Agriculture

A UN agricultural development body presented a report evaluating their commitment of over 20 years and $189.5 million to Cambodia’s rural farmers yesterday, finding both positives and negatives in their partnership with the government. ...

New proposed rules from the European Union restricting the import of palm oil would likely affect Cambodia’s nascent palm oil sector, but the country’s main exporter is hoping that demand from India and China will cushion the blow. ...

Rice authorities in the kingdom are exploring the possibility of applying for Geographical Indication (GI) status for rice grown in areas around the Tonle Sap Lake.   ...

The Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) today announced a new “Malys Angkor” brand to be used as the official moniker for four species of Cambodian fragrant rice. The first day of the two-day Cambodia Rice Forum also featured the release of a remarkably frank report on the ...

In a bid to expand the markets abroad for Cambodian rice, the Ministry of Agriculture has reached an agreement with two Chinese firms to cooperate in conducting research on the high-yielding rice variety known as oryza sativa japonica. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed on ...

Cambodia’s mango shipments have been routinely blocked before making it to the international market, with the Ministry of Agriculture claiming the mangoes are not of a high enough quality to meet the sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) requirements necessary to ship outside of the Kingdom. ...

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the Vietnam Cashew Association this week signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that aims to bolster the production of cashews nuts in Cambodia to reach 1 million tonnes a year. The MoU was signed by Minister of ...

The total amount of rubber exported by Cambodia surged 30 percent last year, but widespread rubber smuggling on the Vietnamese border crippled potential profits from the booming industry. ...

China-based Digital Agriculture Exchange has revealed plans to build an agricultural research centre in the kingdom to improve production and packaging standards of local fruit and vegetables. Officially dubbed a “multifunctional centre”, its aim is to up quality standards to make Cambodian produce more desirable abroad, ...

Local farmers believe they won’t be able to produce enough salt this year to meet market demands, with weather conditions in the country being less than favourable, the president of the national salt association said yesterday. ...

The government has provided $30 million in loans to rice millers since September to facilitate the purchase of paddy rice, with the head of a state-run bank saying more money was available if necessary. The loans were issued to 38 rice millers by the state-owned ...

A little-known Chinese company is investing $200 million in a massive timber plantation in Stung Treng that the government has equated to “replanting the forest”, despite concerns among environmental protection groups that existing forest will be destroyed in favour of non-native commercial species. ...

Premier Li Keqiang on Wednesday called on five nations living on the Lancang-Mekong River to consolidate political will and deepen economic ties to promote regional peace and sustainable development. China is willing to work with others to strengthen the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) as China benefits ...

Agriculture Minister Veng Sakhon met on Monday with visiting US professors W. Ronnie Coffman and Max J. Pfeffer from Cornell University to discuss cooperation in a new project whose purpose is to yield disease-resilient, high yielding cassava. ...

More than a dozen Chinese companies inked deals to purchase about $526 million worth of agricultural products from Cambodian firms on Monday. The 34 agreements between 14 Chinese firms and 18 Cambodian firms were announced by the two country’s commerce ministries at a press conference ...

The rate of microfinance loans with overdue payments nearly doubled last year according to the National Bank of Cambodia (NBC), though it remained within a normal range and was coupled with a rise in deposits. ...

The opening of a quality-inspection centre for agricultural products in Kandal province, originally scheduled for the end of 2017, has been delayed, with authorities now saying it will open during the first months of 2018. ...

The Ministry of Agriculture is preparing to launch a QR code sticker scheme that will allow authorities and consumers to check the origin of vegetables and other agricultural products and see whether or not producers follow good agricultural practice (GAP).​ ...

A delegation of some of China’s biggest companies in the food-processing industry is scouring the local market for investment opportunities in the agriculture sector. Headed by He Jianxiang, the deputy director-general of the Bureau of Product Processing at China’s Ministry of Agriculture, the delegation met ...

Agriculture Minister Veng Sokhon said he would ask Prime Minister Hun Sen to take action to help farmers compete against neighbouring countries, including further measures to address high electricity costs, as the sector mapped out its challenges for the year at a ministry-led forum in ...

Cambodian rice exports in 2017 increased 17 percent by volume compared to the year before, with exporters pushing to fill orders under China’s expanded import quota while shipments to European markets remained steady, according to Agriculture Ministry figures. ...

Villagers in Preah Vihear province locked in land disputes with five economic land concessions belonging to sugar cane firms have urged provincial authorities to resolve their conflicts. Kroeun Vong, a villager representative in Chey Sen district, said ministry officials solved some cases by giving one hectare ...

The government and international funders have committed a further $66 million to a project to increase small farmers’ productivity, after yesterday claiming success in the program’s initial seven-year period. ...

The promises of Chinese agro-industrial investment have been recurrent: Hyped up by local officials and media outlets, with photographs of handshakes and earnest negotiation posted across social media, major deals are announced between government ministries and visiting delegations. ...