Countrywide Drought Is Damaging Rice Paddies

More than 16,000 hectares of rice paddies are currently being affected by drought across the country, officials said yesterday. “There wasn’t enough rain for the rice this year, ” said Nhep Srorn, director of Takeo province’s agriculture department. … Pich Sokhin, governor of Oddar Meanchey province, said that a lack of irrigation has contributed to the problem. “There are 6,353 hectares that depend on rain because their locations have no irrigation system,” he said. … Yang Saing Koma, president of the agriculture study center Cedac, said farmers should not  despair just yet. “Farmers whose rice has been damaged should not feel hopeless. They can replant the rice because there is still time until the end of September,” he said.