Overview - Asia Beef Network

Laos COUNTRY PROFILE

Overview

Key facts about the industry 2000-2013

		Compounded Annual growth (%)
Herd size (million head 2013):	1.71	2.8%
Turn off/slaughter (million head 2013)	0.22	2.9%
Turn off rate/Slaughter rate (% 2013)	13	0.2%
Cattle meat (thousand tonnes 2013)⁴	28.6	4.1%
Cattle meat supply (kg/person 2013)	4.23	2.4%

Source: adapted from FAO (2014).

HIGHLIGHTS

Laos is a small beef producer in the Southeast Asian region.
Production is mainly traditional crop-livestock systems predominated with yellow cattle. Market-oriented systems are not yet popular.
Shortage of feed is a critical constraint for increasing cattle production and productivity.
The processing sector is at a primary stage, largely dominated by licensed small scale slaughterhouses.
Beef production in Laos has been able to meet the relatively modest demand for livestock products within the country.
Buffalo and cattle from the Laos are in demand, particularly in the People’s Republic of China, Thailand, and Viet Nam.
Laos is a transit country for cattle in the Mekong region. Traders often source cattle from Thailand to supply markets in Vietnam and China. Cross-border price differentials played a crucial role in shaping the cattle trade patterns.