Lift

Ranking the rice news. 

Possibly the most important (?), the Phnom Penh Post (May 17) carries this government announcement:

'The Cambodian government has decided to lift the ban on the export of paddy, white rice and fish to international markets starting on May 20'.

In spite of the ban, Khmer Times (Jun. 11) notes:

'Nearly 1 million tonnes of rice paddy were exported from Cambodia to Vietnam from January to June this year, with exporters claiming that the COVID-19 virus will not affect the Kingdom’s rice export industry'.

A day later (Jun. 12) the Khmer Times possibly deliriously announces:

'The Minister of Agriculture has claimed that the Kingdom’s milled rice exports to the international market are expected to reach 1 million tonnes this year, the amount set by the government five years ago, However, rice exporters said the country will take at least two years more to meet that amount'.

The Phnom Penh Post (May 31) earlier did the sums and also concluded that the exports will be up due to the Covid-19 global pandemic:

'Cambodian milled-rice exports to the international market in the first five months of this year skyrocketed 42 per cent to 356,097 tonnes from 250,172 tonnes during the same period last year, said a report from the Secretariat of One Window Service for Rice Export Formality.
The European market accounted for 122,010 tonnes, up 51.10 per cent year-on-year from 80,749 tonnes, the Chinese market 136,825 tonnes, up 25.26 per cent, ASEAN countries 45,825 tonnes, up 45.39 per cent, and other destinations 51,437 tonnes, up 79.40 per cent.
Fragrant rice accounted for 289,287 tonnes, or 81.24 per cent, white long-grain rice 62,779 tonnes and long-grain parboiled rice 4,031 tonnes.
In May alone, rice exports reached 55,845 tonnes, an increase of 53.38 per cent compared to May last year, of which 51,683 tonnes was fragrant rice, 3,578 tonnes was white long-grain rice and 584 tonnes was long-grain parboiled rice'.

In the margins, the Phnom Penh Post (Jun. 17) highlights exchange possibilities:

'Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) vice-president Chan Sokheang plans to negotiate with his Chinese counterpart for cash-settlements in riel and yuan currencies for exports of milled rice.
The move is intended to facilitate payments and boost exports.
Sokheang told The Post on Tuesday that since exports to China have sharply increased in recent years, it is important that the CRF and its members work with the National Bank of Cambodia (NBC), the central bank, to facilitate payments in the local currencies.
“All members agreed to request that the NBC coordinate cash settlements in riel and yuan,” said Sokheang.
“We typically buy paddy in the local currency and then we export in US dollars, which requires us to exchange yuan to US dollars and US dollars to yuan and then into riel. This makes both sides lose money on the exchange rate.”
He said time and money would be saved if payments could be made directly in yuan via banks in China and Chinese-owned banks in the Kingdom'.

Other maginal news. Phnom Penh Post (May 20):

'The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries signed an agreement on Wednesday with the Philippine-based International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) with the goal of improving the rice sector by enhancing the analysis, productivity and resilience of value-chain networks.
The agreement was signed by Minister Veng Sakhon and IRRI regional representative for Southeast Asia Dr Yurdi Yasmi'.

Waste

In the other-than-rice news, let's start with a broader issue, that of processing. The Phnom Penh Post (Jun. 8):

'Agro-processing is the future of Cambodia’s agricultural industry. In recent months, Prime Minister Hun Sen has called on local and foreign investors to inject more funding into the sector, and researchers from institutions like the World Bank agree. Increasing Cambodia’s agro-processing capacity has the potential to enhance agricultural and socioeconomic development significantly.
But at the moment, Cambodia is wasting this potential.
Agro-processing, which links the agricultural and manufacturing sectors, takes raw and intermediate materials – including crops, livestock, fish and forest materials – and turns them into finished, marketable products.
For example, Cambodia exports rice to the international market. But other, potentially even more profitable, opportunities exist. Cambodia could add value by processing its rice into other products like sake, vinegar, noodles, bread, or milk'.

On the crops themselves, the Phnom Penh Post (Jun. 8) kicks off with corn:

'The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has announced that exports of corn used for livestock feed have declined sharply over the last few years, while production and domestic demand have risen.
Minister Veng Sakhon said corn exports reached 35,636 tonnes during the first five months of the year, down 29.68 per cent from the same period last year when 50,679 tonnes were exported.
In 2019, corn exports reached 119,993 tonnes and in 2018, 204,184 tonnes were exported.
He said despite the decline in international demand, the production of Cambodian corn has steadily increased over the last four years.
Farmers’ corn production surpassed 1.11 million tonnes in 2019, up from 333,058 tonnes in 2016'.

Then the Khmer Times (Jun. 8) on chillies:

'Cambodia exported more than 30,000 tonnes of fresh chilis during the past five months of the year to Thailand, the Agriculture Ministry reported.
...
However, exports of corn saw a significant decrease to the international market, from 204,184 tonnes 2018 to 119,993 tonnes of corn last year. In the last five months, the country shipped 35,636 tonnes of corn, down 29 per cent over the corresponding period last year. The commodity fetched on average 2,600 riels ($0.63) per kilogramme as of last week.
The ministry added that the decrease in corn exports is not a problem for farmers: It is because the food has a high demand in the local market'.

Stoned

Fruity news a-z (and some nuts/others). 

B for banana's. The Khmer Times (Jun. 4):

'During the first five months of 2020, Cambodia exported 22,762 tonnes of yellow bananas, wherein 14,414 tonnes to Vietnam and 8,348 others to China'.

The Khmer Times (Jun. 16) on cashews:

'The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has urged a company that has been farming cashew nut trees in Siem Reap, to invest in a processing factory because the government is considering establishing a cashew nut research centre.
The call was made during a meeting between Minister Veng Sakhon and the president of Sophorn Theary Peanich Co Ltd Siek Piseth yesterday in Siem Reap province.
Sophorn Theary Peanich Co Ltd, which was granted an economic land concession (ELC) of 4,000 hectares in Chong Spean village, Khvav commune, Chi Kraeng district, Siem Reap province, in 2006, said it would implement a contract with the Ministry of Agriculture in 2017 to grow cashew nut trees on a 1,232-hectare plantation.
...
Piseth said tha the company has already completed growing on 1,030 hectares, providing more than 500 kilogrammes a year in output per hectare on average. He said last year, the company collected more 250 tonnes of cashew nuts'.

