Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, has urged for the creation of local rice seed production bases to distribute to farmers who lack rice seeds without transporting from other areas.
Samdech Techo Hun Sen made the call during a distribution ceremony of rice seeds to over 10,000 flood-affected families in Battambang province on Monday.
The Prime Minister tasked the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries to conduct a study on the establishment by collaborating with private sector and farmers.
“We can cooperate with the private sector to produce rice varieties and supply them to the farmers through purchase or exchange with their paddy rice,” he said. “Good yields are resulted from the use of right seeds of rice.”
Cambodian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) has developed and released more than 40 rice varieties, which are more resilient to climate change and produce significantly better yields, to farmers.
Cambodia is a major rice exporter in the world. The country exported 449,325 tonnes of milled rice to international markets in the first nine months of 2022, up 10 percent over the same period last year, according to the Cambodia Rice Federation, adding that China is the biggest buyer of Cambodia’s milled rice, purchasing 198,107 tonnes, or 44.09 percent, of the Kingdom’s total exported amount.

Source: Agency Kampuchea Press