Cambodia's agricultural growth has been "slow and erratic" over the past decade, local media reported on Wednesday.
The Economic Institute of Cambodia (IEC)'s Agriculture Department Report shows that agriculture's contribution to GDP growth was only 3 percent annually in the past 10 years, compared with 7 percent in the service sector and 15 percent in industry.
The report, released on Tuesday, blames the slow growth on a preference for "urban-centered" economic development, which it says has also increased inequality and slowed poverty reduction.
The report also cited the lack of agricultural resources, particularly an effective irrigation network, as a major impediment to growth.
IEC Director Sok Hack was quoted by The Cambodia Daily as writing in the report that "development of Cambodia's agriculture will rely heavily on its ability to promote exports," which will require adjustment in export policy.
The report identified more problems of supply than demand: Cambodia's membership in the World Trade Organization has opened it to the global market, but it lacks the means to produce sufficient exports.
Cambodia's most successful commodities trader, Mong Reththy, said that reducing imports is key to the development of the domestic agricultural sector. "We have to produce things for ourselves," he said.
He added that at his Mong Reththy port in Sre Ambel district, Koh Kong province, tons of fruits from Thailand are imported to Cambodia. "At my private port, I saw that Cambodia spent 100,000 U. S. dollars every six hours to import fruit from Thailand. Why should we import pineapple? Why should we import banana? We have plenty of land, why don't we plant it?"
Source: Xinhua
The Economic Institute of Cambodia (IEC)'s Agriculture Department Report shows that agriculture's contribution to GDP growth was only 3 percent annually in the past 10 years, compared with 7 percent in the service sector and 15 percent in industry.
The report, released on Tuesday, blames the slow growth on a preference for "urban-centered" economic development, which it says has also increased inequality and slowed poverty reduction.
The report also cited the lack of agricultural resources, particularly an effective irrigation network, as a major impediment to growth.
IEC Director Sok Hack was quoted by The Cambodia Daily as writing in the report that "development of Cambodia's agriculture will rely heavily on its ability to promote exports," which will require adjustment in export policy.
The report identified more problems of supply than demand: Cambodia's membership in the World Trade Organization has opened it to the global market, but it lacks the means to produce sufficient exports.
Cambodia's most successful commodities trader, Mong Reththy, said that reducing imports is key to the development of the domestic agricultural sector. "We have to produce things for ourselves," he said.
He added that at his Mong Reththy port in Sre Ambel district, Koh Kong province, tons of fruits from Thailand are imported to Cambodia. "At my private port, I saw that Cambodia spent 100,000 U. S. dollars every six hours to import fruit from Thailand. Why should we import pineapple? Why should we import banana? We have plenty of land, why don't we plant it?"
Source: Xinhua
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