 Phnom Penh Post (May 25):

'Cambodia expects exports of longan (Dimocarpus longan) from Pailin province to the international market, especially direct exports to China, to pick up once the once the Covid-19 outbreak tapers, provincial governor Thou Phea told The Post on Monday.
...
Pailin longan is currently priced at around 5,000 riel ($1.25) per kg, down from last year
...
Pailin provincial Department of Agriculture director Say Sophat said an expanded cultivation area had led to a slight increase in longan yields this year compared to last year, despite unfavourable weather'.

Mmmm for mangoes. The Phnom Penh Post (Jun. 9) on celebratory news:

'Cambodia reached an official agreement with China on Tuesday to export fresh mangoes in a milestone decision which will open a giant new market for local producers.
The Chinese government officially approved the export of 500,000 tonnes of Cambodian fresh mangoes per year to the country, where total demand for mangoes stands at about eight million tonnes per year, said the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
...
As of Friday, 20 companies and plantation owners have submitted applications for mango orchards and packaging locations to participate in the new wave of fresh mango exports to China, department data show. The total land area listed in the applications covers 21,286ha.
In January, Cambodia and South Korea signed an agreement to allow Cambodia to export mangoes directly through Hyundai Mao Legacy.
The Kingdom exported 44,099 tonnes of fresh mangoes during the first five months of this year, an increase of around 14,885 tonnes or 50.96 per cent compared to the same period last year, ministry data show.
Last year, it exported 58,162 tonnes of fresh mangoes to six markets – Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, France, Russia and Hong Kong'.

The  Khmer Times (Jun. 16) is less optimistic:

'Cambodia wants China to have a full fruit package deal in negotiations concerning sanitary and phytosanitary issues to export agricultural products to the Chinese market. However, this is unlikely to happen.
...
From now on, Cambodia is able to export mangoes to China, but only Hyundai Agro Co can ship them because this company has already installed the necessary vapour heat treatment and hot water treatments, ensuring pests on the fruits are killed and cleaned. No other companies in Cambodia have yet done this, Minister Sakhon noted'.

Earlier it had added a bit of context.  Khmer Times (Jun. 10):

'Cambodia’s Agriculture Minister is urging the private sector to invest in vapour heat treatment (VHT) – a steam treatment facility – packaging and cold warehouse facilities for mango production in order to allow more of the valuable fruit to be certified for export to China.
...
Mango exports can make $1,000 between $1,500 a tonne depending on quality and preference.
...
Chang Hoon Lee, managing director of Hyundai Agro, since his company has already installed the VHT, and HWT, the company will export 40 tonnes a day for first 200 days, 10,000 tonnes for the second year, and 20,000 tonnes for the third year.
“This is our target. We already have many partners in China and they are waiting for Cambodia mangoes,” he added. “We have to understand that Chinese is a big market, but it is also very a difficult market,” Hoon Lee added.
...
Another investor, Hun Lak, Longmate Agriculture director, sais in order to export mangoes to China, we have to think of our soil, growing techniques, fertilisers, packaging, and storage. He said that he has 700 hectares of mangoes and will manage about 20 to 30 percent among 700 hectares for exporting to China. The rest he will process as jam and puree locally.
“One hectare of mangoes can yield around 15-20 tonnes of the fruit. We expect to export about 20 to 30 percent of the 700 hectares in 2020-2021,” Lak added'.

Then pepper.  Phnom Penh Post (Jun. 11):

'Orders for the world-famous Kampot pepper are recovering as Europe’s market demand surges following coronavirus restriction measures.
Kampot Pepper Promotion Association (KPPA) president Nguon Lay told The Post on Thursday that the association’s members had gradually begun ordering the commodity, albeit in small quantities, reflecting a market rebound.
Earlier this year there were no orders at all, he said.
He added that local companies have ordered more than three tonnes of Kampot pepper and he hopes to see more orders'.

Challenge
Then we are near the end.  

Eco-business (Jun. 11) notes how land rights and rubber growing are not synomynous in a positive sense:

'When the indigenous Kreung and Kachok communities locked down their villages in Cambodia’s Ratanakiri province in March to keep safe from the novel coronavirus, no one knew change was afoot in their ancestral forest.
While the families in the Muoy, Inn, Mas and Kak villages were sheltering in place, Vietnamese rubber giant Hoang Anh Gia Lai (HAGL) bulldozed land earmarked for return to the communities after years of tough negotiations involving local authorities, the company, village representatives and rights groups, according to Cambodian non-governmental organisation Equitable Cambodia.
In March last year, Ratanakiri’s governor requested that the Cambodian agriculture ministry return 742 hectares of customary land wrongly included in HAGL’s agricultural land concessions to 12 communities following a government-led demarcation process launched two years ago.
HAGL, however, challenged the appeal, arguing that 150 hectares of the designated area had already been cleared and planted and should remain within its concession.
As the pandemic delayed the ministry’s decision, the firm razed another 45 hectares of indigenous territory, laying waste to two spirit mountains, wetlands, old-growth forest as well as traditional hunting areas and burial grounds of spiritual value to the villagers'. 

Phnom Penh Post (Jun. 2) on other less positive news:

'BirdLife International Cambodia has called on people living near wildlife sanctuaries to stop using pesticides to assist in the protection and conservation of wildlife, biodiversity and natural resources in the country.
The call comes after research patrols in some wildlife sanctuaries and protected landscapes in northeastern and southwestern Cambodia recently discovered a case of pesticides being used to illegally catch wildlife.
BirdLife programme manager Bou Vorsak said: “The use of pesticides in wildlife sanctuaries and protected landscapes causes catastrophic damage to wildlife, biodiversity, natural resources and the environment'.

Surge

The usual:

Rice in Cambodia. In the wider region. The alternatives. Wider rural issues. And a parting shot at Monsanto.
That's all.

Cambodia thus. 
Vietnamplus.vn (May 7) looks at the latest rice export statistics, which reveal that China is putting it's money where it's mouth is:

'Cambodia’s rice exports to China have surged strongly after the European Union (EU) imposed duties on rice imports from the Southeast Asian nation, the World Bank (WB) said on May 6.
The EU in January imposed tariffs for three years on rice imported from Cambodia and Myanmar to curb an increase in imports from those two countries and to protect EU producers such as Italy.
Cambodia has filed a challenge with the European Court of Justice (ECJ) against the duties.
According to the WB’s country economic update, after the tariffs were imposed, Cambodia’s milled rice exports to the EU in February were only 10,080 tonnes, a 57.8 percent decline from the previous month.
Cambodia exported 270,000 tonnes or 43 percent of its total milled rice exports to the EU in 2018, the WB said.
The decline in Cambodia’s rice exports to the EU was more than offset by the increase in the country’s rice exports to the Chinese market, the WB said in its report.
Cambodia’s rice exports to China grew by 45.6 percent, and it managed to increase its overall exports of rice by 2 percent during the first two months of the year'.

