Lao farmers devastated by severe drought
A lack of rainfall and scorching heat is destroying the livelihoods of Lao farmers, who say their crops are dying amid an ongoing drought in the Southeast Asian region linked to the El Niño phenomenon.
The drought since May has left those in Laos who rely on agriculture to earn a living high and dry, with one rice farmer in the capital Vientiane telling RFA’s Lao Service that this year’s rainy season has been a total wash.
“The drought has delayed our rice production during the rainy season—the rice seedlings have dried out because there is no water,” the farmer named Khampong said.
“Even though it has rained continuously over the last few days, there still isn’t enough water at this point. The majority of farmers dare not plant their rice seedlings because they will die.”
Khampong said that if the drought continues, he will not even bother with rice production this year “because it won’t be worthwhile.”
