Agriculture minister Dith Tina meets with his Turkish counterpart Vahit Kirisci on January 11. MAFF
Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Dith Tina said Cambodia and Turkey have agreed on agricultural cooperation through the transfer of technology and agricultural machinery, most notably drones that can monitor forests and fishing grounds.
The minister announced the agreement via social media on January 12, following a meeting the day prior with Vahit Kirisci, Turkish Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, at the Kingdom’s agriculture ministry headquarters.
He said that as Turkey is one of leading countries in the field of agriculture, Cambodia has agreed in principle to cooperate in a number of areas, including technology transfer, the trade of agricultural machinery, the opening of new markets and the provision of agricultural education for Cambodian students.
“The cooperation also focuses on the import of value-added Cambodian agricultural products to the Turkish market and scholarships for Cambodian students to study agriculture in Turkey,” he added.
Through the bilateral meeting, Tina believed that the new cooperation will bring increased growth to the Kingdom’s agricultural sector.
On the same day, Kirisci also paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Hun Sen.Hun Sen’s personal assistant Eang Sophalleth said after the meeting that Kirisci had suggested that there was great potential for extending trade between the two nations. With a focus on agriculture, aquaculture, and the processing of agricultural products, the minister saw no reason why trade between the two could not top $1 billion a year.
Hun Sen recommended that Turkish investors be encouraged to pursue business opportunities in the Kingdom, suggesting that installing processing machinery, building warehouses and the establishment of markets for purchasing Cambodian agricultural products for export to Turkey may be suitable avenues.
“Cambodia produces many raw materials, including cashews, potatoes, rubber and rice that could be processed for export. I also mooted the idea of an agreement on non-double taxation to encourage mutual investment between the two countries,” he said.
