Cambodian Rice Exports Double in the First Seven Months
Cambodia exported 221,027 tons of milled rice in the first seven months of the year, an increase of 103 percent compared to the same period last year, according to figures from the Ministry of Commerce. Officials and rice experts said the increase in exports was thanks to rising demand for rice on world markets coupled with increased investment in rice milling. Figures from the ministry also show that the value of the exported rice over the seven-month period totaled $149.6 million, a rise of 96 percent compared with the previous year. The government has set a target to reach exports of 1 million tons of milled rice by 2015 in an effort to compete more with neighboring markets Vietnam and Thailand and improve the livelihoods of farmers. … “Our most direct competitor now is Myanmar since they also benefited from EBA [Everything But Arms] tax free import privileges [from the European Union]. Their long grain white rice is way cheaper than ours and their logistics and infrastructure cost is also much lower than ours,” he [Alliance of Rice Producers and Exporters of Cambodia deputy secretary general David Vichet Van] said. … Another rice type that has seen a large increase in production and quality is organic rice. …
Lindsey Peterson and Hul Reaksmey
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/business/cambodian-rice-exports-double-in-the-first-seven-months-43062/
