Reuters
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia -- Cambodia became the first rice exporter on Monday to lift a ban on foreign shipments imposed by some Asian countries in the last six months to protect domestic supplies in the face of soaring international prices.
Prime Minister Hun Sen said the southeast Asian nation, a small exporter compared to neighboring Thailand or Vietnam, clearly had enough rice for its own needs and was also short of its own long-term storage space.
"The ban on the rice exports is being lifted from now on," he told students in the capital, Phnom Penh. "We still have over one million tons of rice that need to be exported. We don't have any shortage."
Rice production in Cambodia is finally getting back on track after decades of civil war and upheaval.
It produced a record 6.4 million tons in its 2007-08 crop year, giving it a 2.6-million ton surplus for export, although Hun Sen imposed a two-month ban on foreign sales on March 27 to safeguard domestic supply.
At the time, he blamed surging overseas demand for a near trebling of domestic rice prices from $0.35 a kilogram in January to $0.92 kg in March.
The ban, which followed similar moves by India at the end of last year and Vietnam, was seen as another indicator of rapidly tightening supplies in Asia, pushing prices to record highs and raising concerns about the continent's ability to feed itself.
A week ago, state media in communist-run Vietnam, which vies with India for the mantle of the world's second-largest exporter after Thailand, said the government might lift its export ban in early July.
Hun Sen said Cambodia's next harvest was looking like a good one.
"It seems we have plenty of rice to come. We need more warehouses to store our rice," he said.
Prime Minister Hun Sen said the southeast Asian nation, a small exporter compared to neighboring Thailand or Vietnam, clearly had enough rice for its own needs and was also short of its own long-term storage space.
"The ban on the rice exports is being lifted from now on," he told students in the capital, Phnom Penh. "We still have over one million tons of rice that need to be exported. We don't have any shortage."
Rice production in Cambodia is finally getting back on track after decades of civil war and upheaval.
It produced a record 6.4 million tons in its 2007-08 crop year, giving it a 2.6-million ton surplus for export, although Hun Sen imposed a two-month ban on foreign sales on March 27 to safeguard domestic supply.
At the time, he blamed surging overseas demand for a near trebling of domestic rice prices from $0.35 a kilogram in January to $0.92 kg in March.
The ban, which followed similar moves by India at the end of last year and Vietnam, was seen as another indicator of rapidly tightening supplies in Asia, pushing prices to record highs and raising concerns about the continent's ability to feed itself.
A week ago, state media in communist-run Vietnam, which vies with India for the mantle of the world's second-largest exporter after Thailand, said the government might lift its export ban in early July.
Hun Sen said Cambodia's next harvest was looking like a good one.
"It seems we have plenty of rice to come. We need more warehouses to store our rice," he said.
10 comments:
It's good to hear that there is no rice shortage. But how can we make sure that everyone has enough rice to eat by the end of each day? Who actually owns the more than so-called one million ton of rice as claimed? The handful government officials or Cambodian people? Can this available stock of rice reduce the current increase of rice price?
I think it remains yet to be seen whether it is genuine to keep exporting the rice.
Penseé de ROUM RITH << pourquoi ne pas aider notre grand'frere la Chine en offrant gratuitement toute la récolte du pays à la chine , en agissant ainsi le peuple khmer manifeste la dignité pour rembouser les frais de séjours de Samdach Ta en Chine Roum Rith
Khmers inside are no different from Khmers outside. They don't fight for a good cause, but fight to destroy each other.
The tragedy of King Norodom Sihanouk is he was born Khmer. If Thailand or Vietnam has leader like Norodm Sihanouk, Cambodia will be finished.
Hopefully after this King dies Thailand and Vietnam can divide this Kingdom to two, so no more Khmers fight with Khmers spillover Thailand and Vietnam anymore.
4:20 PM, I am echoeing your thought on that as well.
How can a Viet puppet government of HUN SEN that consists mostly of the Viet communist endoctrinated officials from top to bottom be thinking of the well being of the true Cambodian people???
One cannot help but wonder where those so-called 11 millions plus (+) Cambodian people are coming from while there has been free and uncontrolled flow of the Vietnamese into Cambodia almost constantly???
Et Roum Rith,
Rembourser la Chine? T'es trop marrant alors! N'est-ce pas la Chine qui faisait partie de "Killing Fields"???
Tout d'abord, il faut que le gouvernement de Hun Sen s'engage à nourrir le peuple khmer sans mourir de faim avant d'exporter le riz vers les étrangers, et puis si le Royaume du Cambodge exportait le riz, est ce qu'il y aurait des tombés économiques pour le peuple khmer, à mon avis je dirais non, et non. La richesse de notre royaume est dans une poignée de mains du gouvernement de Hun Sen, c'est tout !
Cambodia could have done a lot better in rice production but Ah Zimbabwe's slave Spam Rainxy wouldn't let that happen because it will make his party looks bad. Therefore, everyone must vote CPP to solve this issue once for all.
Oh, the poor people in the country are starving, and you 12:51AM think it's good idea for Cambodia to export rice?
"... We don't have any shortage"; says PM Hun Sen. But why the Cambodians are fearfully struggling because of the hi price of rice and other foods in the country? Please don't be quick to show off. Fight and bring down the hi price in your own society first.
Rice will soon flood the market. All we got to do is eat less rice or eat alternative food. Rice cannot be kept forever. Farmers must cultivate rice. As us people living overseas are pretty selective to quality. We eat new crops, best quality rice. The taste must be delicious and the smell pungent. Rice are kept by merchants not farmers. Farmers are not benefiting from the price increase. Therefore we are not supporting the scheme.
de Roum Rith << Qui a osé dire que les chinois sont des criminels?>> Si dnon les descendants de Trasak Paem : Samdech Ta ne mettait jamais les pieds en Chine >> Le grand frere chinois a beaucoup fait pour << le petit peuple khmer>> la preuve Samdach Ta est allé en chine << loge nourri service lavage>> Maintenant il faut aider le grand frere chinois NON? Roum Rith
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