Even as the recent floods in Cambodia have devastated 200,000 hectares of rice fields, it will not have any major dent on the overall rice production as well as its export, said Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF).
The National Committee for Disaster Management stated that the floods affected more than 190,000 hectares of rice fields and completely damaged more than 60,000 hectares of rice fields across the country as of October 18.
The impact is relatively small as the government is boosting the re-cultivation, said Song Saran, President of the Cambodia Rice Federation.
The CRF initially assessed that the rice fields affected by the recent floods may have problems as some of the rice varieties meant for exports were affected and needed to be replanted, Saran said on Wednesday.
The impact is about 8 percent of the total rain season rice area of more than 2.5 million hectares, he said.
The CRF observed that some farmers are shifting from seasonal rice to short-term non-seasonal rice, especially areas with irrigation systems, and these areas are not severely affected, Saran said.
The CRF is waiting for a full report by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries and the National Committee for Disaster Management to assess the real damage.
Regardless of the impact on the rice field, the rice export would not be significantly affected, Saran said, who is CEO of Amru Rice (Cambodia), a leading rice export, said. In fact, the CRF is optimistic about increasing exports to existing markets and new market expansion, he added.
“The CRF task is to encourage members to buy replanted rice at a reasonable price, as well as to
guide and direct farmers to grow marketable varieties,” he said.
“To help our farmers, the federation is trying to expand new markets, especially existing markets – China and the European Union – where there’s a high demand for our rice,” he added.
Currently, the National Committee for Disaster Management and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries are collecting information on the actual impact on rice and replanting to help farmers.
Prime Minister Hun Sen last week ordered that the ministry assess the extent of damage to rice fields due to recent flooding in a timely manner so that the government can provide rice seeds to farmers quickly.
According to the Prime Minister, scores of 22 Cambodia’s provinces with 96 towns and districts and 770 communes were flooded by heavy rains recently with four people killed and many more affected, but most were evacuated to safety in time.
Cambodia exported 449,325 tonnes of milled rice to international markets in the first nine months of 2022, up 10 percent over the same period last year, according to the CRF), earning $287 million.
China remained the top buyer of Cambodia’s milled rice, purchasing 198,107 tons, or 44.09 percent, of the kingdom’s total export amount, the CRF said.
This article was first published in Khmer Times. All contents and images are copyright to their respective owners and sources.
