce.

The Made in Laos fair and promotion of Lao products is among the LNCCI’s six-pillar strategy that aims to improve the competitiveness of Lao products in local and international markets, she said.

The event is part of celebrations marking the 45th anniversary of the founding of the Lao PDR.

It will also promote Lao Thiao Laos or Lao people consuming Lao products, encourage society to support industries that have been impacted by Covid-19 and support the growth of the Lao economy amid the pandemic.

The products on display at the fair are drawn from different sectors, such as textiles and handicraft, jewellery, wood carvings, furniture, agriculture, industry, food and beverages, traditional art, banking, real estate, and services.

Chanthachone said LNCCI will continue to work with other agencies and development partners to organise more such exhibitions that are modern and professional in order to create more business opportunities and to promote Lao products.

“Last but not least, on behalf of the organising committee, I’d like to thank all the parties for their strong support, especially our strategic partners, such as Lao Brewery Co Ltd and Petroleum Trading Lao Public Company, and other sponsors, ” Chanthachone said.

At the same event, the President of the LNCCI Oudet Souvannavong also highlighted future plans to promote the Lao products through various fairs in the years to come. - Vientiane Times/Asia News Network