A CAMBODIAN association has signed a deal worth US$22.4 million with a Vietnamese firm to plant 20,000 hectares worth of paddy rice for export.

The Community of Takmoa Agricultural and Industrial Development yesterday signed an investment deal with Vietnam’s Thai Thinh Company.

Lim Kimkhun, head of the Takmoa association, said that the cooperative agreement between his community and the company would help to boost yields of the grain in Cambodia.

Thai Thinh will be responsible for both technical planting and rice production in an area of Kampong Cham province’s Bateay district and Kampong Thom province’s Kampong Svay district.

“We expect our community will have more rice to supply the international demand in the future,” said Lim Kimkhun.

Next January, both sides will develop irrigation systems for the area and construct a rice mill, set to be capable of producing 500 tonnes of rice per day.

“We hope to plant paddy twice per year, yielding seven tonnes per hectare, and be able to export 100,000 tonnes [of rice] per year from 2012,” he said.

Nguyen Lam Duy, general director of Thai Thinh, said during the signing that his south Vietnam-based company would supply fertiliser and seeds to the community.

“The sole purpose for which we are here is to help [the]community to produce many tonnes of rice.

“The government’s policy aims to boost rice exports to up to 1 million tonnes by 2015,” he said.

Ponh Kosal, advisor to president of Cambodia’s senate Chea Sim, who was present at the signing, said both companies could double the amount of rice produced in the area.

Around 280,000 farmers would profit from the cooperation between the Kingdom’s company and Vietnamese firm, according to estimates provided at the signing.