Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - Cambodian agri exports rise 7.8% to 8.6M tonnes

Cambodian agri exports rise 7.8% to 8.6M tonnes

Content image - Phnom Penh Post
Commerce minister Pan Sorasak visits corn farmers in Pailin province in July. MOC

Cambodian agri exports rise 7.8% to 8.6M tonnes

Cambodia formally exported 8.6 million tonnes of agricultural products to 74 markets last year worth nearly $5 billion, up 7.8 per cent from the 7.9 million tonnes booked in 2021, as agriculture contributed 22.2 per cent of the Kingdom’s 2022 gross domestic product (GDP), according to Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Dith Tina.

Included in the export total were 637,000 tonnes of milled rice, up 3.23 per cent from 617,000 tonnes in 2021, and 5.78 million tonnes of non-rice agricultural products, up from 5.01 million tonnes in 2021, Tina noted at his ministry’s annual meeting, according to a statement issued in conjunction with the event.

These figures suggest that formal rice agricultural exports that were not included in the “milled” total (mainly paddy) fell in the range of 2.127-2.163 million tonnes – accounting for rounding – compared to 2.295-2.329 million tonnes in 2021. Virtually all formal paddy exports tend to be shipped to neighbouring Vietnam.

For comparison, the Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF), the Kingdom’s apex rice industry body earlier put the 2022 paddy export total at 3.4 million tonnes.

Meanwhile, crop production reached 34.71 million tonnes, broken down into the categories of horticultural (4.42 million tonnes), industrial (18.67 million tonnes) and rice (11.62 million tonnes), the last of which represented a surplus of 6.29 million tonnes, Tina added.

The ministry has been “responsibly” working to accelerate development of the agricultural sector, as prescribed in the Rectangular Strategy Phase IV and National Policy for Agricultural Development 2022-2030, he assured in the statement.

To enhance crop cultivation capacity and ensure food security and sustainable development in 2023, the ministry has adopted strategies geared towards – inter alia – energy and cost efficiency, modern technologies and methods, the use of genetically-pure seeds, production support infrastructure, low-interest loans, contract farming, networking among growers, and commercialisation, he added.

For reference, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently estimated the 2022 nominal GDP for Cambodia at $28.330 billion, thus offering a ballpark approximation for agriculture’s contribution at $6.274-6.304 billion.

Speaking to The Post on March 29, Sok Yorn, vice-president of the Siem Reap province-based Cambodia Safe Fish, Meat and Vegetables Association (CSFMVA), commented that the uptick in agricultural exports is indicative of improvements across the underlying supply chains – including in cultivation, care, harvesting, cleaning and packaging – to the desired standards of importing countries.

Greater export volumes will translate into the development of value-added agriculture, allowing farmers to capture larger proportions of the value of their crops, he contended.

“Apart from earning Cambodia more revenue, it [the boom in exports] is also a source of pride for the Cambodian agricultural sector,” he said.

However, he noted, one persistent issue confronting the sector is the amount of vegetables, fish, meats and other produce that is brought into the Kingdom – legally and illegally – by traders.

In a recent interview with The Post, Hun Lak, CEO of Rich Farm Asia Ltd, a major local agricultural exporter, remarked that sectoral productivity has been on a constant uptrend as of late amid increases in the quality and quantity of agricultural exports, underpinned by government policies, particularly those targeting food security and international sales capacity.

Other drivers of agricultural exports include the transport sector and government efforts to open new markets through diplomatic ties as well as bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements (FTA), he argued, asserting that Cambodian agricultural exports will remain on an upward growth trajectory for the foreseeable future.

An FTA is an international treaty between two or more economies designed to reduce or eliminate certain barriers to imports and exports among them, generally while safeguarding safety, security, health and other legitimate regulatory objectives. Such a pact can also serve to facilitate and promote greater economic ties among signatories in areas such as investment and intellectual property protection.

Lak affirmed that the number of companies investing in local agriculture and agro-industry is on the rise.

Agriculture ministry statistics indicate that Cambodia exported nearly $4.92 billion worth of agricultural products in 2021 – $3.958 billion and $0.959 billion with and without certification, respectively. These and the latest numbers shared by the minister put the mean value of the 2021 agricultural exports in the range of 61.836-62.036 US cents per kilogramme.

MOST VIEWED

  • 12th Cambodia int’l film festival to see return of Hollywood star

    Phnom Penh is set to come alive with the magic of cinema as the highly anticipated 12th Cambodia International Film Festival (CIFF) takes centre stage. Boasting an impressive line-up of 188 films from 23 countries, including captivating shorts, feature films, documentaries and animation, the festival promises an

  • Bareknuckle champion wants Kun Khmer fighter

    Dave Leduc, who is the current openweight Lethwei boxing champion in Myanmar, has announced that he will travel to Cambodia this year to challenge SEA Games gold medallist Prum Samnang any time that is convenient, after their planned match later this month in Slovakia was

  • Struggling Battambang artist dreams of staging full-scale gallery exhibition

    Leav Kimchhoth, a 55-year-old artist from Battambang province, is a familiar face to locals and tourists alike on the streets of the riverside in Phnom Penh. The one-armed painter and illustrator often hawks his work near the night market on weekends and public holidays. He

  • Fresh Covid warnings as Thai hospital fills

    A senior health official reminds the public to remain vigilant, as neighbouring countries experience an increase in Covid-19 cases, with the latest surge appearing to be a result of the Omicron XBB.1.5 sub-variant. Or Vandine, secretary of state and spokeswoman for the Ministry of Health,

  • New Law on Taxation comes into effect

    Cambodia has enacted the eagerly-awaited new Law on Taxation, which aims to improve the national tax regime’s compliance with present and future international standards and economic conditions; encourage accountability, effectiveness and transparency in the collection process; and promote investment in the Kingdom. King Norodom

  • PM warns of int’l election interference

    With the national election scheduled to take place in less than two months, Prime Minister Hun Sen has warned foreign nations and their diplomats not to interfere into Cambodia’s domestic affairs. He also hinted that their statements on court verdicts handed down to any