According to the Laotian newspaper Champamai, on April 21st the Champasak Provincial Investment Promotion and Management Committee signed a concession agreement with Costa Berry Lao Co. Ltd. to develop a cultivation project of berries.

The initiative will be located in the Paksong district of Champasak province and will cover 103,14 hectares. Among the berries planned are... blueberriesBlackberries, raspberries, and strawberries, destined for both the Laotian domestic market and export. According to available information, 33,6 hectares were allocated on March 31, 2025, as the initial planting area, while the remaining 69,54 hectares were delivered in January 2026.

Back in March 2025, Costa had already announced the establishment of a plantation of blueberries of 17 hectares in Paksong. Later, in September, the company successfully completed the patent registration of five varieties of blueberries in Laos.

According to the development plan of Costa Berry Lao Co. Ltd., the company plans to expand by an additional 50 hectares during 2026, on top of the initial 17 hectares. This would be followed by another 70 hectares in 2027 and 63 hectares in 2028, reaching a total of 200 hectares by that year.

Official opening of the Costa Berry blueberry field in Laos. © Austrade

Paksong, located on the Bolaven Plateau in southern Laos, sits at an altitude of approximately 1.200 meters and is recognized as a major coffee-producing region. One of the factors that reportedly motivated Costa to establish a plantation base in Laos is its strategic location for supplying the Chinese and Southeast Asian markets.

Growing conditions in Laos are comparable to those in China's Yunnan province, although the harvest window begins approximately three months before peak production in that Chinese region. While the blueberries Laotians still do not have access to the Chinese market, but the country is actively working to gain entry to both China and India, and progress is expected in the short term.

Costa is one of the leading producers and developers of varieties of blueberries Globally, with over 30 years of experience in genetic improvement programs, the company has developed varieties and cultivation systems adapted to temperate and subtropical climates in both hemispheres, including technologies such as substrate cultivation. Currently, its blueberry varieties are authorized for production in North America, South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia.