Economist warns over threat to rice exports
A senior economist from the Asia Development Bank has warned the EU’s ban of Tricyclazole could damage Cambodia’s agriculture sector, as farmers rush to eradicate the use of the fungicide by June. The strict new limits on pesticides will mean rice exported to the EU must not contain more than 0.01 milligram of the chemical per kilogram of the grain. Speaking at the launch of ADB’s annual economic report, ADB country director for Cambodia Samiuela Tukuafu said an EU export ban would harm farmers and the national economy, since agriculture exports equate to about 30 percent of the country’s gross domestic product. “A ban would have a sudden impact on the farming community, because a lot of farmers depend on exports, particularly to the EU,” he said.
