PHNOM PENH: Cambodia’s top agricultural official today issued a rallying call to government ministries, development partners, and the private sector to accelerate trade and investment in the nation’s agro-industrial sector, citing a critical need to bridge the gap between robust production growth and underdeveloped processing and market access.
Presiding over the opening of the Cambodia Agriculture Forum and Expo 2025 (CAFE25), H.E. Dr. Ouk Rabun, Chairman of the Council for Agricultural and Rural Development, stated that the sector is at a pivotal juncture.
“Building on a strong production foundation, Cambodia is poised to become a significant supplier of processed agricultural goods to the world,” H.E. Dr. Ouk Rabun declared. “Realising this vision demands an integrated ecosystem that stimulates investment, forges trade partnerships, and champions technology, innovation, and finance.”
The Chairman detailed Cambodia’s competitive advantages for agro-industrial development, highlighting its strategic location, favourable climate, solid production base, young workforce, and a package of attractive tax incentives and trade facilitation measures.
He emphasised that CAFE25 is a critical platform for stakeholders across the value chain to forge the partnerships necessary to drive this transformation.
Achieving the sector’s ambitious goals, he concluded, requires a unified effort to promote modern farming communities, expand agro-processing capacity, and bolster Cambodia’s reputation as a reliable source of high-quality, safe, and sustainable agricultural products.
The call to action underscores the sector’s vital role in the national economy, which engages approximately 54 percent of the population and contributes over 16 percent to the nation’s GDP.