Rice seller in Phnom Penh (Photo: AP)Cambodia hopes to export 8 million tons of rice by 2015
Friday, 25 April 2008
Chun Sophal
The Mekong Times
Despite the chaos wreaked in the region by skyrocketing rice prices and concerns over inadequate supplies, Cambodia expects to export 8 million tons of rice by 2015.
Chan Sarun, minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, made the claim at an exhibition of natural agricultural products held Thursday in Kompong Tralach district, Kompong Chhnang province.
“We will encourage farmers to crop twice or three times per season and we will further strengthen irrigation systems in order to increase rice production,” he said, stressing the potential of Cambodia’s 3 million hectares of agricultural land.
Yang Saing Koma, executive director of the Cambodian Center for Study and Development in Agriculture (CEDAC), agreed that rice harvests could be boosted.
“Cambodia has vast tracts of land and current rice output is still low. We believe that Cambodia can achieve the goal. I understand that Cambodia could soon become the second or third [largest] rice exporter in the world.But the government must invest more in the agricultural sector so that farmers have resources and techniques to increase rice yields.”
In fact, Yang Saing Koma said the Kingdom could produce up to 10 million tons of rice in the four or five years.
Prime Minister Hun Sen declared Wednesday during the 13th government-private sector forum that Cambodia wants to become the world’s biggest exporter of rice or “white gold” as he referred to it, by 2015. “Rice is like platinum in Cambodian soil,” he claimed. “We must produce rice to do business and sell in markets.”
Cambodia had a surplus of more than 2 million tons of rice from a total harvest of 6.7 million tons in 2007. Around 1.5 million tons was exported.
Chan Sarun stressed that multiple rice crops and new seeds would be needed to boost exports. Cambodian farmers normally plant only one or two rice crops per year because of a lack of irrigation.
A report by the Ministry of Agriculture claimed that Cambodia has only 30 percent of the irrigation systems it needs, though a number of irrigation systems are under construction.
Chan Sarun, minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, made the claim at an exhibition of natural agricultural products held Thursday in Kompong Tralach district, Kompong Chhnang province.
“We will encourage farmers to crop twice or three times per season and we will further strengthen irrigation systems in order to increase rice production,” he said, stressing the potential of Cambodia’s 3 million hectares of agricultural land.
Yang Saing Koma, executive director of the Cambodian Center for Study and Development in Agriculture (CEDAC), agreed that rice harvests could be boosted.
“Cambodia has vast tracts of land and current rice output is still low. We believe that Cambodia can achieve the goal. I understand that Cambodia could soon become the second or third [largest] rice exporter in the world.But the government must invest more in the agricultural sector so that farmers have resources and techniques to increase rice yields.”
In fact, Yang Saing Koma said the Kingdom could produce up to 10 million tons of rice in the four or five years.
Prime Minister Hun Sen declared Wednesday during the 13th government-private sector forum that Cambodia wants to become the world’s biggest exporter of rice or “white gold” as he referred to it, by 2015. “Rice is like platinum in Cambodian soil,” he claimed. “We must produce rice to do business and sell in markets.”
Cambodia had a surplus of more than 2 million tons of rice from a total harvest of 6.7 million tons in 2007. Around 1.5 million tons was exported.
Chan Sarun stressed that multiple rice crops and new seeds would be needed to boost exports. Cambodian farmers normally plant only one or two rice crops per year because of a lack of irrigation.
A report by the Ministry of Agriculture claimed that Cambodia has only 30 percent of the irrigation systems it needs, though a number of irrigation systems are under construction.
7 comments:
That should put us in the top 10 world rice exporter.
I'd like to see their plans for mitigation and adaptation of climate change - changing conditions may not achieve those goals
Socheat;
At last, the Hun Sen regime understands the importance of Khmer "white gold" (rice) export
What do you mean by that?
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We will encourage farmers to crop twice or three times per season
Well, farmers might be able to cultivate rices 2 or 3 times per year NOT 2 or 3 times per season.
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But the government must invest more in the agricultural sector so that farmers have resources and techniques to increase rice yields.”
International Rice Research Institute [IRRI] with funding from Ausaid and in cooperation with RGC has established Cambodia Agriculture Research and Development Institute [CARDI], has been created many types of rice spices that are suitable for conditions nationwide and they also provided extension services but the cost of this seeds may be the question.
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I want to see green fields everywhere in Cambodia. Cambodian government must help farmers to find markets to sell their crops.
The Cambodian economy should do very well next year if we continue to keep up with our rice production now that food price has gone up.
well, it helps for all khmer to educate one another because not everyone is updated with the rest of the outside world. helping each other is good thing in cambodia. thank you.
True, but KI Media is not the place to share anything, but Khmer-Yuon's propaganda.
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