PHNOM PENH: A total of 338,654 tonnes of milled rice have been exported in the first six months of 2024, a year-on-year increase of 2.7 percent, earning a total revenue of US$247 million, up 7.8 percent from the same period last year, the Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) said in a news release on Tuesday.

The Cambodian milled rice was shipped to 63 countries and regions around the world during the January-June period, it pointed out.

The country exported 156,789 tonnes of the commodity to 26 countries in the European Union, making US$121 million as revenue, said the report, adding that 75,398 tonnes others were shipped to China, generating a gross revenue of US$47 million.

Exports to 7 ASEAN members hit 74,554 tonnes, worth US$51 million, underlined the news release. Rice varieties Cambodia exported included fragrant rice, white rice, parboiled rice, and organic rice, among others.

Meanwhile, the Kingdom earned US$727 million in revenue from exporting 2.52 million tonnes of paddy rice to neighbouring countries. CRF has set its ambitious goal of exporting a million tonnes of milled rice by 2025.

With the export strategy focused on market expansion, raising production and storage capacity and elevating rice quality standards, the ambitious target of a million-tonne export is attainable, said CRF President Mr. Chan Sokheang.

“Our strategic approach addresses key areas that will propel Cambodia’s rice industry to new heights,” he said. AKP