la bicyclette bleue: Le Tour de l'Indochine: In search of Laotian coffee

7 March 2013
The Bolaven Plateau which lies at 1,020m of altitude and is about 70km from Pakse, is the centre of coffee production in Laos. We had an invitation to spend a night on the farm belonging to the Bolaven Coffee Company. They were kind enough to put our bikes on the back of an truck and in the sunshine, we set off up the hill.
At the present, the estate covers 67 hectares and is producing organic arabica coffee which is the highest grade and more difficult to grow than robusta. We spent time with Roy and Gil, both Filipinos, looking at the plants and studying the system. They explained the training scheme which teaches poor Laotians organic methods for growing coffee, contracting with them to buy their produce at a fair price, and helping them towards ownership of their own farm and house.
Of particular interest to us was the method the farm used in producing its own organic fertiliser. Rice husks (which are normally thrown away) are carbonized, to which micro-organisms are introduced. These micro-organisms serve to decompose the rice husks which are mixed with cow and pig manure. The fertiliser is then dug into the earth around the trees, leaving the active micro-organisms to continue their work of decomposition. We must admit that the young plants looked extremely healthy.
The arabica needs very fine soil and cannot take a cover crop, unlike the robusta. The main risk is from leaf disease, which can wipe out a plantation.
The majority of the farmers on the plateau who supply to big companies like Dao have a heavy dependence on chemical fertilisers. Bolaven Coffee has been certified organic and it is good to see that top companies like Illy of Italy are supporting them in this venture.
The final green coffee bean output is only 20% of harvested tonnage. Like olives, they should be processed as soon as possible and Bolaven move the cherries to the hot plains around Pakse to be dried.
Roy's wife, Anita, runs the community projects for the farm which include teaching the children English, computer and other skills.
We stayed in a typical wooden farm dwelling and slept under a mosquito tent. It did get very cold at night, reflecting the altitude we were in. All in all, it was a really enjoyable and educational visit.