Five ink deal to form rice cartel
August 23rd, 2012, Bangkok Post, Agriculture & Agri-business, Industry, International Relations, Rice
Five Asean rice-producing countries are joining forces to form a regional alliance with the ambitious goal to boost rice prices by 10% annually.
Trade ministers from Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos are scheduled to sign the agreement later this year to establish the Asean Rice Federation, said Yanyong Phuangrach, the commerce permanent secretary….
Chatrudee Theparat & Phusadee Arunmas
http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/economics/308931/five-ink-deal-to-form-rice-cartel
Cambodian farmers plant rice in a paddy field in Kampong Speu province
August 23rd, 2012, AlertNet, Agriculture & Agri-business, Climate Change, Disasters & Disaster Management, Environment & Natural Resources, Rice
Cambodian farmers plant rice in a paddy field in Kampong Speu province August 21, 2012. A drought has hit Cambodia during its rainy season destroying more than 100,000 hectares of crops across the country, a government spokesman told Reuters on Tuesday. According to National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM) a total of 100,476 hectares of crops had already been ruined as the result of no rain for 6 weeks beginning in June, while another 135,444 hectares of crops were at risk of being destroyed in 14 provinces and cities…
Drought Affecting 145,000 Hectares of Paddy
August 22nd, 2012, The Cambodia Daily, Agriculture & Agri-business, Farming, News Source, Production, Rice, Social Concerns
A lack of rain across the country is affecting more than 145,000 hectares of rice paddy and parts of the nation’s crop have already been completely destroyed, according to data released yesterday by the Ministry of Agriculture.
Hem Sophal, director of the statistics department at the ministry, said that of the 1.92 million hectares of land currently being used to cultivate rice, 135,464 hectares have been damaged by drought, while about 10,000 hectares have been destroyed. …
Of the drought-affected areas, Battambang, Kompong Chhnang, Prey Veng, Svay Rieng, Pursat and Takeo provinces are the worst affected, according to Mr. Sophal. …
Phok Dorn, P. 21
http://www.camnet.com.kh/cambodia.daily/ (Note: Infrequently Updated.)
Drought hits rice exports
August 21st, 2012, The Phnom Penh Post, Agriculture & Agri-business, Business & Commercial Development, Exports, Farming, Industry, News Source, Production, Rice
Rice exports this year had been flat compared to last year because of the many challenges growers were facing, insiders said this week. …
The data shows exports were no better than last year for the same period, as exports for the first eight months of the year reached 106,000 tonnes, according to the Econony and Finance Ministry’s review on the promotion of paddy production and rice exports during 2010-2011. …
The report listed expectations for 2012 to reach only 180,000 tonnes, equal to 18 per cent of the Kingdom’s 2015 export target of one million tonnes. …
Hem Sophal, Director of Planning Department at Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery, said the drought this year had devastated 9,990 hectares of paddy fields and affected 122,297 hectares across the country. …
Rann Reuy, P. 7
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2012082158176/Business/drought-hits-rice-exports.html
Drought continues to hurt rice farmers
August 21st, 2012, The Phnom Penh Post, Agriculture & Agri-business, Farming, News Source, Production, Rice, Social Concerns
…Farmers in provinces across the Kingdom are feeling the effects of drought after a month of dry weather in which an estimated 10,000 hectares of rice seedlings were destroyed and 135,000 hectares left at risk, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
A report from the ministry, dated August 15 and obtained by the Post yesterday, reveals that rice cultivation is six per cent less than it was this time last year. …
Pich Romnea, deputy director of the rice plantation department at the Agriculture Ministry, said he hoped tropical and Pacific storms would provide relief.
The ministry has rescued about 20,000 hectares of rice fields via an irrigation scheme and prepared transplants so farmers can grow rice at the end of the rainy season, he said.
Khouth Sophak Chakrya, P. 3
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2012082158185/National-news/drought-continues-to-hurt-rice-farmers.html
Drought hampers rice cultivation in Cambodia
August 18th, 2012, The Global Times, Agriculture & Agri-business, Climate Change, Environment & Natural Resources, Rice
Cambodia has cultivated 1.93 million hectares of land, only 82 percent of its 2.36 million hectare target, due to a delay in monsoon rains which hampered rice sowing in the country, according to a media release from the Ministry of Agriculture on Sunday.
The report said that drought has been hitting Cambodia for more than five weeks and tens of thousands of hectares of rice seedlings in some 14 out of the 24 cities and provinces have been affected.