The above comes hot on the heels of the Khmer Times (Apr. 26) revealing:

'China will agree to buy 400,000 tonnes of Cambodian rice in a memorandum of understanding that will be signed tomorrow in Beijing, according to the Cambodian Ministry of Commerce'.

More Chinese investment (Khmer Times, May 27) too:

'In a meeting with Minister of Commerce Pan Sorasak, Bi Guangmin, chairman of the board of Henan at Yuguang International Economic and Technical Cooperation, unveiled plans to build a warehouse and a silo with a capacity to store up to 1 million tonnes of rice'.

On the storage subject. The Phnom Penh Post (May 28):

'With more plans for rice storage and silos in Cambodia, industry insiders have expressed their optimism that a lack of facilities will not pose a challenge for the Kingdom’s rice market this year.
Cambodian Rice Federation vice-president Norng Veasna said thanks to efforts from the private sector’s rice millers and support from state institutions, the harvest season this year will not see the same issues as in the past few years.
Drying silos and rice storage facilities can currently be found in almost every province'.

The last Cambodian rice news snippet: the  Khmer Times (May 28) notes efforts being made to add Japonica rice to the palette of rice exports:

'Minister of Agriculture Veng Sakhon last week said that tests on Japonica rice have ended, yielding encouraging results. Those tests were being conducted in Kampong Thom province, and show that yields of Japonica are nearly twice as big as those of other varieties grown in the Kingdom.

A hectare of land planted with Japonica can produce 6.5 tonnes of rice, Mr Sakhon said in a post on the ministry’s Facebook page. On average, a hectare in Cambodia yields 3.5 tonnes of rice.

...

Song Saran, CEO of Amru Rice, said Japonica has great potential but that Cambodia is still not ready to plant it for commercial purposes.

“After many tests, we have concluded that Japonica rice can grow well in Cambodia with very high yields,” he said.

“However, the variety needs a lot of water, so we must now study how to reduce the amount of water required,” said Mr Saran, whose firm has also conducted tests on the variety'.

Shifts
Looking at the wider region and rice, just a limited amount of news.

Thailand's official subsidies for rice are directed to high-input rice growing. But they also seem to be interested in low-input rice cultivation. The Nation (May 28):

'The Thai Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives and the German government's international co-operation agency on Friday announced the launch of a joint public-private project aimed at transforming the central plains of Thailand to low-carbon rice farming.

...

Under this project, some 100,000 local rice farming households covering 2.8 million rai of rice fields in six provinces of Chainat, Angthong, Pathum Thani, Sing Buri, Ayutthaya, and Suphan Buri would shift to a sustainable method of rice-growing. This is intended to increase their productivity while also cutting greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to the rising global temperature, the minister said.

The project - having a revolving fund and providing training to farmers - would have farmers shifting from their current method of rice growing to apply the low greenhouse gas-emitting way, use appropriate rice seed strain and related technologies (such as the land-levelling, the alternated wet and dry water management for rice fields, the fertiliser application based on soil testing and analysing, and the rice straw and stubble management to avoid applying a haze-creating method of burning)'. 

Then the Phnom Penh Post (Apr. 30) looks at rice exports from Laos:

'Laos is anticipating reduced income from rice exports this year in the wake of widespread flooding across the country last year.
The country set a target of $45.6 million for rice exports last year but could only achieve $31.4 million, according to the Ministry of Industry and Commerce.
This year, the government is expecting to earn only $25.2 million from rice exports, a significant decline compared to last year’s figure'.

Instead

On the developing of alternatives to rice growing, there's lots of Cambodian related news reports on bananas.
Phnom Penh Post (Apr. 30):

'Cambodia can now directly export yellow bananas to China, without relying on Vietnam as an intermediary, a Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries announcement said.
The General Directorate of Agriculture under the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries on Monday announced that to send bananas directly to the Chinese market, exporters must comply with certain requirements'.

Khmer Times (May 2) chimes in:

'Five Cambodian companies have been given permission to export bananas directly to China, the Ministry of Agriculture announced earlier this week.
The announcement follows the signing of a protocol on the exportation of bananas in August between China and Cambodia, an agreement that effectively allows Cambodia to ship the fruit to China.
According to the ministry, five local companies are now allowed to export directly to China after a group of Chinese experts visited their farms in Cambodia and gave them the nod'.

 And then (Khmer Times, May 10):

'Cambodia yesterday began the process of sending its first shipment of bananas to the Chinese market, after five local companies were greenlighted by the Chinese government last month.
During a ceremony attended by Agriculture Minister Veng Sakhon, 100 tonnes of bananas were stored at a warehouse in Phnom Penh, ready to the shipped to the Chinese market.
No official date has been given as to when the shipment will take place'.

Khmer Times (May 13) has an interview with a banana industry leader:

'Mr Hun Lak [Longmate Agriculture director]: Our investment, which was approved by the Council for the Development of Cambodia last year, sits on 1,000 hectares of land located in Chhuk district, Kampot province. The capital investment is about 32 million dollars. We have planted yellow bananas on over 400 hectares of land and so far our plantation has run for 15 months. This year, we expect to send 22,000 tonnes of fresh bananas to the Chinese market, and expand to 33,000 tonnes a year by 2020. About 120 tonnes of fresh bananas, equivalent to six containers, have been packed at our packaging house facility in Kampot province and was loaded onto the ship on May 11 ready to be sent to China. It would take about 10 days to get to the destination, namely: Dalain, Shanghai and Shenzhen cities in China. Our banana shipment to the market will pass Sihanoukville Autonomous Port and Phnom Penh Autonomous Port. If the Sihanoukville port is busy, we will carry through the Phnom Penh port instead'.

Vietnamplus.vn (May 3) looks at neighbouring Laos and bananas:

'Banana is expected to be Laos' top agricultural export in 2019 despite the local government’s ban on the expansion of plantations around the country, according to local daily Vientiane Times.
In 2017, the Southeast Asian country earned 167.9 million USD from banana exports. The figure dipped to 112 million USD in 2018, but is expected to rise to 168 million USD in 2019, according to the Lao Ministry of Industry and Commerce.
The bulk of the crop will be sold to China and some to Thailand'.

Trends
Differing crops, differing prospects.
The Phnom Penh Post (May 22) on coffee:

'Vietnam's coffee exports have fallen in both volume and value terms this year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

It exported 629,000 tonnes worth $1.1 billion in the first four months, a year-on-year decrease of 13.4 per cent in volume and 22.5 per cent in value.
The trend is forecast to continue this month, the ministry said'.

