Cassava export prices down sharply
The price per kilogram of cassava exports from Cambodia has fallen this year due to plunging market prices and a lack of processing centers in the country. The price of dried cassava in northeastern Rattanakiri province is down to 410 riel (about $0.10) per kilogram and in Battambang province, the price of wet cassava is down to an average of 162 riel per kilogram, according to officials. The price of cassava has plunged this season due to low demand in local and international markets, according to Soy Sona, director of the Rattanakiri provincial agriculture department. “We see the [dried cassava] price is down to an average of 400 riel per kilogram when traders buy from farmers in the cassava fields and it’s about 500 riel per kilogram when we export and sell to Vietnamese traders,” he said. This year’s cassava price is down from 500 riel per kilogram last year, added Mr. Sona.