Cambodia Harvests 8 M tons of Rice Production

Phnom Penh, Cambodia (6 December 2010)

The rainy rice producing season already finished, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries had held a workshop under the theme “Temporary summarize rice production result for year 2010 to 2011, evaluate food balance for first step for year 2010 and plan for the next progress” to sum up rice production in year 2010-2011, prepare strategy for next progress and prevent risk next year.

H.E. Chan Sarun, Minister of Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said that Cambodia also like other countries in the world enormous affect from climate change, so the rain regime change due to postpone produce time at the beginning of rainy reason. In this case, Mekong river water is low and affects rice producing. In the previous, it has no intervention on pumping water in the rainy season, but this year government intervenes into this kind of situation and some places we use pumping machine.

Beside the affect from climate change, Cambodia also got affect from financial crisis. In 2009, Gross Domestic product (GDP) growth in positive result with small dimension, because its agriculture and service sector keep protect of this growth result especially agriculture accomplish five percentages, he added.

He emphasized that Agriculture sector take 30 percentages of GDP in which rice take nearly 20 percentages of GDP. As census 2008 show that 80 percentages of Cambodian live in rural area and agriculture take 72 percentages of total labor force in country. Rice production is very important for Cambodian people.

“I admire all relative institution especially all city-province office that try hard to promote production work this year and achieve 104.91percentages over the plan of Ministry,” he said.

According to temporary report, rainy rice was destroyed 20,815 hectares in 2010 less than last year which destroyed 42,163 hectares. In this 2010, there is only Banteay Meanchey which is heavily destroyed by flood and it equal to 60 percentages of total damaged area.

Even though rice production affected from climate change, but the output of rice production included rainy rice and dry rice in year 2010-2011 still increased 405,072 tons in average 0.077 ton per hectare with the output of 7,990,942 ton in average 2.914 ton per hectare.

As summary result of rice production, Benteay Meanchey achieved 630,533 tons, Battambang achieved 784,262 tons, Kampong Cham achieved 755,083 tons, Kampong Chhnang achieved 370,837 tons, Kampong Spe achieved 264,237 tons, Kampong Thom achieved 535,552 tons, Kampot achieved 425,340 tons, Kandal achieved 385,648 tons, Koh Kong achieved 23,575 tons, Kratie achieved 122,801 tons, Mondulkiri achieved 35,511 tons, Phnom Penh achieved 12,818 tons, Preah Vihear achieved 112,656 tons, Prey Veng achieved 992,736 tons, Pursat achieved 291,907 tons, Ratanakiri achieved 65,858 tons, Siem Reap achieved 517,631 tons, Sihanokville achieved 37,043 tons, Stung Treng achieved 62,628 tons, Svay Rieng achieved 457,963 tons, Takeo achieved 924,255 tons, Oddar Meancheay achieved 145,312 tons, Kep achieved 9,437 tons and Palin achieved 27,319 tons.

By S.L (Vol. 4, Issue 50, SEAW)