Ministries to Help Farmers Hurt by Sugar Plantations
The government on Monday agreed to a comprehensive solution for rural families who have lost their land to well-connected agricultural plantations exporting sugar to the European Union (E.U.) duty free and will meet again early next month to discuss details. The decision was made at a meeting between ministers, the E.U.’s ambassador to Cambodia and sugar plantation representatives, and marks the first time the government has publicly agreed to address the problem. Hundreds of families from Koh Kong to Kompong Speu province have accused the sugar plantations, which benefit from a free trade scheme—Everything But Arms (EBA)—that lets Cambodia export sugar to Europe duty free, of illegally forcing them off their land. Neither the plantation owners nor government authorities who license them have ever admitted that land grabbing has taken place. ... Commerce Minister Sun Chanthol led the meeting, which was also attended by officials from the ministries of agriculture, environment and land management, six provincial governors or their deputies, sugar company representatives and E.U. Ambassador to Cambodia Jean-Francois Cautain. Commerce Ministry spokesman Ken Ratha said CPP Senator Ly Yong Phat, who owns at least one of the sugar plantations and is believed to have stakes in others, also attended the meeting. ... Commerce Minister Sun Chanthol led the meeting, which was also attended by officials from the ministries of agriculture, environment and land management, six provincial governors or their deputies, sugar company representatives and E.U. Ambassador to Cambodia Jean-Francois Cautain. Commerce Ministry spokesman Ken Ratha said CPP Senator Ly Yong Phat, who owns at least one of the sugar plantations and is believed to have stakes in others, also attended the meeting. Mr. Ratha said that both a lawsuit filed by Koh Kong province families in London against U.K. firm Tate & Lyle—the beneficiary of most of Cambodia’s duty free sugar—and the prospects of Cambodia losing the EBA privilege were motivating the government to finally help the affected families. “The EBA issue is very important for the government, so our objective is to find a solution,” Mr. Ratha said. ... Koh Kong provincial Governor Bun Leut, who attended Monday’s meeting, said local authorities would be collecting more information about the communities affected by the sugar plantations in his area between now and the adhoc committee’s next meeting. ...
Hul Reaksmey and Zsombor Peter
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/ministries-to-help-farmers-hurt-by-sugar-plantations-51971/
