Phnom Penh orders rice sell-off to fight price gouges
City Hall coordinated the release of 120 tons of rice in cooperation with the state-run Rural Development Bank yesterday to keep prices in the city stable amid reports that vendors were using the current floods to gouge customers. Last week, Prime Minister Hun Sen said the rising waters had destroyed some 190,000 hectares of rice fields, accounting for nearly 8 percent of the country’s total. In a statement posted to the city’s website and dated Saturday, Phnom Penh governor Kep Chuktema said some vendors were using floods as an excuse to raise prices…
