Fish and Rice Corridor to help Kingdom revolutionise its agricultural landscape

Fish and Rice Corridor to help Kingdom revolutionise its agricultural landscape

Prime Minister Hun Manet emphasises the critical need to bolster Cambodia’s agro-industry and diversify its export destinations.

Fish and Rice Corridor, announced by Cambodia and China, is likely to play an important role in transforming the agricultural landscape in Cambodia, as the government aims to promote the agro-industrial sector in the western region of the country as part of its efforts to diversify the national economy.

Cambodia is set to revolutionise its agricultural landscape with a major push for modern ecological farming, particularly within its western provinces, encouraging domestic production to supply local demands and exports.

This strategy is in line with the Fish and Rice Corridor, a collaborative initiative between Cambodia aimed at enhancing domestic production and reducing reliance on foreign markets.

Prime Minister Hun Manet on Tuesday emphasised the critical need to bolster Cambodia’s agro-industry and diversify its export destinations in the country’s western provinces.

“I have assigned our policy-making committee to draft an investment policy focused on agro-industrial and industrial development in the western region,” the premier said, adding, “a new policy to stimulate agro-industrial growth in the west will soon be introduced.”

“Agriculture cannot be limited to cultivation and the export of raw products. We must strengthen domestic processing for export to create jobs and ensure long-term economic sustainability,” the premier said.

Cambodia and China are looking at establishing a Fish and Rice Corridor in northwestern Cambodia, particularly in the Tonle Sap Lake area, to develop modern ecological agriculture.

This corridor is designed to implement advanced ecological farming practices. It seeks to introduce modern rice industry cooperation zones, leverage Chinese agricultural technology, and provide crucial technical training to Cambodian farmers.

This would constitute an acceleration of Cambodia’s modern agricultural development planning, and an examination into the possibility of digital agricultural cooperation and support for aquaculture, tropical plantations and other potential sectors.

The corridor will also serves as a mechanism for bilateral digital economic cooperation to increase the competitiveness and popularity of Cambodian products on the Chinese market, and to inspire the general public to pitch in to enhance practical agricultural, trade and economic cooperation.

The leaders of the two countries have recently reaffirmed to further enhance bilateral cooperation to benefit economic development.

In an official visit to Cambodia in April of this year, Chinese President Xi Jinping said the two sides should keep closer practical cooperation across various fields, advance the development of Cambodia’s Industrial Development Corridor and Fish and Rice Corridor, and strengthen cooperation in energy, transportation and other sectors, so that Cambodia can share more in China’s development opportunities.

The government has also 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.

Cambodia saw a surge in the export of agricultural products in 2024, an official report from the Ministry of Commerce showed, citing that the main products exported include rice, bananas, mangoes, cassava, cashew nuts, corn, pepper and tobacco.

China, Vietnam, and Thailand are the major importers of Cambodia’s agricultural products.

khmertimeskh