Cambodia to import more salt from China

PHNOM PENH, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia will spend a further 2.2 million U.S. dollars importing salt from China during the fourth quarter after salt production was cut back this year by excessive bad weather, local media reported on Tuesday, citing the president of the Cambodian Salt Production Association.

The Kingdom has already spent 2.2 million dollars importing 20,000 tonnes from China this year after it became clear in July that local production would not meet annual demand of about 120,000 tonnes, Ly Seng, the president of the Cambodian Salt Production Association, was quoted by the Phnom Penh Post as saying on Sunday.

"We will spend more money to import more salt if local production still cannot meet local consumption demand," he said.

For the local salt industry in Kampot province, 2009 has been a washout due to early rains that mean only about 30,000 tonnes will be produced, compared to a usual capacity of about 180,000 a year that normally produces a surplus for export, Ly Seng said. The Kingdom has 187 salt producers, he added, with 4,400 hectares of salt flats in production.

This is the first year on record that Cambodia has had to import salt.

Srun Thida, a salt retailer at Old Market in the capital, said he was able to sell imported salt from China at the same price as the Cambodian-produced variety: 142 dollars a tonne.

"We have run out of local salt since the middle of the year because our suppliers said their salt production had been affected by rainfall," Srun Thida said.

Ly Seng said the Cambodian Salt Production Association has been selling imported salt to wholesalers at 120 dollars per tonne, about 10 dollars more expensive than the 110 dollars per tonne import price.

Agriculture Expert Urges More Local Development

Yang Saing Koma, director of Center for Study and Development in Agriculture.

By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Washington
17 February 2009

Development in Cambodia’s agricultural sector remains a concern, with very little in-country processing of goods, an expert warned Monday.

“If we consistently keep relying on the products of neighboring countries and we don’t process our own, then we can’t go forward,” said Yang Saing Koma, director of the Center for Study and Development in Agriculture, as a guest on “Hello VOA.”

While some governments seek the open market in other countries for their products, others do not, concentrating on local products, he said, answering concerns that Thai companies were not buying as many Cambodian products as in the past.

Cambodia needs to produce its own products, rather than importing manufactured goods, he said, especially now that the global economy was creating lower prices in Cambodian crops, such as beans, cassava, rice and rubber.

Prices of rice had decreased, he said, because there was no association to seek the proper markets and no investment in development.

“People just do it individually, not by networking, that’s why it’s hard for them,” he said, adding that he hoped the government would work on promoting domestic products.