New policy to boost farming, MoC to crack down on 'unethical' rice exporters

[geovalin]

Chan Muyhong

The long-awaited Agricultural Extension Policy, rolled out yesterday by the Agriculture Ministry, will focus on making up-to-date knowledge and technology accessible to farming communities and increase efficiency and productivity in the sector.

The policy will be implemented by an advisory committee, with commune- and provincial-level offices communicating technical know-how and supplying raw materials to farmers, said Mak Soeun, director of the Department of Agricultural Extension.

“One agricultural extension agent will be placed in every commune to coordinate with other agricultural extension agents from the private sector and development partners. They will be the ones who will transfer and provide the right and updated knowledge and technology to everyone involved,” he said.

“The purpose of having this policy is to have a clear roadmap for everyone to follow.”

Soeun said the policy will be implemented using five steps: strengthening of the regulatory framework on agricultural extension; increasing the capacity of officers and agents; incorporating affordable and practical farming techniques; improved information and messaging; and better delivery systems for this information.

At least 2,000 additional agricultural-extension specialists will be needed to fill the gaps in human capital. Currently, there are only 70 agricultural-extension officers at the national level and less than 1,000 at the provincial level, Soeun said.

The funding will come from the government, donor organisations, private sector and fees from services on big farms. The policy also puts in place monitoring and evaluation systems, which will be implemented by local authorities and provincial departments of agriculture.

Prior to the release of the new policy, the ministry used agricultural research dating back to 1998 and guidelines first established in 2000, both of which lacked proper mechanisms, regulations and tools to facilitate agricultural services.

Sean Callahan, acting mission director at USAID Cambodia, said apart from a lack of coordination in services and inadequate funding, poor communication between farmers and extension agents needed to be addressed.

“Smallholder farmers do not have access to appropriate technologies. The crucial link between farmers and markets or the connection between agricultural research and farmers are weak,” Callahan said.

He added that training sessions with the use of technology would help farmers make effective use of new seed varieties, fertilisers and pesticides.

“It provides farmers with the knowledge and information that they need to increase their yields,” he added.

Chan Sophal, director for the Centre for Policy Studies, said success of the new policy will hinge on the effectiveness of the services provided and funding that can be collected.

“This is Cambodia’s first agricultural-extension policy and is expected to improve farmers’ access to improved technologies and raise their productivity. In addition, the policy will hopefully enhance the quality and efficiency of government and non-government extension services.”

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/new-policy-boost-farming

MoC to crack down on 'unethical' rice exporters

Thu, 28 May 2015

Chan Muyhong

The Ministry of Commerce is ramping up its efforts to stamp out “unethical” rice exporters mixing their produce with rice from neighbouring countries, as the European Union becomes increasingly concerned about rice tampering.

In an open letter issued on May 11 the ministry said it will stop issuing Certificates of Origin to exporters found to be using non-Cambodian rice, as this could lead to the European Union withdrawing its duty-free trade preferences that Cambodia enjoys under the Everything But Arms agreement.

“Recently, the EU has increased monitoring of rice imports to investigate the origins of rice imported, with the aim to pause or ban the import of rice without clear origins,” the letter reads.

The Ministry of Commerce (MoC) urged the president of Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF), rice exporters and millers to strictly comply with the code of conduct on rice exports to the EU agreed upon last year.

“MOC will have a group of inspectors who will launch surprise inspections in rice exporting companies and rice millers to investigate the issue,” the letter added.

The code of conduct was created to ensure that rice exported from Cambodia was actually grown in Cambodia and not mixed with Vietnamese rice, after Oryza, an industry publication, reported the EU raising concerns last year.

The EU Ambassador to Cambodia Jean-Francois Cautain said yesterday that the EU had become increasingly concerned recently and that ensuring the Kingdom’s rice exports were 100 per cent homegrown was the responsibility of the Cambodian
authorities.

“Indeed, as for any other product exported to the EU under EBA, were the rule of origin not respected, it may lead to an investigation by the EU,” he said in an email.

“We are welcoming the constructive approach of both the Royal Government of Cambodia and the rice exporters in putting in place proper mechanisms to ensure that the rule of origin is fully respected for rice exports to the EU.”

Kan Kunthy, CEO of Battambang Rice Investment Company, said yesterday that the problem came down to “only a few unethical exporters” that the MoC and CRF were currently investigating. “It will cause a huge impact on rice industry if the EU no longer granted Cambodia with EBA, as 50 per cent of the country’s total exports go to the EU.”

Kunthy said that the EBA was a crucial stepping stone to maintaining growth in the sector but that they need to prepare for withdrawal of the scheme once Cambodia moves to a middle-income status.

“All we can do without EBA is to increase our competitiveness and compete with other exporters from the region,” he added.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY ANANTH BALIGA

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/ministry-targets-mixed-rice-exports