Khmer Times (May 23) on silage:

'Japanese company Applied Natural Products (ANP) is planning to invest in the production of sorghum silage in Battambang province'.

Khmer Times (May 10) yet again with regards to black pepper:

'Production of renowned Kampot pepper, one of Cambodia’s only two products to be registered as a Geographical Indication in the European Union, will increase substantially this year, the Kampot Pepper Promotion Association said.
The association projects a 69-tonne hike in yields, meaning that about 90 tonnes will be produced.
However, the figure is lower than that of 2017, when more than 100 tonnes were produced, said Ngoun Lay, the association’s president'.

Khmer Times (Apr. 30) on the kingdoms rubber:

'Rubber production increased by 32 percent in the first quarter of the year, with most of it shipped abroad, according to the latest official report'.

Spoils
Besides banana's, there's plenty more fruit news. 
The Khmer Times (May 21):

'Cambodia hopes to start exporting longan to Thailand in the near future, with the two countries planning to sign an agreement on phytosanitary requirements.
Longan is poised to become the second agricultural product officially exported to Thailand following mango.
...
Un Theng, representative of an agricultural community in Pailin province, said the fruit is grown across the province, with annual yields of 7,000 tonnes.
He said the fruit now fetches from 4,000 riel ($1) to 5,000 riel ($1.25) per kilogram, adding that it is mostly bought on-site by visiting Thai merchants.
“We asked the General Department of Agriculture to conduct work on phytosanitary requirements so that the fruit can be exported legally to Thailand.”
However, even after the countries sign the protocol, Mr Theng said exporting the fruit will be troublesome.
“The General Department of Agriculture would likely require that we have a certificate for every shipment. However, we export the fruit on a daily basis and cannot wait to obtain the certificate because then the fruit could spoil,” he said.
“We want to be able to ship as much as we want with just one certificate,” he said.
He noted that a Chinese company is now building a longan processing and treatment factory in the province.
“As far as I know, the company will purchase our longan. We will be able to choose: we can sell to the Thais or to the Chinese,” he said, adding that the factory is now 80 percent complete'.

Khmer Times (May 7) rejoices on export opportunities for mangoes:

'Five local mango farms were inspected by Korean officials in March, but the results of the inspection have not been made public yet, the Ministry of Agriculture revealed this week'.

But this is not all good news. The Khmer Times (May 14):

'The first shipment of Cambodian mangoes to South Korea will be delayed after the exporter failed to meet sanitary and phytosanitary requirements in the Korean market'.

Hmmm.
Better to dry. The Khmer Times (May 15):

'A Philippine firm will soon start exporting Cambodian dried mango to the Philippines and other markets, the Philippine ambassador recently revealed'.

Khmer Times (May 16) on oranges from Battambang:

'Oranges from Battambang and Pursat may become the next product to be awarded geographical indication (GI) status in Cambodia, with the Minister of Commerce now considering whether they deserve the label'.

More downsides, especially concerning the weather prospects. Or is the climate?
The Khmer Times (May 15):

'Durian production in Kampot and Kampong Cham provinces will decrease this year due to unfavourable weather conditions, according to the provincial agriculture departments'.

 Thailand is not much better of. The Nation (Apr. 24):

'The current drought and extreme summer heat could damage half of Uttaradit’s crop of iconic Long and Lin Laplae durians, the provincial governor and farmers fear.
The much-loved varieties fetch over Bt1,000 per kilogram in fruit retail sales or a Bt50,000 reservation fee per tree even before it bears fruit. But this lower northern province has this year already seen many durian, langsat and longkong trees wither'.

Against
Some more broader societal issues.
Inclusivedevelopement in a slightly dated article (Mar. 29) notes:

'Twelve indigenous communities in Cambodia’s northeastern province of Ratanakiri scored a major victory today when the government announced it was returning to them 20 spirit mountains and dozens of other spiritually significant areas that had been grabbed by the Vietnamese agribusiness giant Hoang Anh Gia Lai (HAGL). The communities have been embroiled in a decade-long land conflict with HAGL since their ancestral lands were granted to the company to develop large-scale rubber plantations.
...
The 2014 complaint related to the IFC investment in Dragon Capital’s VEIL fund, which bankrolled HAGL’s agribusiness ventures in Cambodia and Laos. In 2016 and 2017, IFC bought equity stakes totaling $125 million in two other Vietnamese financial institutions, TP Bank and VP Bank. The banks then went on to provide financing of more than $200 million dollars to HAGL, specifically to fund its rubber plantations in Cambodia, despite the pending complaint with the CAO.
The new 117-page complaint provides extensive evidence of environmental and human rights violations resulting from HAGL’s wholesale clearance of intact forests, waterways, pastures, orchards, spirit forests, graveyards and other sacred areas belonging to indigenous communities in Ratanakiri. The communities are particularly concerned about the loss of reserved land for practicing shifting cultivation, their traditional form of agriculture, and declining soil fertility on their current farming land if they are unable to shift to other areas. These cumulative losses have seriously eroded the communities’ sovereignty over their land and system of food production and consumption, which is deeply interconnected with their identity and way of life'.

Thailand's Nation (May 20) on government policies:

'The project to set up a sugar factory and a connected bagasse-fuelled power plant is posing a threat to one of the world’s renowned jasmine rice varieties – the Thung Kula Rong Hai – according to locals living in the Pathumrat district of Roi Et province.

Raising concerns about the project, locals have now rallied behind the Pathumrat Conservation Group.

“We are against the project,” the group’s core member Prayom Sa-ngiam-rat said, after submitting the signatures of more than 2,000 locals to the Roi Et governor to show the extent of local opposition.

...

Chainarong Sretthachau, a lecturer at the Mahasarakham University, disclosed that there were now nearly 30 projects to build both a sugar plant and a biomass plant at the same site in the country’s Northeast.

“This is a result of the current government’s policy to increase sugarcane plantations in the region without caring about possible adverse impacts,” he said.

Locals are worried that such large industrial operations will use lots of groundwater and local farmers will suffer. They also suspect that the power plant may consider using coal, if there are not enough bagasse for its power generation.

“We in fact should think about such industrial operations’ impacts on paddy fields,” Chainarong said.

He said the Thung Kula way of life was about people working in their paddy fields during the rainy season and herding their cattle during the dry season.

“If paddy fields in the area are replaced by sugarcane plantations, there will be no place for cattle. And very likely farmers will fall under the control of contract farming,” he warned'.

