Interesting

It's the start of the year, when Cambodia sees it's big bosses discuss rice. No difference there, this year. 

Probably the most significant snippet from the meet is the announcement of a national rice brand. The Khmer Times (Jan. 22):

'The annual rice forum starts in Phnom Penh today, bringing together farmers, businesses and researchers for a two-day event that seeks to find solutions to some of the sector’s most pressing questions.

...

Malys Angkor, the first brand name of Cambodian premium rice, will be formally launched during the event'.

Even the Bangkok Post (Jan. 24) chimes in:

'Rice authorities unveiled the “Malys Angkor” rice brand, a new certification mark that encompasses a range of Cambodian fragrant rice varieties'.

The Phnom Penh Post (Jan. 22) delves deeper into the issues of the single brand and more urgent problems as unveiled at the meeting:

'The Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) today announced a new “Malys Angkor” brand to be used as the official moniker for four species of Cambodian fragrant rice.

The first day of the two-day Cambodia Rice Forum also featured the release of a remarkably frank report on the industry group’s internal issues, which acknowledges that the CRF’s numerous flaws are currently preventing it from acting as a proper representative of the country’s rice sector.

Sok Puthyvuth, president of the CRF and son-in-law of Prime Minister Hun Sen, lauded the branding effort at the launch of the forum at Phnom Penh’s Sofitel Hotel today.

...

The Malys Angkor branding push is part of the CRF’s long-term goal to promote the country’s rice sector, but those efforts are being hampered by significant internal problems, according to the group’s “Strategic Plan 2017-2021”.

“Current assessments suggest that there are many challenges facing the CRF,” the report says, noting that board members appear to have “commitment discipline issues” and that many board members only attend meetings “when the meeting is about their interests”.

Other complaints include farmers being pushed aside in favor of millers and traders, as well as more wealthy or connected members having greater access to the CRF’s services and attention than regular members.

Money also appears to be a problem, as “lack of sufficient financing” and few technical experts results in the CRF lacking a way of “sustainably handling requests from of [sic] members of the rice sector.”

In addition, board decisions “often remain unimplemented”, and a new scheme to increase local-level monitoring of the rice sector by placing CRF representatives in various zones around the country may run into trouble because “the CRF appears to not possess all the requirements” to implement the program'.

So, despite the hoopla concerning the single brand it seems the rice sector is more based on lining each participants pocket(s) as she/he wishes. Nothing new to the current Khmer climate, where it seems that there's only one party in town. Literally.

As if the single brand isn't sufficient the Khmer Times (Jan. 23) notes that there's also a focus on having a GI within the brand:

'Rice authorities in the kingdom are exploring the possibility of applying for Geographical Indication (GI) status for rice grown in areas around the Tonle Sap Lake.

Speaking during the Rice Forum in Phnom Penh, Sok Puthyvuth, president of the Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF), said his association will present a proposal to the Ministry of Commerce to consider awarding GI status to rice grown in Siem Reap, Kampong Thom, Kampong Chhnang, Pursat and Battambang, the provinces that surround the Tonle Sap.

Mr Puthyvuth said that creating a brand name for rice grown in areas around the Tonle Sap will make for a sound marketing strategy, helping increase demand for the product in European markets'.

Is this not complicating things?

Ups

Then there's the stocktaking of 2017. The Phnom Penh Post (Jan. 2) notes the numbers are up:

'Cambodian rice exports in 2017 increased 17 percent by volume compared to the year before, with exporters pushing to fill orders under China’s expanded import quota while shipments to European markets remained steady, according to Agriculture Ministry figures.
A total of 635,600 tonnes of rice was exported to international markets in 2017, up from 542,144 tonnes the previous year, according to a Facebook post by Hean Vanhan, director general of the general directorate of agriculture at the ministry.
China, which agreed to accept 200,000 tonnes of rice from Cambodia in 2017 – doubling the previous limit – and will expand the quota to 300,000 tonnes this year, was the top destination for rice shipments.
Over five years, total rice exports have grown 67.78 percent from 378,800 tonnes in 2013, the figures show'.

But are the returns in money terms also as positive? And what is the actual price being paid for becoming more and more dependent on the Chinese market?

The Bangkok Post (Dec. 29) jots down the Thai story of rice over 2017. Quite similar:

'Rice exports hit an all-time record in 2017, increasing by 14.77% this year to at least 11.25 million tonnes as of Dec 27, the Ministry of Commerce said. The price per tonne has risen above US1,000 for popular Jasmin fragrant rice, or hom mali'. 

The Phnom Penh Post (Jan. 10) looks at the government loan scheme. To big business mainly:

The government has provided $30 million in loans to rice millers since September to facilitate the purchase of paddy rice, with the head of a state-run bank saying more money was available if necessary.
The loans were issued to 38 rice millers by the state-owned Rural Development Bank (RDB) following September’s rice harvest, and would need to be paid back by April this year, according to RDB’s CEO Kao Thach'.

A lesser bit of national rice news, but more encouraging. The Khmer Times (Dec. 28) reports on how the Ibis Rice project has been successfully expanded to Stung Treng province.

Seething

Major news from the massive palmoil sector in the region, touching on one potential for Cambodia's ag sector. 

Hoping to cash in on the ill-ventured biofuel programmes (I mean you need more fuel to grow the crops than you receive after harvest) the boom may well be leading to a bust. 

