Push to reduce chemical dependency
The Ministry of Agriculture is working to develop a procedural framework for the trade and use of biological control agents in agriculture in an effort to improve crop yields, protect consumer health and ensure continued access to key export markets. Regulation could also create opportunities for the import or local production of BCA products a possibility that has piqued the interest of foreign firms. Speaking on March 27 at a consultative meeting on regulations and national registration of biological control agents, Sam Chhom Sangha, deputy secretary-general of the Ministry of Agriculture, said the use of BCAs could provide “holistic” support to Cambodia’s struggling agriculture sector, which he claimed had been damaged by the overuse of chemical agents. “We need to find ways to boost agricultural productivity, encourage crop resilience and diversification and improve commercialisation,” he said.