To date, the drought has damaged 10,690 hectares of rice seedlings and affected other 135,450 hectares…
Opposition urges China checks
August 17th, 2012, The Phnom Penh Post, Agriculture & Agri-business, Agro-Industry, Business & Commercial Development, Construction, Economic Land Concessions, Economics, Farming, Foreign Investment, Infrastructure, International Relations, Land Tenure, Livestock, News Source, Production, Rice, Social Concerns, Technical Assistance, Tourism, Trade
Prime Minister Hun Sen has called investors from China’s Anhui province to invest in numerous sectors across Cambodia in an effort to spur two-way trade between the Kingdom and China in order accomplish their joint target of US$5 billion in trade by 2015.
Meanwhile, Cambodia’s opposition party claims the government should perform strict checks before approving any investments that would impact on the economy and the people.
Last week, Chinese-based Ruijin Investment Holding limited, from Hainan province in China, announced investments in three projects in rice farming, tourism and a cattle ranch, worth a total of $6.5 billion, while Shantui, from Shantong province and one of the largest manufacturers of heavy construction machinery, sought to invest in rice farming and rubber plantations in Kampong Cham province. …
According to data from the Chinese embassy in Phnom Penh, bilateral trade between Cambodia and China reached $2.5 billion last year, up 73.5 per cent from a year earlier.
May Kunmakara, P. 7
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2012081758136/Business/opposition-urges-china-checks.html
Drought hits 11 provinces in Cambodia: spokesman
August 16th, 2012, Xinhua News, Agriculture & Agri-business, Climate Change, Disasters & Disaster Management, Environment & Natural Resources, Farming, Rice
Drought has been hitting 11 out of the 24 cities and provinces in Cambodia and affecting tens of thousands of hectares of rice seedlings, Keo Vy, spokesman and chief of the Cabinet of the National Committee for Disaster Management, said Thursday
The drought-hit provinces are Kampong Speu, Takeo, Svay Rieng, Kandal, Prey Veng, Kampot, Battambang, Pursat, Banteay Meanchey, Uddar Meanchey and Preah Vihear. “If it persists for a longer period, there will be more damage,” he said…
Bank to study loan possibilities for rice
August 14th, 2012, The Phnom Penh Post, Agriculture & Agri-business, Agro-Industry, Banking & Finance, Borrowing, Business & Commercial Development, Economics, International Relations, News Source, Rice, Technical Assistance
Delegates from the Import-Export Bank of China will visit Cambodia next week to discuss loans for the rice-processing and exporting sector, according to government officials.
Son Kunthor, president of the state-owned Cambodian Rural Development Bank, said yesterday that Chinese delegates will come to study the feasibility of providing loans to private investors to improve Cambodia’s rice processing. …
The two sides have been unable to reach an agreement. The Chinese bank officials wanted the Cambodian government to insure the private loans, while the government did not see this as its responsibility, Son said.
Loan interest rates from China are usually between 1 and 2 per cent annually, much cheaper than those offered by the Cambodian Rural Development Bank’s rate of seven per cent annually, he said. …
Rann Reuy, P. 9
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2012081457965/Business/china-bank-to-study-loan-possibilities-for-rice.html
Countrywide Drought Is Damaging Rice Paddies
August 13th, 2012, The Cambodia Daily, Agriculture & Agri-business, Climate Change, Disasters & Disaster Management, Environment & Natural Resources, Farming, News Source, Rice
More than 16,000 hectares of rice paddies are currently being affected by drought across the country, officials said yesterday.
“There wasn’t enough rain for the rice this year, ” said Nhep Srorn, director of Takeo province’s agriculture department. …
Pich Sokhin, governor of Oddar Meanchey province, said that a lack of irrigation has contributed to the problem. “There are 6,353 hectares that depend on rain because their locations have no irrigation system,” he said. …
Yang Saing Koma, president of the agriculture study center Cedac, said farmers should not despair just yet. “Farmers whose rice has been damaged should not feel hopeless. They can replant the rice because there is still time until the end of September,” he said.
Mech Dara, P. 18
http://www.camnet.com.kh/cambodia.daily/ (Note: Infrequently Updated.)
Drought fears ignite action
August 13th, 2012, The Phnom Penh Post, Agriculture & Agri-business, Climate Change, Disasters & Disaster Management, Environment & Natural Resources, Farming, News Source, Production, Rice
Concerns that a drought may soon grip some of Cambodia’s provinces intensified after the government allocated thousands of cubic metres of water to more than 20,000 hectares of dried rice paddies in a mission to save valuable rice crops last weekend.
Although the rainy season has cloaked parts of the country in heavy rain, areas in Kampong Speu, Prey Veng, Svay Rieng, Takeo, Oddar Meanchey, Battambang and Banteay Meanchey provinces have had little relief.
The Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology has allocated water supplies to at-risk areas, diverting water through vast canals and equipping farmers with machinery to dig channels, according to ministry spokesman Chan Yutha. …
According to agriculture officials in Kampong Speu, there are 3,000 rice paddies in the province facing devastation, while 800 hectares have already been destroyed.
Sen David, P. 4
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2012081357955/National-news/preventive-measures-for-risky-drought-areas.html
Asean invests $178 Million in Cambodia for the first semester of 2012
August 12th, 2012, The Southeast Asia Weekly, Agriculture & Agri-business, Agro-Industry, Business & Commercial Development, Construction, Domestic Investment, Economics, Farming, Foreign Investment, Garment Industry, Industry, Infrastructure, International Relations, News Source, Production, Reports, Rice, Textiles, Tourism
Cambodia has gained the investments of 178 million U.S. dollars from its ASEAN member states in the first six months of 2012, according to a report from the Council for the Development of Cambodia said this week.
From January to June this year, the country granted licenses to four projects from Thailand with the total investment of 84 million U.S. dollars, four projects from Vietnam with 82.5 million U.S. dollars, and one project worth 11.5 million U.S. dollars from Singapore, the report said.
Cambodia licensed to 72 domestic and foreign investment project worth about 692 million in first half of 2012. Local investors focused on beverage manufacturing, rice mills, to tourism resort development. And foreign investors from Us, UK, Hong Kong, South Korea also focused on garment and textile factories, to rice mills.
SAEW
Asia Rice- Thai Exporters Seek Vietnamese, Cambodian Rice To Meet Deals
August 12th, 2012, The Southeast Asia Weekly, Agriculture & Agri-business, Business & Commercial Development, Economics, Exports, Farming, Imports, International Relations, News Source, Production, Rice, Trade
Demand for low-quality white rice from African buyers has forced Thai exporters to purchase additional stocks from Cambodia and Vietnam to meet orders because domestic rice is in short supply due to government buying scheme, traders said on Wednesday.
The price of 25 per cent broken grade Thai white rice jumped to $545 per tonne on Wednesday, some way above the $520-530 per tonne being offered recently, although the benchmark 100 per cent B grade was steady at $580, they said. …
Due to a lack of broken grade rice on the market, some Thai exporters have had to import some from Cambodia, or even Vietnam via Cambodia. …
Harvesting of the Mekong Delta’s summer-autumn crop has peaked and will end later this month, meaning no fresh grain supply to weigh on prices in coming weeks.
Apornrath Phoonphongphiphat
Waste to Watt
August 9th, 2012, Economics Today, Agriculture & Agri-business, Agro-Industry, Energy, Environment & Natural Resources, Green Energy, International Relations, Rice, Technical Assistance
In an outbuilding at Lok Sear’s rice milling operation in Kandal province, two four-meter-high cylindrical machines vibrate and hum as the occasional chicken and duck pecks near the concrete blocks holding them up. While they do both feature a thinck band of aluminium around their midsections, they don’t look much like knights in shining armor. Still, Lok Sear has no doubt that these two rice husk gasifiers-in effect, small power plants-came to his rescue.
“Rice husk energy has saved my business,” he said. …
While the exact number of Cambodian millers using rice husk gasification is not available, around 40 have invested in SME machines to power their businesses and others are using different makes of equipment. The advantages are clear: lower electricity costs than with expensive diesel as well as clear benefits for the environment. …
These alternative energy source recently made the news Soma Group, a leading Cambodian industrial conglomerate, signed a deal with GE Energy at a US-ASEAN Business Council meeting in Siem Reap in July to power a new rural rice husk biomass-energy project. Located in Kampong Cham, the project will generate about 1.5 megawatts of green energy. …
Sann Sethvitou
http://etmcambodia.com
China firm proposes $6.5bn deal
August 9th, 2012, The Phnom Penh Post, Agriculture & Agri-business, Agro-Industry, Business & Commercial Development, Construction, Economic Land Concessions, Economics, Farming, Farmland, Foreign Investment, Infrastructure, International Relations, Land Tenure, Rice
Chinese firms have huge ambitions for Cambodia, with a second firm this week proposing three projects worth an estimated US$6.5 billion to the National Assembly yesterday, but no deadlines were set for the implementation of the projects, according to officials.
Pan Xiaoping, chairman of Ruijin Investment Holding Ltd, based in the Chinese province of Hainan, yesterday met with the president of the National Assembly, Heng Samrin, to seek the support for his company’s investment projects, said Kaom Kosal, cabinet director for the National Assembly.