Blows
May (the month, not the Brexit PM) proved to be dark month for Monsanto and thus Bayer:
Guardian (May 7):

'Ever since Monsanto introduced its line of Roundup weedkillers to the world in 1974, the products have been touted by the company and regulators as extremely safe. The EPA reiterated that stance last week.
But the emergence of long-held corporate secrets in three public trials has revealed a covert campaign to cover-up the pesticide’s risks and raised troubling questions about lax oversight of all pesticides by the Environmental Protection Agency and other regulatory agencies that are supposed to be protecting public health'.

This article really reveals how the company used the system to it's benefits. Or better said, Monsanto was allowed to design the system itself.

Buzzfeed (May 13):

'A California jury awarded $2 billion on Monday to an elderly couple that developed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma after years of using Monsanto's popular weed killer Roundup, delivering a major blow to the agrochemical giant'.

Japan Times (May 13):

'Germany’s Bayer apologized Sunday after revelations in France that its subsidiary Monsanto had a PR agency collate lists of politicians, scientists and journalists and their views on pesticides and GM crops'.

ewg (May 29): 

'Monsanto paid a shadowy chemical industry front group to help push back against the mounting scientific evidence that the company’s signature Roundup weedkiller causes cancer, court documents reveal'.

Reuters (May 30):

'Los Angeles County sued Monsanto Co on Thursday, seeking to force the unit of Germany’s Bayer AG to help pay for reducing PCB contamination in dozens of bodies of water'.

And what does this add to the hybrid rice discussion?
Ultimately hybrid rice is being pushed as the next big thing. However the precious little reporting in favour of hybrid rice is now also circumspect. Companies themselves can't be trusted but also seems that these corporations will do everything to tinker the system of societal checks and balances to their favour. Even buying independent thinking (see f.i. earlier postings on Nobel laureates backing  Golden Rice) has to been regarded as suspicious. 
Very few different thinkers and publishers remain ...

Bamboo

Starting totally different this time round with an interesting byte from Laos.

On a recent highly listen worthy eatthispodcast (Jan 21), there's an interview with longtime Lao agro expert Michael Victor:

'Most recently, he’s been working with The Agro-biodiversity Initiative, funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. The idea is to make use of agricultural biodiversity in a sustainable way to reduce poverty and improve the livelihoods of people in upland regions. One thing the project has done is to collect all the information it can about agricultural biodiversity and make it available online'.

With sticky rice as the country's main stay both from the view of production and consumption, Michael explains how conserving past knowledge of the agro-forest livelihoods can help new generations become aware of their traditional foods and food habits which can assist in playing a major role in the conservation of Laos' forest lands. 
The website of the project is Pha Khao Lao, well worth a visit.

Raw

Cambodia's rice news still revolves around the tariffs imposed by the EU. 

The Khmer Times (Feb. 13):

'Rice exports in January saw a small decline that exporters have blamed on the European Union’s decision last month to impose tariffs on local rice.

Last month, Cambodia exported 59,625 tonnes of rice to international markets, a 5 percent drop compared to January 2018, according to a report issued yesterday by the Secretariat of One Window Service for Rice Export Formality'.

Vietnam has come to the rescue. Phnom Penh Post (Feb. 15):

'After the EU decided to impose tariffs on Cambodia’s rice exports from January, Vietnam agreed this week to expand its import quota for the Kingdom’s rice to 300,000 tonnes.

Vietnam’s actions come as the Chinese government late last night agreed to increase its import quota for the Kingdom’s rice to 400,000 tonnes this year from the previous year’s 300,000 tonnes.

...

Amru Rice (Cambodia) Co Ltd chairman and CEO Song Saran on Thursday said Vietnam is generally buying raw products such as paddy, rather than milled, rice.

However, he said the quota would encourage more Vietnamese to import the Kingdom’s rice, despite needing time to reach the 300,000-tonne quota.

“We expected more demand to come from Vietnam in the incoming years. It will take time to convince Vietnamese consumers and traders to import rice."

“It is also possible that in the long term, more Vietnamese consumers will be interested in high-quality rice since the Vietnam middle classes have grown a lot in recent years.”

Having higher quotas from China and Vietnam is helpful to the marketing of Cambodian rice. But, Chinese and Vietnamese buyers in the past did not buy as much as they agreed to. The reason, according to industry insiders, is because buyers offer lower prices'.

Phnom Penh Post (Feb. 20) repeats the above but with more detail:

'The Kingdom’s rice exports saw little change during the last three years to 2018 as the sector appears to face new challenges requiring the government and private sector to work harder to keep the industry healthy.

The challenges are centred around the EU market as the bloc imposes tariffs on Cambodia’s rice, added on to existing issues such as higher production costs and a lack of infrastructure.

However, industry insiders said the volume of this year’s rice exports will remain steady due to a new quota from China and Vietnam.

Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries figures show that the Kingdom exported 626,225 tonnes of rice last year, decreasing 1.5 per cent from 635,679 tonnes in 2017.

The figures show that the main destinations were the EU with a total of 269,127 tonnes and China with 170,154 tonnes.

...

Centre for Policy Studies director Chan Sophal said that while the country has missed its target export of one million tonnes since 2015, its rice exports stand at around 600,000 tonnes. He said the higher production costs and the lack of the sector’s infrastructure are limiting competition.

“For this year’s exports, [I] predict that they may not increase because tax needs to be paid to export Cambodia’s fragrant rice to the EU market,” he said.

Sophal said that while the government is trying to boost the sector by cutting production costs to improve its competitiveness, it needs to improve infrastructure – roads and irrigation systems.

Faced with the EU’s decision to impose import tariffs, Cambodia’s rice could face a much more serious issue if the EU’s preferential Everything But Arms agreement is withdrawn.

Sophal said it is preferable if the Kingdom diversifies its export destinations, rather than rely on any one market'.

Even the Asianews Network (Feb. 21) highlights the kingdom's need to change direction:

'Prime Minister Hun Sen said the government will take more action to raise the Kingdom’s rice exports, including reducing production costs and boosting market competitiveness'.

Measures include:

'“We will set up a new policy to reduce production cost such as connecting electricity supply to regions with water access, by replacing diesel machines with electric ones,” he said.

Hun Sen also encouraged studying domestic fertiliser production to produce cheaper options for the rice industry and reduce production costs.

Relevant ministers, including those leading the Commerce and Agriculture, and Forestry and Fisheries departments, need to expand and seek new markets as Cambodia has world-famous, high-quality rice, he said'.

