Rail gets rice exports on move

For the first time since a railway rehabilitation project was launched in 2006, Cambodian rice is now being transported from Phnom Penh to the Sihanoukville port along the country’s southern line for export, operators Toll said on Wednesday.

Speaking at the Phnom Penh cargo loading station, a dry port in Dangkor district on the outskirts of the city, chief executive of Toll Royal Railway David Kerr said the move was a significant step towards strengthening Cambodia’s export capacity. …

Kerr said that the haul, the third this month, left the dry port carrying 100 containers with 2,400 tonnes of rice. Rice, according to Kerr, is just the beginning, and he expects garment and footwear exports to follow. …

Rice exporters, however, are not yet ready to jump on board with the new mode of transport. They believe that rail cargo has its benefits, but for now there are logistical procedures that need work to make it cost-effective.

Kim Savuth, managing director of rice exporting company Khmer Food, explained that trucks were still required to haul rice to meet the train at Phnom Penh’s dry port, and then again to meet the train at Sihanoukville to ferry rice through customs before leaving Cambodia. …

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/rail-gets-rice-exports-move