Cambodian officials are pushing locals to stop cooking their meals on traditional stoves.

At the second Energy Efficiency Conference, held yesterday by the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy, the government said it would push the usage of more efficient cook stoves, a move that could help save on fuel prices.

Traditional Cambodian stoves have elongated mouths, resembling the hull of a boat.

By cooking on more modern, circular-mouthed stoves, Cambodians could conserve 22 per cent of the energy burned, according to Victor Jona, deputy director general of the Energy Department at the ministry.

Persuading locals to use a more modern version will be tough. The long-mouthed clay stoves used in Cambodia for centuries cost about US$1.5, whereas energy-saving models will cost double that: $3.

The new push from the government comes in an attempt to reduce the amount of wood burned in the Kingdom, Jona said.

“The ministry will try to push this because the more we disseminate this idea, the more we will reduce wood burning,” he said.

The main objective of the conference was to share views on the best and most efficient energy practises with Cambodia’s policy makers, academia and the private sector, Hidetoshi Nishimura, director of the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN, said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Rann Reuy at [email protected]