Japanese grants set to aid local farmers

The Japanese government has provided $118,996 for constructing a cassava propagation and distribution centre in Battambang province. The fund comes in response to the recent challenges facing farmers in the province who are facing a shortage of cassava trees to plant. Kumamaru Yuji, Japanese ambassador to Cambodia, said the grant was given to the University of Battambang yesterday for installing two autoclaves of 50 and 150 litres, one clean bench, and the construction of two screen houses, with a capacity of 300 square metres, and for the acquisition of 600 square metres to breed virus-free cassava. … Touch Visalsok, rector of the University of Battambang and a recipient of the grant, said the fund came in time to construct a centre that is crucial for supplying disease-free and high-yield cassava planting materials to farmers – and not only in his province. …

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013032864733/Business/japanese-grants-set-to-aid-local-farmers.html