Press Release
Olam's business operation in southern Laos business was designed "to develop coffee cultivation by assisting local people to grow and produce for export," Outspan Director-General Sanjeet Khurava told Khaosan Pathet Lao (KPL) in 2010. KPL News, the official government newspaper, failed to mention that landowners had not given permission for the "assistance."
Over time, and farmers' protests, the company expanded its coffee plantation to 1,100 hectares, destroying more than 140 hectares of productive village lands. In fact the company's website admits to over 1,460 hectares and a final target of 3000 hectares.