PHNOM PENH: Cambodia saw a significant surge in the export of agricultural products last year, driven by potential agricultural products including rice, cassava and cashew nuts.
The main products Cambodia exported in the said period included rice, bananas, mangoes, cassava, cashew nuts, corn, pepper and tobacco.
The country earned US$1,398 million from paddy rice export and US$491 million from milled rice export, a year-on-year increase of 11.69 percent and 5 percent, respectively, an official report from the Ministry of Commerce showed.
The export of cassava amounted to US$689 million, while the rubber export was US$595 million, up 6.69 percent and 12.78 percent, respectively.
The Kingdom also earned US$505 million from cashew nut export, a year-on-year increase of 31 percent, and US$145 million from fresh mango export, up 27 percent.
However, the banana export saw a decrease of 9.35 percent to US$152 million.
China, Vietnam, and Thailand are the major importers of Cambodia’s agricultural products.
Agriculture is one of the four pillars supporting Cambodia’s economy. The Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) has announced the implementation of a new strategic policy for agricultural development, aiming to upgrade agriculture from household to commercial farming and enhance farmers’ income through value-added products.
To support this commitment, the RGC deploys 250 agricultural officials and the number will be raised to over 1,300 in 2025 in communes nationwide to add human resources for the agricultural sector’s development.
These officials will provide technical assistance to farmers, help form agricultural cooperatives, link production chains, and guide farmers in reducing production costs.