Agriculture and fishing

Italy, along with six other European Union countries, has filed a fresh request to European Commission to limit the volume of rice imported from the Kingdom by activating a “safeguard clause” that allows EU member states to impose barriers to protect against trade imbalances. ...

The government will not consider further reductions of import quotas for live pigs, nor will it ban imports of the livestock, a high-ranking official at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) recently said, adding that companies in the meat industry should rethink their ...

In a bid to decentralise the certificates of origin (COs) process to help promote international exports and ease cross-border trade, the Ministry of Commerce launched a pilot project yesterday that allows officials in the provinces of Battambang and Pailin to directly issue certification. ...

Cambodian pig farmers are facing a mounting crisis as the price of pigs has continued to plummet, with many blaming local officials for allowing Vietnam to illegally import pigs across the border, representatives from a farmers association said at a press conference yesterday. ...

Vietnam, a major buyer of the Cambodian cashew nut, has unveiled a plan to purchase cashews in even greater volumes during next year’s harvest season, giving hope to farmers who rely on selling their crops at good prices from February through May. ...

Officials in the agriculture sector yesterday called on relevant stakeholders to scale up initiatives for crop insurance schemes to help Cambodian farmers mitigate the risks of having their fields destroyed by flooding and drought. ...

South Korea wants to host more migrant workers and increase agricultural imports from Cambodia, including mangoes, a meeting between the outgoing ambassador and National Assembly president Heng Samrin revealed yesterday. ...

Cambodian-based specialty food producer Confirel won first prize for its Thnot Organic Sugar at the 15th Asean Food Conference in Ho Chi Minh City yesterday. ...

Vietnamese conglomerate Hoang Anh Gia Lai (HAGL) has shipped a total of over 9,000 tonnes of Cambodian bananas destined for the Chinese market since the firm first started exporting in July, a company representative said. ...

Amru, Cambodia’s leading rice miller and exporter, on Friday signed a deal with Thai Starch Company to supply 8,000 tonnes of fresh organic tapioca and the first exports will be in early 2019. ...

Rice farmers and millers are confident that the price for premium fragrant paddy will continue to increase over the next two weeks as the annual harvest season for Phka Rumduol wraps up. However, farmers complain that they are still facing long-standing problems that could see ...

The Kampot Pepper Promotion Association exported 60 tonnes of Kampot pepper during the first nine months of 2017 and aims to reach 80 tonnes by the end of the year. ...

Cambodia has failed to finalise the terms of a massive 250,000-tonne delivery of rice to Bangladesh, with industry insiders claiming that shipments have been cancelled as millers do not currently have the stockpiles to meet export demand while hopes for further negotiations appear to be ...

A massive centralised rice drying facility in Battambang province being developed by Thaneakea Srov (Kampuchea) Plc will soon be operational, while its adjacent rice storage operations are on track to be completed early next year, the CEO of the company said yesterday. ...

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries recently released a handbook on contract farming to promote agricultural leasing arrangements among farmers and buyers in the hope it will aid sustainable development of the sector. ...

Government officials yesterday called for more private investment in cassava production, arguing it will help boost and diversify Cambodian exports. ...

During a meeting last week with a Vietnamese rubber association, Minister of Agriculture Veng Sakhon reminded Vietnamese investors of the many opportunities that the Cambodian agricultural sector offers and asked them to come to the kingdom to establish rubber and cassava processing factories. ...

Minister of Commerce Pan Sorasak has announced that the government will be spearheading a new National Cassava Policy which aims to address challenges in the industry and work towards ensuring a sustainable and resilient crop, strong value chains and greater regional market presence. ...

One year after lifting a decade-old ban on snakehead fish farming, the number of aquatic farms growing the fish remains surprisingly low, with the high cost of feeding them driving many away from what could otherwise be a very lucrative business. ...

The Cambodian Rice Federation (CRF) will host a competition on November 1 to determine the finest rice in Cambodia, with the winning brand representing the kingdom at the ninth edition of the World’s Best Rice Competition Program, which will take place a few days later ...

With the kingdom’s first large harvest of potatoes expected next year, months of research in the highlands of Mondulkiri province show Cambodia’s soil and climate are well-suited for growing certain varieties. ...

The government has already provided $9 million from its emergency rice loan fund to the Kingdom’s rice millers since the harvest season began in September, nearly triple the amount it provided when it first launched the initiative last year when millers showed little appetite for ...

The government had reclassified four economic land concessions as state property, reclaiming almost 20,000 hectares earlier handed to private firms to use for rubber plantations. ...

Earnings in the fishing sector rose by 62 percent during the first nine months of the year. However, growth in exports of inland fish as well as in marine production was flat during the January-September period compared with the same period in 2016. ...