Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - Israel agri development, tech deal eyed

Israel agri development, tech deal eyed

Content image - Phnom Penh Post
Agriculture minister Veng Sakhon (right) meets his Israeli counterpart Oded Forer on August 28. VENG SAKHON VIA FB

Israel agri development, tech deal eyed

Cambodia and Israel are looking to pen a deal on agricultural development, to adopt and adapt the Middle Eastern country’s agri-tech models in the Kingdom and drive up exports in the sector, according to the agriculture minister.

Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Veng Sakhon led a delegation of officials and private sector representatives to Israel on a four-day trip, arriving on August 28.

Sakhon told The Post on August 29 that the aim of the trip is to establish a dialogue with the Israeli agriculture and foreign ministries on setting up a working group tasked with preparing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on knowledge and experience sharing in the field that encompasses visits by officials and private sector actors between the two countries.

The agriculture minister affirmed that he met his Israeli counterpart Oded Forer on August 28, and that both sides were keen to proceed with the establishment of the working group. “The MoU is to boost cooperation on technical support, the exchanging of experience, and research between two [agriculture] ministries,” Sakhon said.

He added that the delegation would attend a business event on August 29. “I do hope that we can build very good cooperation between both governments as well as business communities for the development of agriculture,” he said.

The minister underscored that loads of safe vegetables, meats and other food items now stock the shelves of Phnom Penh’s supermarkets and malls, a reality he suggested was at least in part due to strong Cambodia-Israel relations.

Another “good result from cooperation with Israel” is an uptrend in total agricultural exports, reaching nearly eight million tonnes in 2021, from the “three to four million tonnes” recorded annually “over the past six years”, he said, predicting that “bringing in the latest technologies from Israel” would bump this figure to or above nine million tonnes in 2022.

For reference, ministry data shows that in 2021, Cambodia exported a total of 7,984,251.83 tonnes of agricultural products to 68 countries and territories, marking a rise of 3,110,790.73 tonnes or 63.83 per cent over 2020. Last year’s agricultural exports netted a total of $4,967,852,713.

Tropicam Fruit and Vegetable Co Ltd CEO Hun Lak, a member of the same delegation, told The Post on August 29 that Israel’s largest agricultural technology firm Netafim entered the Cambodian scene a “few years” ago, and struck a partnership with his company.

Netafim has since provided the Kingdom with high-tech agricultural equipment and systems, and delivered “innovative, tailor-made” irrigation and fertigation solutions, he said.

He added that Tropicam Fruit and Vegetable has worked with Netafim in the provision of “small-, medium- and large-scale” irrigation systems. “In recent years, we’ve installed systems for banana, durian and mango,” Lak said.

He said the private sector representatives on the trip want to look into Israeli agricultural models and explore methods that could be applied in Cambodia, especially those falling under the smart-agriculture concept.

Data from the ministry’s General Directorate of Agriculture reveal that in January-March this year, Cambodia exported a total of 3,434,070 tonnes of agricultural products to 57 countries and territories, an increase of more than 344,860 tonnes, or 11.16 per cent year-on-year. The estimated value of the exports was $1.268 billion.

Major agricultural exports include milled and paddy rice, cassava chips, fresh cassava, tapioca starch, raw and processed cashew nuts, dried corn kernels, mung beans, bananas, pomelos, fresh and processed mangoes, peppers, tobacco, fresh and dried chillies, and a variety of other vegetables.

MOST VIEWED

  • Wing Bank opens new branch in front of Orkide The Royal along Street 2004

    Wing Bank celebrates first anniversary as commercial bank with launch of brand-new branch. One year since officially launching with a commercial banking licence, Wing Bank on March 14 launched a new branch in front of Orkide The Royal along Street 2004. The launch was presided over by

  • Girl from Stung Meanchey dump now college grad living in Australia

    After finishing her foundational studies at Trinity College and earning a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Melbourne in 2022, Ron Sophy, a girl who once lived at the Stung Meanchey garbage dump and scavenged for things to sell, is now working at a private

  • Ministry orders all schools, public and private, to close for SEA Games

    From April 20 to May 18, all public and private educational institutions will be closed to maintain order and support Cambodia's hosting of the 32nd SEA Games and 12th ASEAN Para Games, said a directive from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport. Cambodia will host the

  • Wat Phnom hornbills attract tourists, locals

    Thanks to the arrival of a friendly flock of great hornbills, Hour Rithy, a former aviculturist – or raiser of birds – in Kratie province turned Phnom Penh tuk tuk driver, has seen a partial return to his former profession. He has become something of a guide

  • Almost 9K tourists see equinox sunrise at Angkor Wat

    Nearly 9,000 visitors – including 2,226 international tourists – gathered at Angkor Wat on March 21 to view the spring equinox sunrise, according to a senior official of the Siem Reap provinical tourism department. Ngov Seng Kak, director of the department, said a total of 8,726 people visited Angkor Wat to

  • Angkor Beer strengthens national pride with golden new look and fresher taste

    Angkor Beer – the "Gold of Angkor" – has a new look, one that is more stylish and carries a premium appeal, as well as a fresher taste and smoother flavour, making it the perfect choice for any gathering. Angkor Beer recently launched its new design, one