Green forest fire notification in Laos

Laos Wildfire Supply-chain Risk Briefing

1) Summary Wildfires occurred in Laos from March 31 to April 14, persisting for approximately 2 weeks, and are currently classified as moderate risk level. The wildfires in Laos, a landlocked Southeast Asian country, could potentially impact regional agricultural production and logistics networks in the Mekong River basin.

2) Supply-chain impact

• Agricultural commodities: If production areas for major Laotian export crops such as rice, corn, and cassava are damaged by fires, potential disruptions to Southeast Asian grain supply chains
• Timber supply: As Laos is a major timber exporter, forest fires raise concerns about cascading impacts on timber processors' raw material procurement and the timber industries of neighboring countries like Vietnam and Thailand
• Overland transport routes: Risk of transport delays due to smoke and reduced visibility on China-Southeast Asia overland logistics routes passing through Laos (such as the Laos-China railway)
• Power supply: Potential disruptions to electricity exports to neighboring countries if wildfires spread around Laos's hydroelectric facilities

3) Watch points

• Need to confirm fire suppression completion status and scale of damaged area, particularly the extent of damage to agricultural regions and major infrastructure facilities
• Track potential for additional fire spread until the onset of rainy season (May-June) and progress in normalizing logistics operations in the Mekong River basin
• Monitor potential disruptions to overland transport schedules on the China-Laos Economic Corridor and East-West Economic Corridor