About 80% of Cambodian population is farmers and poverty reduction is mainly focused at rural areas where people do farming. While Cambodia has comparative advantages in agriculture and the world is facing difficulties with high inflation and threats of food shortage, Cambodia would refocus and re-direct its potential in agriculture development.

Cambodia is well endowed with plenty of land and water which are suitable for long-term and annual crops. However, major crops grown are now limited to seasonal cereals, mainly rice, which accounts for use of 90% of the farm land. At the same time, Cambodia has other additional potential for growing other crops which is still to be fully harnessed. For instance, over 70% of vegetables, fruits and even flowers for the burgeoning tourism industry and for local consumption are imported.

If looking to rice production as an example, Cambodia is self-sufficient in rice production as a whole and in particular this is not reflect to the real situation of the country as there are some imbalances among provinces and districts, meaning that some provinces do not produce enough rice for local consumption. However, Cambodia exported high quality rice every year while some of standard quality is imported particularly in areas bordering neighbouring countries.

In the last decade, Cambodia has experiences in increases in rice production through area expansion rather than from yield increases. At average, about 2.5 ton per hectare, rice yields in Cambodia are below figures for neighbouring countries which use more chemical fertilisers and better cultivation practices. On the other hand, a large number of farmers hold less than 1 hectare of land and produce only about 1 ton per hectare. Considering this, it is very tremendously important that Cambodia shall take urgent measures or program to increase agricultural productivity for not only self-reliance, self-sufficient by also for exporting.

In the future, Cambodia will mainly focus on productivity of rice, the main sector of Cambodia’s agriculture, as Prime Minister Hun Sen has announced many times during his official speech to his compatriots that Cambodia’s land will be white gold. Anyway, it is noteworthy that the government priority areas are to reduce poverty at rural areas along stable macro-economic growth and high employment. And to do this, it is obvious that agriculture is much matched. Poor farmers still lead subsistence lives. Increase in productivity through improved cultivation would directly benefit them.

Short term to medium term for agriculture development would be: the increase productivity, the adoption of intensive agriculture, the improve access to extension services, the provision of credit and inputs; improvement in irrigation system, market linkage, and creation of bargaining farmer groups. This shall be along with technology development and research.

BY IM SOKTHY