Water is pumped into an irrigation canal earlier this year to alleviate water shortages which were experienced by some farmers. A new inter-ministerial working group aims to focus resources on delivering effective, efficient solutions to the Kingdom's farming communities. Water Resource Ministry
Three ministries have pledged to work together to resolve issues which are specific to the agriculture, rural development and water resources sectors.
The new initiative was lauded by an agriculture NGO official, who believed that it would relieve the hardships of the Kingdom’s farmers.
The leaders of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the Ministry of Rural Development and the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology held their first meeting as part of the new initiative on May 6, according to a joint press release.
Agriculture minister Dith Tina explained that the meeting was an important opportunity for the officials of each of the government bodies to understand the strategies and priorities of their counterparts in the other ministries, so they could mobilise their resources to achieve the best results for the public.
He expected that the increased cooperation would help improve people's livelihoods, bringing benefits to farmers and ensuring economic efficiency in rural areas.
Water resources minister Thor Chetha explained that Cambodia's water policy covers an inter-sectoral range.
“Delivering a reliable water supply to the agriculture industry is one of the top priorities of my ministry. We will work with the agriculture ministry to solve farmers’ water issues. We intend to do this through the continued development of irrigation systems in rural areas that face water shortages or floods on a regular basis,” he said.
Rural development minister Chhay Rithisen added that his officials were standing ready to cooperate with their peers to develop the necessary infrastructure.
The release explained that the inter-ministerial working group will meet every three months to review the results of the work it has undertaken and determine its next steps.
Theng Savoeun, president of the Coalition of Cambodian Farmers Community (CCFC) applauded the new mechanism, saying he believed it will improve efficiency and deliver timely results to farmers who are facing challenges.
He noted that by joining hands to resolve issues, no ministry will be able to assume another body is responsible. In addition, the inter-ministerial body should eliminate the problem of overlapping work.
"In the past, the ministries did not always work closely with one another, meaning farmers sometimes bore the brunt of some problems. Through this new initiative, we hope that they will work together as one team to resolve the issues that people are facing. I think this initiative is a key strategy and will provide timely responses and reduce the losses of rural communities,” he said.
Savoeun hoped that the increased cooperation would enhance economic prosperity and deliver a competitive advantage to local people over those in neighbouring countries.
