Original report from Battambang province
14 January 2008
In the ex-Khmer Rouge district of Kamrieng, in Battambang province, farmers say they have difficulty moving their produce inside Cambodia and are forced instead to sell to middlemen, who move the goods to Thailand.
Mam Van, a former Khmer Rouge guerrilla, said she is no longer a fighter, but farming in Battambang province is proving difficult.
There are no customers in her village, she told VOA Khmer, and it is difficult for her to find good roads to markets.
“I would like for all organizations and all parties help us find markets for villagers directly, so there would be more profit than the middlemen in neighboring countries,” she said.
Kuy San, a neighboring farmer, said villagers would like to sell the crops they grow, especially with the rising price of fuel.
“The roads for transportation are far and create problems,” he said. “So the middlemen take that into consideration.”
The price for potatoes is especially low, he said.
District officials say there is little business inside the country, and foreign vendors keep coming to buy the products. Farmers are left with little control of the price of their goods, officials said.
Mam Van, a former Khmer Rouge guerrilla, said she is no longer a fighter, but farming in Battambang province is proving difficult.
There are no customers in her village, she told VOA Khmer, and it is difficult for her to find good roads to markets.
“I would like for all organizations and all parties help us find markets for villagers directly, so there would be more profit than the middlemen in neighboring countries,” she said.
Kuy San, a neighboring farmer, said villagers would like to sell the crops they grow, especially with the rising price of fuel.
“The roads for transportation are far and create problems,” he said. “So the middlemen take that into consideration.”
The price for potatoes is especially low, he said.
District officials say there is little business inside the country, and foreign vendors keep coming to buy the products. Farmers are left with little control of the price of their goods, officials said.
6 comments:
form a farmers union so you can voice your concern to the gov't and let the world know your presence. this can help with getting a market for your produce. afterall, there are lots and lots of hotels and restaurants and local market for your produce. get help by forming a union.
there are plenty of market for farmers' produce inside of Cambodia e.g., hotels, guesthouses, restaurants, and don't forget the local markets(psah) all over Cambodia. farmers in Cambodia need not sell their produce to middlemen in Thailand or Vietnam. first form a farmers' union and then go to Phnom Penh and make yourself known by making a lot of noises in front of the Parliament building, Royal Palace or what have you in Phnom Penh. look when Cambodian farmers sell their produce to neighboring countries like Thailand and Vietnam, the middlemen there will turn it around to sell the produce back to hotels and international restaurants in Cambodia. if farmers don't have themselves by forming a farmers' union, then don't count on the gov't or the world to assistance you. you got to VOICE yourself first.
Appearently the road from battambang to pailin made it uneasy for a wide reason, simply to isolate pailin from the rest of the country. all potholes on the road is more like country is still at war, government can do better than that.
As it is mentioned, form a group of farmers then raise issues to member of parliament of pailin. If not resolved, contact radio free asia for challenging the issues with collective voice.
Good luck
about the lack of transportation to take the produce to the markets inside Cambodia, in addition to forming a farmers's union, look for someone with lots to money to invest in forming also a company to act as a local middleman that can buy trucks and other form os transportations in order to take their produce to sell in Phnom Penh, Battambang, Siem Reap, Sihanoukvill or any other major towns in Cambodia. I'm sure, all it takes is some innovative ideas and a little capital and anyone with business entrepreneurship can make this happen. Maybe get together with other farmers to form a company to do this because it might be hard to do it all on your own. talk to the gov't about getting a bank loan. do something, but don't just sit and complain; motivate yourself to get help or get some business ideas going. I see a lot of business opportunity in Cambodia; learn how to start a business. take some risk; learn from America, Europe, Japan, China or your neighboring countries of anybody, but do form a local, transportation company and you might be surprise to see it grows and become lucrative. please educate yourself. Thank you
please go to Phnom Penh to complain about the bad road from Battambang to Pailin. Cambodia can not and should no longer be isolated. Look at the Western country, the United States, for example, why the USA's economy is great; one reason is because the US have excellent road and other infrastructures. I can't stress enough, Cambodia can't ignore this problems of poor infrastructures any longer if we want to be developed and compete with our neighbors. Again, farmers what farmers can do is to go to Phnom Penh to make your voice heard. Tell official in Phnom Penh the seriousness of poor infrastructures or lack there of, really complain and complain and complain until the government can help build the highway form Pailin to Battambang to the rest of Cambodia. But gotta make your concerns known because gov't do have the ability to ask for technical and financial backing from the Asia Development Bank or the World Bank. Trust me, Cambodian gov't can do it, but the people will have to demand that from the gov't. Do send your representative to Phnom Penh from Pailin and Battambang. Best of Luck
This is clearly economic war waged by the Thaicong and the Vietcong middlemen! Dirt poor Cambodian farmers are fighting a loosing battle against the Thaicong and the Vietcong because AH HUN SEN Vietcong slave allowed the Thaicong and the Vietcong middlemen to take control of Cambodian economy through monopoly and there are no Cambodian regulations and law to protect dirt poor Cambodian farmers!
These days AH HUN SEN is more interest in the building roads connecting to the Thaicong and the Vietcong land but those Cambodian roads that provide more economic lifeline and the well being for Cambodian population are being cut off or in a state of disrepair!
This is what you called AH HUN SEN rectangular economic policy which design to make dirt poor Cambodian people to depend the Thaicong and the Vietcong for their survival!
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