Agriculture
Agricultural commodities, processing and products
Kingdom's sugar exports to EU plummet
New figures show that Cambodia’s sugar exports to the European Union fell by 94.8 per cent between 2013 and 2015, amid accusations of rights abuses and land grabbing in the Kingdom’s industry. Keep reading ...
Rice body steps up to the plate
Responding to criticism, Cambodia’s apex rice industry body announced on 9 March that it would submit a plan to Prime Minister Hun Sen that addresses two of the major challenges facing the Kingdom’s rice sector – competition from rice imports and access to finance for millers. Keep ...
Revised rubber export tax scheme criticised
Rubber producers said on 6 March the Cambodian government’s decision to amend the export tax scheme on natural rubber fell short of expectations and would do little to stem the losses of farmers as rubber prices hover near a six-year low. Prime Minister Hun Sen issued a ...
Brazil challenges Thai sugar 'subsidies'
Brazil will challenge Thailand at the World Trade Organization (WTO) over “subsidies” for sugar producers that it says have dragged down global prices, the Trade Ministry said. Brazil said the Thai government had given support to cane growers and sugar mills that was inconsistent with international trade ...
Millers, exporters take on rice federation
A newly formed coalition of rice millers and exporters has raised alarm bells, forecasting the imminent “collapse” of Cambodia’s rice sector within two years and blaming in part “governance failure” by the industry’s apex body. The 18-member group, whose initiative is called the Rice Industry Strategic ...
Crop insurance takes root
A pilot project that offers micro-insurance to help rice farmers cope with the risks of flooding and drought is looking to build on the success of its first season by scaling up beyond three existing provinces. The Cambodia Micro Agriculture Insurance Scheme (CAMAIS), launched in the ...
Pat Ja San abandons poppy field mission
A Group of Christian hard-line anti-drug vigilantes on 28 February abandoned plans to destroy poppy fields in an area of Kachin State after clashes broke out between their members and armed attackers in the past week. Pat Ja San, which is known for flogging drug users, said ...
Vietnam rice exports rebound; prices stay low
Vietnam’s rice exports hit US$445 million in the first two months, twice the number of the same period last year, the agriculture ministry reported on 26 February. Keep reading ...
Agro sector on a growth path
The tonnage of Cambodia’s agricultural exports increased by over 20 per cent last year, led by a surge in shipments of dried cassava chips, according to the latest Ministry of Agriculture data. Total exports of 66 raw and semi-processed agricultural products – chiefly cassava, rice and ...
Vietnam must find funding for farmers
Vietnam needs to create policies to promote investment in agriculture to build a farming sector to compete internationally, as the country integrates into the global economy. Investments in agriculture remain modest, although the sector involved nearly 70 per cent of the country’s population, while contributing some ...