Agriculture and fishing
Japanese Government To Loan $47M for Agro-Development
The Minister of Water Resource and Meteorology announced yesterday that the Japanese government’s international aid agency will provide his ministry with $47 million on loans for an agriculture development project near the Tonle Sap lake. During a donation ceremony for 144 Japanese-funded agricultural machines held ...
Protected forest ‘is finished’
In the latest government backed appropriation of protected land, nearly 20,000 hectares of the Boeung Per wildlife sanctuary have been reclassified as state private land for agro-industrial development. Two sub-decrees, obtained by The Post this week and initialed by Prime Minister Hun Sen on July ...
Exports Rise, but Value of Goods Remains Weak
Cambodia saw significant percentage gains in regional trade in the first six months of the year, though the gap between imports and exports remained large, according to data released yesterday by the Ministry of Commerce. According to the figures, the country saw regional exports to ...
Petroleum imports surge on economic growth
A resurgent economy and efforts to crack down on smuggling have led to a large increase in petroleum imports, according to experts. Cambodia has imported 756,139 tonnes worth US$692 million in the first half of the year, from 440,607 tonnes worth $296 million in the ...
Rice exports face challenges from foreigners in Cambodia
Vietnamese rice exporters will face tough competition from foreign countries looking to exploit advantages that Cambodia presents as a beneficiary of the the EBA (Everything But Arms) initiative, says an Econet report. Under the EBA, Cambodia, as a least-developed-country, enjoys zero tariffs and no quotas ...
http://vietnambusiness.asia/rice-exports-face-challenges-from-foreigners-in-cambodia
Villagers protest at governor’s home
Representatives of 168 families from Kampong Cham’s Memot district staged a protest at the provincial governor’s home yesterday, seeking an intervention on their behalf in an ongoing land dispute with Memot Rubber Plantation. ...
Farmers get permission to cultivate
Farmers who on Sunday said they had been shot at by Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) soldiers for trying to cultivate 390 hectares of disputed land in Battambang province’s Samlot district were granted permission yesterday to plant on some parts of the land, villagers and ...
Forest on the auction block
Almost 30,000 hectares of a wildlife sanctuary in Oddar Meanchey, Siem Reap and Preah Vihear provinces have been reclassified as state private land for agricultural development, drawing sharp criticism from rights groups. Four sub-decrees signed by Prime Minister Hun Sen on July 22 reclassify land ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2011080950943/National-news/forest-on-the-auction-block.html
Economic Census Sheds Light on Businesses
The Ministry of Planning yesterday released the preliminary results of the 2011 economic census, which found that Cambodia has a total of 503,008 businesses nationwide, of which nearly 20 percent are based in Phnom Penh. The census, which began on March 1 and was financed ...
Mekong environment ministers talk on sustainable economic development
Cambodia on July 28th hosted the 3rd Greater Mekong Sub- Region Environment Ministers to look forward to sustainable economic development in the region and to talk about current projects to reduce harm for regions and also to minimize several environmental challenges affecting natural resources, forest and ...
(Khem Sovannara and Chhorng Long Heng, p 7)
http://thesoutheastasiaweekly.com/?p=1289
B’bang Protesters Seek Help in Land Dispute
About 60 villagers from Battambang province’s Sampov Loun district gathered in Phnom Penh’s Wat Botum Park yesterday to prtotested against a 4,065-hectare land concession granted to a company for agriculture development. Korng Sokheng, a representative for 1,850 families, said villagers submitted a petition to Prime ...
Fixed-Duration Contracts Threaten Garment Industry
Cambodia’s garment sector is in danger of losing its reputation for adherence to international labor standards because of the widespread use of “abusive temporary labor contracts,” according to a report released by Yale Law School on Wednesday. “Cambodian garment manufacturers have adopted the practice of ...
Complaint over violence
Twenty-nine community representatives from Kampong Speu’s Phnom Sruoch district travelled in person to the National Assembly building in Phnom Penh yesterday to file a complaint against provincial governor Kang Heang and other officials, accusing them of “robbing a total of 950 hectares of farm land”. ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2011080450865/National-news/complaint-over-violence.html
Mass Evictions Loom for Wildlife Sanctuary
Ms Sam On, 37, has already lost her house. It was one of three homes razed in April by Kratie provincial military police, environment officials and workers of the Sovannvuthy rubber company, after a tense stand-off with about 100 villagers that villagers said ended with ...
More competition from Thai millers
Thai government proposals to pay above market prices to rice farmers could complicate Cambodia’s goal of becoming a major milled rice exporter, according to industry insiders. Pheu Thai party leader Yingluck Shinawatra has announced plans to buy rough rice for a guaranteed price of 15,000 ...
Inflation rates driven by increases in food prices
The Kingdom’s consumer price index tracked a 1.4 percent increase in May over April, according to National Institute of Statistics’ latest figures. Prices at the end of May were 6.5 percent higher than the same date the year previous, the figures show. Experts said Cambodia’s ...
Cambodia-China trade increases to $912 Million for first half of 2011
“Bilateral trade between Cambodia and China grew about 82 percent in the first half of 2011 if comparing with the same period for last year while the two countries are trying to boost the trade ties to achieve US $2.5 billion in 2012,” Ministry of ...
CAMBODIA-NORTH KOREA UPDATE BILATERAL AGREEMENTS
Cambodia and Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) have inked the agreements to expand bilateral trade, technologies, agriculture, industry, investment and the health sector, and both sides also are trying to boost close ties for mutual benefits while both nations’ trading has been reported to be ...
PetroVietnam Fertilizer Opens Cambodian Branch
PetroVietnam Fertilizer and Chemicals Joint Stock Company (PVFCC) opened a branch in Cambodia in order to facilitate the direct sale of their imported fertilizers to farmers directly. The company gave away 25 tons of fertilizer free in Battambang province in order to celebrate the opening. ...
Tax-Free Trade Access Will Stay, Says EU
The European Union has said that it has no plans to suspend Cambodia’s duty-free trade access even though there have been concerns over land evictions as a result of economic land concessions. The EU is seeking that human rights are not the cost of trade ...
Birds culled following death
More than 600 chickens in two villages in Banteay Meanchey province have been culled following the death of a girl from bird flu three weeks ago. The four-year-old died on July 20, only 10 days after showing symptoms of the disease, according to a joint ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2011080150763/National-news/birds-culled-following-death.html
Microfinance up on agriculture advance
The Kingdom’s growing agricultural sector is leading to more loans and deposits at microfinance institutions. The small-scale lenders also credit the boost in Cambodia’s agro-industry for declining non-performing loans rates. The MFI’s lending totalled $51 million to 4,900 borrowers at the end of June, whiles ...
Villagers summoned to court
Three villagers who were part of a protest over a land dispute with the Meng Keth Company have been summoned to court for questioning over alleged violence during the protest. The land dispute is over 65 contested hectares of land that was granted to the ...
Evictees Miss Second Season of Rice Farming
Villagers who were evicted by security personnel in order to make way for Tan Bien-Kompong Thom Rubber Company have missed another growing season as they have not been given land original promised by the government. They were original promised one hectare of land each before ...