The Phnom Penh Post (Feb. 23) reports on more possible potential lifelines for the rice sector:

'Four days after the EU imposed tariffs on rice imported from Cambodia, China agreed on Monday to increase its import quota for Cambodian rice to 400,000 tonnes this year from the previous 300,000 tonnes.

If Cambodia can supply the quantity under the new Chinese quota, then that market alone would effectively absorb 63 per cent of Cambodian rice sold abroad based on last year’s export of 626,225 tonnes

...

The Chinese market is the largest for Cambodian rice in terms of individual countries, and it is the second-largest buyer after the European bloc. Last year, China bought 170,154 tonnes of rice from Cambodia or equal to 56 per cent of the latest quota.

Centre for Policy Studies director Chan Sophal said that having a higher quota from China will be helpful to the marketing of Cambodian rice, but in the past, Chinese buyers found rice in Vietnam and Thailand more competitively priced and did not buy as much as they agreed'.

Backnews. The Phnom Penh Post (Mar. 1) reports: 

'The state-owned Rural Development Bank (RDB) distributed $50 million in loans to private rice millers last year to sustain the paddy market for farmers, according to RDB CEO Kao Thach.Thach told The Post on Thursday that despite many provinces in the Kingdom facing drought, the demand for loans remains high'.

Sought

Beyond the Khmer border, rice related news; as usual mostly from Thailand. The Bangkok Post (Feb. 19) kicks off this section with a docile bit:

'The cabinet has approved a rice insurance scheme for the 2019 season worth 1.74 billion baht, aiming to cover 30 million rai of farmland.

...

Participating farmers will be charged an insurance premium of 59 baht per rai, with the government paying 35.40 baht per rai as a subsidy, and farmers paying 23.60 baht per rai'.

Bangkok Post (Mar. 8) curiously sees farmers looking east:

'Farmers in Nakhon Sawa insist they will continue growing Vietnamese fragrant rice, an unregistered variety they say is disease resistant, amid rumours the government is trying to dissuade them by forcing the price down.

Suthep Khongmak, chairman of the Thai Rice Growers Association, said on Friday that he had recently visited Nakhon Sawan and talked with farmers who were planting Vietnamese fragrant rice variety Jasmine 85, known locally as Hom Phuang rice.  

Rumours had it that the Rice Department had sent a letter seeking cooperation from rice mills to force the price down as the variety was not a native grain and not registered in the country, Mr Suthep said.  

...

Farmers said it was easily grown, disease resistant and in high market demand. Of course they preferred it'.

 Vientiane Times (Feb 21) puts it's hopes on China:

'The Lao Ministry of Industry and Commerce this week requested China to consider a rice im-port quota of 50,000 tonnes along with accepting other industrial goods as part of efforts to bol-ster bilateral trade.

...

The call for the increased rice quota comes after 20,000 tonnes were shipped to the northern neighbour in 2017 by China’s Xuanye (Lao) Co., Ltd following approval from China’s NDRC'.

None lesser than the Guardian (Jan. 30) hails SRI (System of Rice Intensification) techniques in the region:

'Jesuit priest Henri de Lalanié working in the highlands observed that by planting far fewer seeds than usual, using organic matter as a fertiliser and keeping the rice plants alternately wet and dry rather than flooded, resulted in yields that were increased by between 20 and 200%, while water use was halved. Giving plants more oxygen, minimising the competition between them and strictly controlling the water they receive is thought to make them stronger and more resilient to flood and drought.

...

Academic criticism has since all but disappeared and the SRI system of farming has been validated in hundreds of scientific papers and adopted by up to 20 million farmers in 61 countries, according to the SRI information centre in Cornell University.

“The results consistently cite yield increases, decreased use of seed, water and chemicals, and increased income,” says Norman Uphoff, professor of global agriculture at Cornell.

...

But what is now exciting some of the world’s largest food corporations and governments is that growing rice along SRI principles also greatly reduces emissions of the powerful greenhouse gas methane, which escapes when rice, or any other crop, lies waterlogged for weeks at a time.

....

[Sunny Verghese, CEO of Singapore-based Olam]:

“But reducing emissions from rice cannot be a trade-off that hurts farmers and communities who depend on it for their income and sustenance. We have to measure the true cost of food and dismantle the subsidy system.”

Working with German development agency GIZ and south-east Asian governments, Olam now plan to roll out SRP rice to 100,000 farmers in Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and India within five years, increasing yields and incomes, and reducing methane emissions by 50%'.

Fight

The Thai junta has been trying to push through new legislation in a bid to control rice production in Thailand. The press has not been ummm ... impressed. Bangkok Post opinion (Feb. 17): 

'The National Legislative Assembly (NLA) made the right decision in backing down on the Rice Bill fight, removing controversial content which drew hefty criticism. It agreed to take out a contentious section that prohibits the trade of rice seeds which are not approved under requirements set by the bill. This positive response is good but is not enough.

...

Despite its good intentions, the bill seems to be riddled with several shortcomings. To start with, it gives too much power to the government. The rice board, in accordance with Section 6, shows an imbalanced structure with state officials, at 20, outnumbering those from farmers and rice mill groups which are to have five members each while there are three seats for experts.

...

Critics are of the opinion that the mandatory registration of rice varieties, as mentioned in Section 27, will do more harm than good to the country's rice development.

...

"If this draft was issued and became effective before 1957, Thailand would have possibly missed high-value rice varieties such as Khao Dawk Mali 105 rice, Khao Tah Haeng 17, Riceberry, Sangyod Rice and Tubtim Chumphae Rice," said Nipon Poapongsakorn, distinguished fellow at Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI).

...

Despite the aim to improve farmers and the country's rice production, critics are of the opinion that the bill, if it becomes law, will deal a heavy blow to farmers and harm the country's rice industry.

On top of that, the bill, which was drafted in haste, has drawn criticism for the lack of participation from major stakeholders, in particular farmers. No public hearings were held, nor consultation with the farmers'.

The Nation (Feb. 25) reports:

'Thirty-two civil networks advocating alternative farming and community rights yesterday issued an open letter calling on Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to halt the controversial rice bill and other legislation before the National Legislative Assembly, citing a lack of checks and balances.

They threatened to mobilise opponents if their demands were not met.

...

They said parts of the legislation had merit, but there were also several flaws.

The main concern is a perceived limitation on farmers’ rights to use rice varieties that are available in their own localities. There are also restrictions on their production and a compulsion to yield to a new management system that could be disadvantageous to them.

As well, the letter’s authors said, the bill would give the Rice Department too much power without adequate checks and balances, while likely facilitating a monopoly on production by private firms'.

