Cambodia’s SKO rice wins gold at 2nd China-ASEAN High-Quality Indica Rice Appraisal
Cambodia’s SKO rice wins gold at 2nd China-ASEAN High-Quality Indica Rice Appraisal
Cambodia’s collective trademark of Sen Kra’op (SKO) fragrant rice won the gold award for the 2nd China-ASEAN Taste Quality Appraisal Activity of High-Quality Indica Rice Varieties, which is organised by Guangxi Zhung Autonomous Region Seed Management Station and Rice Research Institute of Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Science on Friday (Nov. 8).
“We extend our sincere gratitude to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries for their commitment to seed purification, to the farmers for their hard work and dedication, and to the rice millers for their skill in producing high-quality milled rice. We also thank CICC (Cambodia) CO., LTD. for their timely coordination, enabling us to participate in this prestigious competition,” according to the press release of The Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) on Friday (Nov. 8).
The Cambodia Rice Federation also wishes to express deep gratitude to Taing Sokngorn, the Cambodian Consul General in Nanning, Guangxi Autonomous Region, China, for facilitating the delegation’s attendance to receive this esteemed award on behalf of Cambodia’s rice sector.
Receiving this gold award will enhance recognition and market presence for the SKO rice variety. The Cambodia Rice Federation encourages farmers to maintain the high-quality cultivation practices that make this achievement possible.
Notably, SKO is a non-seasonal rice variety cultivated by Cambodian farmers since the mid-1990s to meet market demands under the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. This variety was developed through the Agricultural Research and Development Institute of Cambodia, the Royal University of Agriculture, and collaborative efforts by the Cambodia Rice Federation, International Finance Corporation, and the Cambodia Agricultural Value Chain Program.
Together, they signed a technical and financial cooperation agreement to create a distinct fragrant rice variety, realised through extensive research by rice scientists at the Institute. Cambodian Agricultural Research and Development identified a selection of fragrant rice types, which led to the official release of Sen Kra Ob-01 (SKO-01) in 2019.
