CEDAC urges Cambodian farmers to follow ways to increase rice crops

PHNOM PENH, Nov. 24 (Xinhua) -- The Cambodian Center for Study and Development in Agriculture (CEDAC) issued a statement Tuesday urging Cambodian farmers to follow ways on to increase their rice crops.

CEDAC is an independent organization specializing in agricultural sector was established in 1997 for the purpose of helping Cambodian farmers to knowledge themselves on how to make better agricultural crops.

CEDAC made the statement just in a time that Cambodian farmers are starting their rice harvest, but at the same time finds that farmers still not yet understand well the importance of rice seed selection.

As it is the right time for farmers to select rice seeds for the next season, CEDAC is calling for some urgent technical measures for farmers and other stakeholders so that the rice yield can be increased, it said.

"With knowledge on how to have good rice seed selection, farmers can increase their yield up to 20 percent," said Dr. Yang Saing Koma, president of CEDAC.

Some 80 percent of Cambodia's 14 million populations are living in rural areas and are farmers.

Cambodia Scores Historical Records of Rice Harvest

2009-04-09
Xinhua

Cambodia achieved historical records of rice harvest in 2008, Chinese-language newspaper the Jian Hua Daily on Thursday quoted Minister of Agriculture, Forests and Fisheries Chan Sarun as saying.

Farmers planted 2.25 million hectares of rice during the rainy season in 2008, with an average turnout of 2.54 tons of rice per hectare, Chan Sarun told an annual meeting of his ministry here on Wednesday.

In addition, they planted 350,000 hectares of rice during the dry season in 2008, with an average turnout of 4.04 tons of rice per hectare, said the minister.

"These are our historical records in terms of rice harvest," he added.

In late March, the minister told reporters that the kingdom harvested over 7 million tons of rice in 2008, with at least 2 million tons ready for export.

Cambodia used to be a major exporter of rice within the region of the Mekong River.

However, due to years of war, its rice production was ravaged at the end of last century and currently lags behind its neighboring countries like Thailand and Vietnam in the field of rice export.

Agency Pushes to Boost Rice Yield

By Ros Sothea, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
18 March 2008

The aid group Oxfam will distribute a video to promote a system of rice growing that improves yields, as the growing season approaches.

The System of Rice Intensification, or SRI, can improve rice yields by 150 percent, the group said Tuesday, creating a larger surplus that leads to more income and farm improvements.

At first, farmer Rum Mao did not believe in the new method. But, he said Tuesday, after practicing it, his yields were higher than in the past. He was pleased with the new system, he said, as it allowed him to sell more rice and earn a better living.

The group's information video, "Do You Speak SRI?," which it produced with the Cambodian Center for the Study and Development in Agriculture, will help farmers implement the method.