The Nation (Feb. 26) continues:

'Ad hoc panel says concerns addressed but NGO maintains it fails to protect farmers’ rights.

...

The National Legislative Assembly (NLA) will today consider a draft law that could impact millions of rice farmers across the country.

The Rice Bill, which was abruptly withdrawn from an NLA meeting last week in the face of stiff opposition from farmers and academic networks, is scheduled for its second and third readings by the NLA today. 

...

Last week, farmers and academics alike had raised concerns about the proposed jail term of up to one year and/or a fine of up to Bt100,000 under the Rice Bill for those distributing uncertified rice seeds, including farmers.

...

BioThai Foundation, a non-governmental organisation, yesterday acknowledged the removal of clauses that could have adversely affected farmers. But added on Facebook: “It remains clear that this draft law ignores farmers’ rights.”

According to BioThai, exchange of rice seeds among farmers currently accounts for 21 per cent of rice-seed trade in the country. This is the biggest percentage in the sector – even higher than seeds sold by private firms, rice centres or the Rice Department'.

The Bangkok Post (Feb. 26) notes that the proposed bill has been shelved, waiting for more opportune times ahead? 

'The National Legislative Assembly president on Tuesday ordered the withdrawal of the controversial rice bill from the NLA’s business agenda'. 

Comments on this article btw were scathing. 

The Nation (Feb. 27) hasn't finished:

'The country's leading alternative farm advocacy group yesterday suggested that future parliamentarians retain the best parts of the scrapped Rice Bill while improving regulations that would otherwise give an advantage to big agro firms.

The latest version of the bill, as updated on Monday, contained some good points after amendments to the previous version, said Witoon Lianchamroon, director of the Biodiversity-Sustainable Agriculture-Sovereignty Action Thailand (BioThai Foundation)'.9

Comment from the South China Morning Post (Mar. 6):

“It has been a miscalculation of the timing and the political consequences,” said Thanapan Laiprakobsup, a researcher on rice policies in Thailand at Chulalongkorn University, who noted farmers, millers and exporters found rare common cause in opposing the bill.“[The military junta] didn’t think there would be such a big opposition … but this time all the stakeholders [except the big corporations] agreed in opposing. The rice industry wants assistance but not direct intervention.”

Short

Meanwhile and further afield, the Nepali Times (Mar. 1) has an editorial on rice policies:

'Till as late as 1985, Nepal used to be a net exporter of rice, and during the 1960s the country was exporting up to $45 million worth of rice to India every year. How the tables have turned, in 2015 Nepal has to import 531,000 tons of rice worth $210 million from India.

...

As our reportage in this edition (page 8-9) shows, a healthy monsoon allowed paddy harvests to increase by 9% up from the previous year, reaching 5.6 million tons.

...

The long and short of it is that Nepal’s rice economy is rain dependent, the government cannot take credit for the increased paddy harvests. There is precious little successive governments in the past 50 years have done to invest on improving yield, and finding a stable price for produce'.

Also in the same edition:

'Despite the fact that educated youth, and children of farmers are either migrating or moving away from the land, agriculture is still the mainstay of Nepal’s economy. Farming is also becoming increasingly feminised as most men are away in the cities or abroad for work. Which is why the increase in rice production is in one sense encouraging.

Not as encouraging, however, is that productivity is still sluggish. Paddy yield has gone up from 2.4 tons per hectare 30 years ago to only 3.6 tons today, whereas productivity is 4.1 tons in Bhutan, 6.6 in Japan, and 7.0 in South Korea. Productivity of other crops has also not gone up by much. The reason is that nearly 70% of agriculture is still rain-fed. Cheap imports of rice from India as well as the disappearance of traditional rice varieties suited to Nepal’s micro-climates have also impacted production.

...

The main reason why Nepal imports so much rice despite rising production is because our farmers are not growing the right type of rice, and the government’s efforts are not directed towards helping them grow the varieties that Nepali consumers prefer. For example, the Masuli variety of rice was common throughout eastern Nepal, and two thirds of the farmers in this region grew that variety.

Today, consumer demand has shifted to Jira Masinu variety, yet half the farmers are growing Rajit and Swarnal, which are not in high demand. This shows that our promotion and policies are running counter to consumer preference. The result is that Nepal imports Indian paddy (which is not cheaper than Nepali rice) at a time when domestic paddy floods the market, and it is also the reason why rice imports are not decreasing'.

Though it's encouraging to see a major local publisher looking into the country's main crop (rather than power politics and city affairs), a distinct failure to understand the basics of rice economics seems to have hindered drawing more logical conclusions. 

Imports / exports are very much dependent on demand. Nepal has seen a wicked growth in population which hasn't been met with any substantial expansion in cropping area: with the exception of some expansive flat lands along the border with India, most rice tilling takes place on small fields which do not favour modern tilling methods. 

The growth in population in the mountains has actually meant that field sizes are at best staying minimal, simply meaning that more persons are dependent on the production of these small fields. Self-sufficiency hardly results in agro innovation / investment, so it's no wonder productivity has not grown.

Control

Thailand's love affair with weed killers continues. The Nation (Feb. 13): 

'Consumer protection activists voiced firm objection to Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Grisada Boonrach’s proposal to ban the use of paraquat chemical in three years instead of one year.

The Hazardous Substance Committee is scheduled to hold a meeting tomorrow to reconsider the banning of three controversial agricultural chemicals – paraquat, glyphosate, and chlorpyrifos.

However, the BioThai Foundation yesterday disclosed the minister’s text message to his ministry’s senior officials, ordering that the ban on paraquat be implemented on a step-by-step basis so farmers have time to seek an alternative weed-controlling option.

...

Thailand Pesticide Alert Network coordinator Prokchol Ousap said Grisada’s proposal was unacceptable, as it went directly against the Public Health Ministry, Office of the Ombudsman and the National Human Rights Commission’s decision to not just ban paraquat, but also glyphosate and chlorpyrifos, by the end of 2019'.

The Nation (Feb. 15):

'Paraquat, glyphosate and chlorpyrifos are still allowed for use in Thailand for at least another two years, after the Hazardous Substance Committee yesterday reaffirmed its previous decision not to ban the three controversial agrochemicals'.

 Bangkok Post adds with an opinion piece (Feb. 18):

'Big business won. Again. We should not be surprised nor disappointed at the government's decision to support the weed killer paraquat which poisons the environment and makes us sick. We should be angry.  

We should not be angry at only the decision by the Industry Ministry's Hazardous Substance Committee to allow the use of this toxic farm chemical, which has already been banned in 53 countries around around the globe. This shameful decision is only a symptom. We should target the illness itself -- the closed, top-down officialdom which is not transparent nor accountable to anyone but the mandarins' own bank accounts.

