Tobacco Asia

62 tobaccoasia Issue 1, 2025 January / February The LTV connection LTV Co. Ltd. has been a household name in Laos for decades as a manu- facturer of a broad range of traditional herbal pharmaceuticals and dietary supplements. The company name apparently stands for "Laos, Thailand, Vietnam," according to Bro Asia Laos director, Nousavanh Khounmeuang. Due to previous collaborations with the government on numerous projects, LTV had built considerable clout particularly with the Ministry of Public Health. "It was that trust that LTV enjoyed with the government that eventually facili- tated our entry into this current cannabis pilot project," said Nousavanh. "LTV acted like the catalyst for the entire venture, and without them this project might not have taken off the ground at all." our eventual product is of uncompromisingly high quality." The first harvest is expected to be ready by the second quarter of 2025. Top quality crucial for securing markets Achieving high quality is perhaps one of the most crucial aspects of the proj- ect altogether. Under LTV Sole's agreement with the Lao government, none of the produce must remain in the country. "All of it must be exported," pointed out Nousavanh, adding that only top quality product will find buyers. While neighboring Thailand is the prime export market targeted by Nousa- vanh, she said that other countries where cannabis is legal are also on her radar. The government would benefit from successful sales, too. "We agreed that the government will receive a certain cut of all export profits generated, though I am not at liberty of disclosing how big that cut actually is," she said. Pilot project could lead to full legalization All indicators suggest that LTV Sole is going to succeed in putting Laos on the world cannabis map. However, even if that should not be the case, Laos cannot lose out. If this pilot project falters, all of its assets will become government property. And if things are going well, it might lead to Laos eventually decrimi- nalizing and legalizing cannabis in the same way Thailand did in 2021. Interested parties are already queueing. According to Nousavanh, Laos' government has quite recently entered into negotiations with a Chinese state-owned company. "That state firm intends to set up an operation similar to ours, but negotiations are still ongoing at this point," Nousavanh said. But, as we remarked earlier on in this article, clocks are ticking rather slow in tranquil Laos. Dr. Payvan Keopraserd (far left), deputy minister of health of the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic. Credit: LTV Sole Co. Ltd. Racks with cannabis saplings ready for replanting. Credit: LTV Sole Co. Ltd. Indoor growing facility at LTV Sole Co. Ltd. Credit: LTV Sole Co. Ltd.

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