Phnom Penh, March 14, 2019 –Prime Minister Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen reminded here this morning about the milled rice export target of one million tons that the country has failed to achieved in the past years.
Addressing to the closing ceremony of the annual meeting of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), Samdech Techo Hun Sen said the rice production cost in Cambodia is high and he therefore called on all the stakeholders, especially the MAFF, the Ministry of Water Resources, and Meteorology, to do their best to help reducing the production cost.
“We never win the bidding to export our rice to the Philippines against Viet Nam and Thailand because our cost of production is high, so all stakeholders should check this point […]”, he underlined.
At the same time, Samdech Techo Hun Sen encouraged all stakeholders to promote the Cambodian milled rice’s potential, conduct research and increase the competiveness of local milled rice as well as other agro-products, etc.
The Premier also urged the private sector to invest in potential products to support the agriculture such as agro-fertiliser … to reduce the spending on imported fertilisers to help local farmers.
Last year, Cambodia exported 626,225 tons of milled rice to markets in 62 countries – of them China was Cambodia’s largest market buying 27.17 percent or 170,154 tons of the export, followed by France and Malaysia buying 86,050 tons and 40,861 tons of it respectively, according to a report from Secretariat of One Window Service for Rice Export Formality.
Of the exported milled rice, fragrant rice covers 78.82 percent or 493,597 tons, while the rest were long grain rice and parboiled rice.
The exports recorded in 2018 were done by 87 rice exporters. Cambodia shipped 635, 679 tons of milled rice to foreign markets in 2017.
Cambodia had set up 1 million-ton milled rice export target in 2015, but it failed to achieved the target.
By Khan Sophirom
