Rice infrastructure bids sought
The Rural Development Bank has called for expressions of interest to develop and operate a 200,000 ton rice warehouse and a rice paddy drying facility. The drying facility would have the capacity to process 3,000 tons per day. The government is seeking to finance additional agricultural infrastructure to address a shortage of storage and drying facilities. The bank said the improved infrastructure was needed to make the rice sector more efficient and support farmers under a public private partnership model. RDB CEO Kao Thach told Khmer Times on December 14 the government has about $15 million to build the warehouse and drying facility in Battambang province, the country’s biggest rice-producing province. The bank said the bidders’ proposals will be evaluated on criteria such as being a registered Cambodian business, a strong proven track record of operating rice milling and storage and stock management facilities, strong track record of building and managing relationships with farmer organizations in Battambang, and ability to provide suitable land to locate the development of the facilities. The land must be a minimum 10 hectares.
