Key agricultural products see significant surge in 2024
Key agricultural products see significant surge in 2024
Cambodia’s agriculture sector has experienced a remarkable surge in 2024, with key export commodities showcasing significant growth.
The main products Cambodia exported included rice, bananas, mangoes, cassava, cashew nuts, corn, pepper and tobacco.
China, Vietnam and Thailand are the major importers of Cambodia’s agricultural items.
From January to November of last year, the country earned $1,271 million from paddy rice export and $438 million from milled rice exports, a year-on-year increase of 16.42 percent and 3.97 percent, respectively, according to an official report from the Ministry of Commerce.
Exports of cassava amounted to $622 million and $523 million from rubber export, with a growth of 13.42 percent and 15.81 percent respectively.
The Kingdom also earned $502 million from cashew nut export, a year-on-year increase of 31 percent, and $138 million from fresh mango exports, up 24 percent. However, the banana exports saw a decrease by 11.2 percent to $138 million, read the report.
The report showed that other agricultural products – corn, pepper, longan and cane sugar earned a combined income of $310 million.
The ministry stated that this indicates that the agricultural sector plays an important role in supporting the socio-economic development of Cambodia, which is more resilient than other sectors.
“A majority of Cambodia’s agricultural exports are now formal, which is a positive sign. We are no longer exporting informally, our exports are recognized through official channels,” said Khim Finan, Undersecretary of State and a spokesman of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries.
“These results reflect the success of opening new markets and boosting competitiveness, which has helped agricultural products reach export-quality standards,” he said.
The ministry’s policies for the agricultural sector not only focus on ensuring food security in the country but also on finding export markets for high-quality agricultural products.
Agriculture is one of the four pillars supporting Cambodia’s economy.
The government has announced the implementation of a new strategic policy, aiming to upgrade agriculture from household to commercial farming and enhance farmers’ income through value-added products.
Under the priority policy, the government deployed 250 agricultural officials and the number will be raised to over 1,300 by 2025 in communes nationwide to add human resources for the agricultural sector’s development. These officials will assist farmers, form agricultural cooperatives, link production chains and guide farmers to reduce production costs.
