Laurent Import Export Company said Tuesday it would export 230 tonnes of jasmine rice to Switzerland and Italy in mid-July, at a price of US$920 per tonne.

“We hope that the company will be able to export more rice to European markets because Cambodian rice has been given import tax preference,” said company manager Lim Bunheng.

The European Union last year passed measures that provide developing countries such as Cambodia with duty-free access to European markets.

Kong Putheara, director of the Department of Trade Statistics and Information at the Ministry of Commerce, said tax preferences for imports from Cambodia have encouraged local companies to expand small-scale exports.

The company added that it had initiated a test programme that saw a total of 243 tonnes of high-quality rice exported to European markets in April.

Laurent announced last year that it would invest $5 million to purchase jasmine paddy for export locally and abroad from farmers in several provinces.