T he government intends to lease some 12,000 hectares of rubber plantations to foreign companies, according to Second Prime Minister Hun Sen.

He said the government did not intend to keep a monopoly on rubber plantations - and in other sectors - because Cambodia needed competition and investment in its industries.

The government was considering bids from some 20 foreign companies to rent the rubber plantation land, some of which was currently leased to Cambodian firms.

Contracts could be granted for foreign firms to plant new rubber plantations, or to take over or extend existing ones. The government did not intend to sell land, but to issue contracts for firms to manage it.

Investors whose plans were labor-intensive should be given priority, he suggested.

Cambodia produced some 29,000 tons of rubber this year.