Net Vegetable Yields Still Miss Demand

Agriculture Minister Chan Sarun said yesterday that Cambodia currently produces only half as many vegetables as it needs to meet demand and that more needs to be done to remedy the situation. “Cambodia only produces 40 to 60 perent of its needs and imports, the rest from Vietnam and Thailand,” Mr. Sarun said during the opening of a two-day forum on how to strengthen the vegetable industry. “Just in Phnom Penh, we need 1000 tons of vegetables each day, but we can only produce 400 tons.” Australian Ambassador Penny Richards said at the conference that the embassy this year expanded its vegetable cultivation training program to help meet national demand. On top of Takeo, Kandal and Kompong Thom provinces, activities have been extended to 12 additional provinces throughout the country.