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Laos is stepping up efforts to enhance the quality and sustainability of its coffee and tea industries by promoting climate-resilient, community-based agroecological systems aimed at boosting exports, raising national revenue, and improving rural livelihoods.
A farmer picks up coffee beans at a coffee plantation in Champasak Province, Laos, Nov. 9, 2025. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua)
The Green CUP Project, an initiative supporting a green economy through high-quality, climate-resilient and inclusive value chains, convened its annual technical steering committee meeting in Vientiane on Tuesday. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, the meeting focused on setting strategic priorities for the long-term, sustainable development of the country’s coffee and tea sectors.
The project concentrates on strengthening sustainable value chains, particularly in northern provinces, and aims to assist between 3,000 and 4,000 smallholder coffee and tea farming households, benefiting up to 25,000 people. It promotes climate-smart production methods, improved sector governance, and broader economic participation, with special attention to empowering women and young people.
At the meeting, Bounchan Kombounyasith, director general of the Department of Agriculture under the ministry, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to advancing sustainable and climate-resilient coffee and tea value chains in close collaboration with development partners. He stressed that these initiatives are designed not only to increase competitiveness but also to safeguard natural resources and enhance farmers’ incomes.
Coffee and tea are regarded as strategic agricultural commodities in Laos, playing a vital role in supporting green growth, strengthening climate resilience, and sustaining rural communities. The ministry has identified coffee as a priority export crop, with more than 80 domestic and foreign enterprises currently engaged in its production, processing and export. Annual export revenues from coffee are estimated at approximately 100 million U.S. dollars.
Tea also remains an important contributor to the national economy, traded both locally and internationally. Largely cultivated by rural households in northern and southern provinces, Lao tea provides essential income for farming families and holds strong potential as a premium export product. In recent years, rising investment and increasing demand from regional and global markets have further bolstered the sector’s development.
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