The announcement comes after Shangdong Shuitai, a major farm machinery manufacturer from China, spoke with the National Assembly on Monday about investing in the Kingdom’s agriculture sector. …
The first project is a rice plantation worth approximately $400 million; the second is a tourism investment project called Sihanouk-Hainan City, a resort and associated infrastructure worth a reported $5.8 billion; and the third project is focused on animal husbandry, namely cows, and is worth an estimated $300 million. …
In an effort to avoid land disputes the development of Sihanouk-Hainan City would only be done on land specifically purchased for the project, Koam said, but did not elaborate on what guarantees this would bring. …
Rann Reuy, P.1
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2012080957898/Business/china-firm-proposes-65bn-deal.html
Chinese firm plans investment in Cambodia
August 8th, 2012, Xinhua News, Agriculture & Agri-business, Business & Commercial Development, Economics, Farming, Foreign Investment, International Relations, Livestock, Rice, Technical Assistance
PHNOM PENH — China’s Hainan Ruijin Investment Holding Group planned to invest in rice plantation, cow farm and tourism development in Cambodia, the group’s chairman Pan Xiaoping said Wednesday.
Pan said during a meeting with Heng Samrin, president of Cambodia’s National Assembly that his company decided to establish an overseas branch office in Cambodia to focus on the three projects.
Pan did not say when the projects will be started.
Heng Samrin pledged full support for those projects, which he said will be good to boost the development of Cambodia’s economy.
“Foreign investment is a key factor to accelerate economic development in Cambodia,” he said.
Xinhua
http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/business/2012-08/08/content_15652505.htm
Rice Production Down Due to Limited Rainfall, Report Says
August 8th, 2012, The Cambodia Daily, Agriculture & Agri-business, Exports, Farming, Rice, Trade
After rising significantly in recent years, Cambodia’s rice production will fall this year because of a shortage of rain, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in a new report.
In its second quarter Rice Market Monitor report for 2012 published on Monday, the FAO said it had revised the global forecast for rice paddy production, “following a worsening of the outlook in Asia.”
In Cambodia, the report says, 8.7 million tons of rice paddy will be produced this year, a 1 per-cent drop fro last year’s record 8.8 million tons. …
Simon Lewis and Hul Reaksmey, P. 19
http://www.camnet.com.kh/cambodia.daily/ (Note: Infrequently Updated.)
Chinese firm plans investment in Cambodia
August 8th, 2012, China Daily, Agriculture & Agri-business, Business & Commercial Development, Economics, Farming, Foreign Aid, Foreign Investment, International Relations, News Source, Rice, Technical Assistance
PHNOM PENH – China’s Hainan Ruijin Investment Holding Group planned to invest in rice plantation, cow farm and tourism development in Cambodia, the group’s chairman Pan Xiaoping said Wednesday.
Pan said during a meeting with Heng Samrin, president of Cambodia’s National Assembly that his company decided to establish an overseas branch office in Cambodia to focus on the threeprojects.
Pan did not say when the projects will be started.
Heng Samrin pledged full support for those projects, which he said will be good to boost thedevelopment of Cambodia’s economy.
“Foreign investment is a key factor to accelerate economic development in Cambodia,” he said.
Xinhua
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/business/2012-08/08/content_15652416.htm
CEDAC pools capital to produce organic rice
August 6th, 2012, Agriculture & Agri-business, Business & Commercial Development, Farming, Rice
Cambodian Center for Study and Development in Agriculture (CEDAC), a Cambodian agricultural organisation, will collect US$20 million from the Kingdom’s farmers through 2022 in an attempt to accumulate capital for organic rice production. …
Oun Sophal, president of CEDAC’s Farmer Network from Kampot province’s Dang Tong district, said that there are 40,000 organic rice farming families in the county. The production of organic rice has saved many farmers on the cost of chemicals. Pesticides also reduce rice yields. …
Mao Thora, secretary of state at the Ministry of Commerce, said the ministry promoted the production of all kinds of rice, not just organic rice.
Rann Reuy
Fish and rice, together at last
July 27th, 2012, The Phnom Penh Post, Agriculture & Agri-business, Farming, Fishing, Foreign Aid, Rice, Technical Assistance
A new long-term project aims to boost fish stocks in rice fields. That was not a typo.
For years, rice farmers in Cambodia have swept up fish – as well as frogs, snails and other aquatic fauna – that make their way from streams, canals and floodplains into rice fields. They then sell the fresh catches on the side or eat them at home.
And now a four-year project funded by USAID is kicking off that reaches across four provinces in an attempt to replenish declining stocks, increase yields and provide an ongoing protein-rich source of food in poorer communities. …
Joe Freeman and Kim Yuthana
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2012072757657/National-news/fish-and-rice-together-at-last.html