DPA
Phnom Penh - Rampant cattle rustling into neighbouring Vietnam may severely damage Cambodian farmers ability to plant and harvest their rice crops, local media reported Friday.
The English-language Mekong Times quoted a village chief, immigration officials and concerned villagers as saying that around 200 head of cattle cross the border in Svay Rieng province, 200 kilometres east of the capital, daily since roads were repaired.
The smuggling had caused the price of cattle to sky rocket from 300 to 1,000 dollars a head, the paper reported, putting the beasts that farmers use in their rice fields out of their price range.
'(Farmers) may face problems with the lack of cows needed for farm work, because most farmers in our country use cows for farming, not machines,' the paper quoted villager Sam Ra as saying.
It also quoted immigration official Rem Tha as saying border police were powerless to stop the illegal trade because 'most of the dealers are backed by high ranking officials.'
As in most Asian nations, rice is the staple of the Cambodian diet, and farmers are just beginning to plant the new monsoon crop.
Kouy Trabek village chief Sum Kahan said the cross-border trade also added to the risk of disease for local cattle as livestock from all over the country passed through his area.
The smuggling has also caused a more immediate food shortage problem, the paper reported, with the cost of beef almost doubling to 6 dollars a kilogram in a country where most of the population lives on less than a dollar a day.
The English-language Mekong Times quoted a village chief, immigration officials and concerned villagers as saying that around 200 head of cattle cross the border in Svay Rieng province, 200 kilometres east of the capital, daily since roads were repaired.
The smuggling had caused the price of cattle to sky rocket from 300 to 1,000 dollars a head, the paper reported, putting the beasts that farmers use in their rice fields out of their price range.
'(Farmers) may face problems with the lack of cows needed for farm work, because most farmers in our country use cows for farming, not machines,' the paper quoted villager Sam Ra as saying.
It also quoted immigration official Rem Tha as saying border police were powerless to stop the illegal trade because 'most of the dealers are backed by high ranking officials.'
As in most Asian nations, rice is the staple of the Cambodian diet, and farmers are just beginning to plant the new monsoon crop.
Kouy Trabek village chief Sum Kahan said the cross-border trade also added to the risk of disease for local cattle as livestock from all over the country passed through his area.
The smuggling has also caused a more immediate food shortage problem, the paper reported, with the cost of beef almost doubling to 6 dollars a kilogram in a country where most of the population lives on less than a dollar a day.
