By Chiep Mony, VOA KhmerOriginal report from Kratie province
04 November 2008
Farmers of the cassava tuber in Kratie province have seen prices cut more than half this year, and some of them have vowed to stop growing it.
Prices for fresh cassava fell from 200 riel per kilogram to 80 riels per kilogram, but farmers say they don’t know why. There is virtually no market for dried cassava, farmers said, a commodity that drew 600 riel per kilogram in 2007.
Fifty-six-year-old farmer Voeung Chhun, who owns nine hectares of cassava in Snuol district, implored the government to help farmers find foreign markets.
Leang Seng, chief of Kratie’s agriculture department, said at least half of the province’s farmers were growing the plant on 12,000 hectares of land. The plant produces between 15 tons and 20 tons of cassava root per hectare.
Commerce officials met last week, he said, in an effort to find markets for the root. He was unsure why the prices had fallen so far this year.
Sum Sinamen, Kratie’s commerce department chief, said cassava from the province was exclusively exported to Vietnam, through Cambodian brokers. About 169,000 tons were exported in 2007, up from 118,000 tons in 2006.
Prices for fresh cassava fell from 200 riel per kilogram to 80 riels per kilogram, but farmers say they don’t know why. There is virtually no market for dried cassava, farmers said, a commodity that drew 600 riel per kilogram in 2007.
Fifty-six-year-old farmer Voeung Chhun, who owns nine hectares of cassava in Snuol district, implored the government to help farmers find foreign markets.
Leang Seng, chief of Kratie’s agriculture department, said at least half of the province’s farmers were growing the plant on 12,000 hectares of land. The plant produces between 15 tons and 20 tons of cassava root per hectare.
Commerce officials met last week, he said, in an effort to find markets for the root. He was unsure why the prices had fallen so far this year.
Sum Sinamen, Kratie’s commerce department chief, said cassava from the province was exclusively exported to Vietnam, through Cambodian brokers. About 169,000 tons were exported in 2007, up from 118,000 tons in 2006.
9 comments:
If every farmer can afford fridge or cool room, I recommend not to sell it raw. Why not freeze it or dry it, grind it into powder and pack it.
I wish they can make this into powder and mash it. It will last long. Maybe good for school children.
The lack of expertise is major problem in Cambodia! Cassava could help reduce hunger in Cambodia!
It can replace rice in dietary. Europe lives on potato and vegetable.
The government should buy it and give it to the poor.
A few years a go, I heard that gov't and other companies promoted people to produce raw cassava. How come, now there is no market for them? What are they doing? This is the shortage of knowledge on how to sustance the project. Come on Mr. Minister of commerce, economics !!!
That's right 10:01 AM.
WAKE THE FUCK UP Cham Prasith, Keat Chhun, Suy Serm and hundreds others dick-head advisors.
PHD MOTHER FUCKERs!!!!!!!
That's why we always complaint...
CPP likes it or not ...
We can see with our eyes...
Sooner or later, another oknha find
a way to make a profit on this
situation.
Like rice !
Khmer Canadian
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