Wednesday, May 9, 2018

Quitters

Little, precious little to share, barely warrants a posting. 
Probably the most notable would be non-agricultural: free press in Cambodia folding in the face of dictatorship, so expect more reports to toe the government policies rather than being market conform or informative.


Even when the press were free, we were constantly receiving very much non-critical messages as the following. The Phnom Penh Post (May 1):
'The total export of agricultural products rose to 5.13 million tonnes last year, up from 4.7 million tonnes the year before, a sign that the sector was on the right track according to Agriculture Minister Veng Sokhon.
Speaking on Monday at the release of the ministry’s 2017 annual report, Sokhon said that while farming in Cambodia had seen remarkable growth in the past few years, more work needed to be done to increase exports, ensure crops were processed in the country and increase compliance with health and safety standards.
...
Rice exports grew by 17.3 percent to reach 635,697 tonnes last year, while rubber also expanded by 30.14 percent to reach 188,832 tonnes, according to the report'.
More but similar from Xinhua (May 2):
'Cambodia produced 10.5 million tons of paddy rice in 2017, up 5.7 percent year-on-year, Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said on Wednesday.
With the amount of production last year, besides local consumptions, the country would have some 5.56 million tons of un-husked rice, or 3.56 million tons of milled rice, left over for exports this year, he said during the closing ceremony of the annual conference of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries'.
Could we miss what follows (Phnom Penh Post, May 9)?
'Cambodian rice exports have dramatically declined over the past four months compared to the same period last year, causing significant concern for the rice industry even as plans are in the works to expand exports by thousands of tonnes, according to government officials.
The data, released by the General Department of Agriculture yesterday, show that total rice exports in the first four months of this year totalled 197,354 tonnes, compared to the 212,394 tonnes exported in the same period last year, a year-on-year decrease of 7 percent'.
Will the Phnom Penh Post (Apr. 23) be allowed to report from other sources, as whar follows doesn't seem to toe the national line:
'Cambodia’s rice production and exports will likely continue to grow this year and next year despite low milling rates, buoyed by strong demand from China, according to a report from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
In the report released last week, the USDA forecasted a 4 percent year-over-year increase in rice production during the 2017-2018 harvest seasons, estimating the total haul at 8.1 million tonnes.
...
The rice production estimates are similar to those reported by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) last month.
Also included in the FAO report was an estimate that 44 percent of Cambodia’s total rice exports would be smuggled out of the country this year, with total legal and illegal rice exports increasing by 5 percent to reach 1.35 million tonnes of rice'.
Even Singapore notes (Business Times, 3 may) that the royal oxen predict a bounty harvest ahead. 
'Cambodia's royal oxen predicted a bountiful harvest of rice, the country's biggest crop, as well as corn and beans at an ancient royal plowing ceremony on Thursday.
...
During the ceremony, which signals the start of the new rice growing season, two oxen ate 95 per cent of the rice and corn on offer and 80 per cent of beans presented in ornate bowls'.
Will the oxen fall foul of sensors in the future?

The Khmer Times (May 9) with some niche (?) news:
'The government yesterday announced that a new rice variety known as ‘japonica’ is officially available for farming after having passed performance tests.
Officially called ‘oryza sativa japonica’, the rice variety will be planted in 200,000 hectares around the country, and will be shipped primarily to China, where it is very popular, Agriculture Minister Veng Sakhon said Monday.
Tests on japonica and its adaptability to the Cambodian soil have been conducted in Kampong Speu province, after the ministry signed an agreement in January with two Chinese laboratories, Hunan Hybrid Rice Research Center and Jiangsu Long An Agricultural Technology, to study the grain jointly.
...
“As planned, 200,000 hectares of land will be used for planting japonica seeds, producing up to six tonnes of paddy rice per hectare,” he said, although he failed to go into details regarding the provinces where the plantations will be located.'
Trust
No regional bizniz it seems so let's look at some other alternatives. The Khmer Times (Apr. 12)
'Demand for Cambodian cashew nuts remains robust in 2018, with the price of the commodity in the global market having experienced moderate growth in recent months, according to an official from the Ministry of Agriculture.
Kong Pheach, director of the agro-industry department at the ministry, told Khmer Times that the price of cashews is higher than last year, while production of the commodity has also expanded. Demand continues to rise, he said, explaining that more plantations are popping up around the country to meet it.
...
“Almost 95 percent of Cambodian raw cashew nuts were shipped to Vietnam. Only one or two percent of our cashew exports were processed,” Mr Saran (Song Saran, CEO of Amru Rice and founder of the Cambodian Agriculture Cooperative Cooperation (CCAC)) said'.
The Khmer Times (Apr. 28):
'Exports of rubber rose moderately during the first three months of the year, as the market for the commodity continues to be hampered by unstable prices.
During the first quarter of 2018, rubber exports grew by just 880 tonnes, reaching a total of 25,416 tonnes. During that same period, the price of the commodity decreased.
...
Lim Heng, vice-president of An Mady Group, expressed similar concerns.
“With the cost of production being very high in Cambodia, a low price is bad news for farmers and producers, who won’t be able to make a profit,” he said.
In Thailand and Vietnam, the price of the commodity is not affecting the industry as badly because the costs of production is much lower, Mr Heng said, explaining that in these countries the government grants tax cuts to farmers and producers of the commodity.
In 2017, Cambodia exported more than 190,000 tonnes of rubber latex, an increase of 30 percent year-on-year. Vietnam, China, Singapore and Malaysia were the biggest buyers.
Cambodia is the sixteenth largest rubber latex producer in the world'.
The Khmer Times (May 9):
'The government will issue a standard for the type of mango known as ‘keo romeat’, a move that seeks to bolster sales abroad as well as consumer trust on the product, a high-ranking official revealed yesterday'.