...

Biothai, the main civic group campaigning for a ban on paraquat, demanded to know the committee members' voting decisions. The answer is a big "no", because such demands attack the heart of the power of a centralised bureaucratic system'.

While on the subject of weeds and killers, Mongabay has an article (Mar. 5) on Monsanto's glyphosphate and winning awards:

'Science advances by debate. Unlike in politics, scientific arguments need to be backed by evidence and scientific reasoning.

These concerns surfaced again with the recent decision by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) to award, and then suspend its 2019 Scientific Freedom and Responsibility Award.

On Feb. 4, the AAAS announced that “two public health researchers who battled powerful corporate interests to uncover the deadly effects of industrial herbicides, solving a medical mystery and protecting the health of farming communities across the world” were the latest winners of the award.

...

Two days later, the AAAS changed its mind: “We are taking steps to reassess the 2019 Award for Scientific Freedom and Responsibility, after concerns were voiced by scientists and members.

...

On Feb. 28, Mongabay reported that the AAAS had appointed a panel of experts to evaluate the scientific findings underlying the awards selection.

Though the science involved could be questioned, there are other opinions which try to lay a relation between agribusiness and the AAAS.

Odd business. 

Talking of odd business, the Khmer Times (KT, Feb. 18) sat down with 

'Martin Wolf, BASF’s business director for Asean, to discuss the company’s short and long-term plans in Cambodia as well as the industry’s current situation and outlook'.

Nothing controversial of course.

'KT: What local agricultural products will you be focusing on first?Mr Wolf: First, we are targeting the rice sector. We want to help farmers manage their fields, improve seeds and control pests'.

(Alarm bells ringing)

Understanding

The Khmer Times (Feb. 25) has an article on another project upstart (read: rehash of same old song) by the ADB this time:

'The bank added that the programme will help reduce the proportion of raw products that are exported, particularly for cassava, paddy rice, mango and cashew nuts.Takeshi Ueda, ADB agricultural economist, told Khmer Times that most exported Cambodian agricultural products leave the country in raw form'.

Phnom Penh Post (Feb. 22) takes a peek at cashew economics:

'Cashew nut prices saw a five per cent drop compared to last year due to more supply than demand at the beginning of the harvest season in Kampong Thom province – the Kingdom’s largest regional producer of the nut – according to provincial authorities.

...

Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture and the Vietnamese Cashew Association (Vinacas) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) last year to increase Cambodia’s cashew nut exports to one million tonnes by 2028.

...

However, no official deal has been made with Vietnamese companies through the MoU, according to Suy Kokthean, vice-president of the Cashew Nut Association of Kampong Thom province.

“We have not heard anything about any official deal or technical assistance from Vietnamese firms,” he said.

The Phnom Penh Post (Feb. 8) on cassava:

'The cassava yield in the provinces bordering Thailand saw a decrease in the 2018-2019 season, with a slight fluctuation in prices, said provincial agricultural authorities.Battambang provincial Department of Commerce director Kim Hout said the decline in cultivation was due to a large number of farmers shifting to other crops, such as corn to adjust to market trends'.

The Khmer Times (Feb. 19) notes a lesser known rice alternative:

'With the country’s first-ever harvest of organic cassava having recently come to an end, farmers say they are happy with the price the crop is fetching, with some earning as much as $2,350 per hectare.Un Sokun, the leader of an agricultural community in Kampong Thom province, told Khmer Times that cassava farmers in her community are earning more this season after having gone organic.She said farmers in her community are being paid $94 per tonne of high-quality organic cassava, with lower quality organic cassava selling for $89. Non-organic cassava, by contrast, generally fetches just $77 per tonne, she said....“Our fresh organic cassava is sent to Vietnam for processing but soon we will be able to process in Cambodia as a new plant is opening in Oddar Meanchey,” he [Kunthy Kann, Cambodian Agriculture Cooperative Cooperation managing director] said'.

Stress

The Khmer Times (Mar. 7) mentions that:

'The Ministry of Agriculture will focus on diversifying agricultural production across the country to meet rising demand for vegetables and fruits from locals and visitors.The goal of diversifying and expanding agricultural output was announced yesterday by Agriculture Minister Veng Sakhon during a meeting with Jiangfeng Zhang, director of the Asian Development Bank’s environment, natural resources and agriculture division.Mr Sakhon stressed the need to focus on products other than rice, a crop that has been prioritised in the last few years'. 

Phnom Penh Post (Mar. 8) on fruits, mango:

'Mango production is expected to decrease this year as climate change severely impacts yields, according to a mango association in Kampong Speu province – the Kingdom’s largest regional producer of the fruit.Kampong Speu Mangoes Association president In Chayvan said the impact of climate change could reduce yields by around 50 per cent this year.“Mango production this year will not be as good as last year as effects of climate change – too much rain and too much drought – will reduce yields this year,” he said, adding that the main yearly harvest will begin next month....The installation of a Hyundai-owned fruit treatment facility in Kampong Speu province was completed this month, with mangoes set for export to South Korea. The company plans to export 1,700 tonnes in its first year of operation.Kim La, a Kampong Speu province mango farmer and an association members, said her 5ha mango farm yielded 60 tonnes in last season’s harvest.However, she said yields will not increase this harvest season – starting from March – as the weather is currently too hot.“I am now concerned about the coming season, as the weather is really hot and dry. I am afraid my mango trees cannot yield big fruit,” she said'.

Phnom Penh Post (Feb. 12) on Pailin longans:

'The trend of longan cultivation in Pailin Province continues to expand as farmers see the fruit as more and more profitable, according to provincial Department of Agriculture deputy director Im Sophoeun.He said longan is regarded as the main agricultural product of the province.Provincial Department of Agriculture figures show that farmers expanded longan cultivation to 3,983.5ha last year, a 24.4 per cent increase from 3,201ha in 2017.The report shows that last year, total yield reached 3,997 tonnes, with a market price of $1 per kg'.

And finally, the Phnom Penh Post (Feb. 12) on Kampot pepper:

'Yields of Kampot pepper, which was awarded geographical indication (GI) status in 2016, are projected to increase in the upcoming harvest season despite forecasts of heavy drought, the Kampot Pepper Promotion Association (KPPA) said on Sunday.Association president Ngoun Lay said that even after the government announced predictions of drought for this year, the next harvest season is expected to produce better yields.“Our next harvesting season will reach 90 tonnes of Kampot pepper as farmers are more experienced with drought conditions and have a better understanding of water management.