Despite warnings, palmoil plantations have done little to ensure a decent level of sustainability. And no surprise then, that the EU will be discontinuing the palmoil component within the regions biofuel programme. Euractiv (Jan. 17):

'The European Parliament decided today (17 January) to phase-out palm oil by 2021 and cap crop-based biofuels at the member states’ 2017 consumption levels and no more than 7% of all transport fuels until 2030....“The Parliament has sent a message that not all biofuels are created equal by focusing on getting rid of those that drive deforestation like palm oil. But its amendments still risk making it harder for EU member states to realistically boost renewables in transport,” Secretary-General of ePURE Emmanuel Desplechin said'.

The decision has especially Malaysia and Indonesia up in arms, both crying foul play. Mongabay (Jan. 19):

'Officials in Indonesia and Malaysia, the world’s biggest producers of palm oil, have lambasted the European Parliament’s decision to phase out the commodity from motor fuels over the next three years due to environmental concerns.
Indonesian Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita said Thursday that the vote to reduce to zero “the contribution from biofuels and bioliquids produced from palm oil” by 2021 was misguided and unfair, given that Jakarta had taken steps to address the environmental impact of the palm oil industry.
The trade minister’s remarks came a day after the European Parliament voted on targets to cap crop-based biofuels, which follows the parliament’s overwhelming decision last year to ban the use of vegetable oils in biofuels. The amendments will now go to the European Commission and member states before they become law.
The move will have serious ramifications for Indonesia and Malaysia, who together produce nearly 90 percent of the world’s palm oil.
...
While the governments seethe, conservation and indigenous rights activists have welcomed the phase-out vote, citing the massive toll the palm oil industry has taken on tropical rainforests and the local communities dependent on them.
Eep Saefulloh, a researcher with Sawit Watch, an NGO that monitors the palm oil industry in Indonesia, criticized the industry talking points that the deforestation caused was legally sanctioned.
“If we’re talking about large palm oil plantations, of course they cause deforestation,” he said. “Unless we’re talking about small farmers only need a hectare or two. But if we’re talking about large plantations that can extend beyond villages and districts, what do we call that if not deforestation?”

This news takes some time to seep through to Cambodia. The Phnom Penh Post (Jan. 24):

'New proposed rules from the European Union restricting the import of palm oil would likely affect Cambodia’s nascent palm oil sector, but the country’s main exporter is hoping that demand from India and China will cushion the blow.
Cambodia’s palm oil exports rose by a whopping 143 percent last year, according to Ker Monthivuth, a sanitation expert at the Ministry of Agriculture. The country exported more than 44,000 tonnes of crude palm oil in 2017, up from nearly 19,000 tonnes the year before, he said.
...
“We will look to what happen in India and China, if they increase [consumption] volume,” he [Prachak Kongtanomtham, vice president of sales and marketing at the Mong Reththy Investment Cambodia Oil Palm Co Ltd] said. “We should find how can reduce our production cost, especially logistic cost and utility,” he added, noting that costs were “very high” in Cambodia'. 

Flied

From the kingdom's fruit front, it's mostly mango making the moves. The Phnom Penh Post (Jan. 22) looks at the export of  the fresh produce:

'Cambodia’s mango shipments have been routinely blocked before making it to the international market, with the Ministry of Agriculture claiming the mangoes are not of a high enough quality to meet the sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) requirements necessary to ship outside of the Kingdom.
According to Hean Vanhan, director general at the General Directorate of Agriculture, the main obstacle for Cambodian mangoes making it to the international market has been the prevalence of fruit flies, which infest prospective shipments of the produce.
“It is not a matter of the quality of our mango – the main obstacle to the market is the fruit fly, which blocks our mango exports and makes it difficult to achieve SPS certification,” he said, adding that the SPS certificate could only be granted to shipments of mangoes devoid of “injurious pests”.
...
In Chayvan, president of Kampong Speu Mangoes Association, said that while the fruit fly has been a problem for mango farmers in the past, most have established methods that ensure there are few to no flies in their mango shipments.
The real reason Cambodia’s mangoes are unable to reach the international market, he said, is because they are often blocked for perceived hygiene-related issues, and he urged the Ministry of Agriculture to hasten its administration of SPS certificates to encourage neighbouring countries to buy Cambodian produce.
“The fruit fly is not our main concern when it comes to being blocked from the international market,” he said, adding that most mango shipments that had been prepared to leave Cambodia had met the SPS requirements. “Our main issue is that the SPS certification is too hard to get from the ministry, and so we have no access to ship to surrounding countries.”

But on the upswing, the same source (Phnom Penh Post, Jan. 4) notes positives for the export of dried mangoes:

'Phillipines-based dried fruit exporter Profood International has begun construction of a new factory in Cambodia that, when completed, should see 4,000 tonnes of mangoes dried annually, according to Philippine news outlet Sun Star.
Justin Uy, Profood founder and president, told Sun Star the 11-hectare plant was expected to begin operations in 2019, and that all mangoes dried at the facility would be slated for shipment to the Chinese market to satiate the nation’s annual 30,000 tonne demand. The company’s entry into Cambodia is intended to strengthen its foothold in the Southeast Asian market. Profood products are sold in 52 countries'.

And now something totally unrelated, but I think it's relevant to this blog. It has  very little common with all the other subjects explored this time round, but I still feel I need to explain. Anyway the Vientiane Times (Jan. 24) reports:

'Chemical and pesticide experts from Laos and other Asean member countries are meeting in Vientiane this week to discuss the harmonisation of maximum pesticide residue limits in the interests of food safety.
...
So far Laos has adopted 768 out of 808 Asean maximum residue limits but lags behind many Asean member states in this regard'.

Boom to bust
Contrasting news.

From Cambodia (Phnom Penh Post, Jan. 18) on the increasing expansion of rubber cultivation, though with a side note on smuggling to Vietnam. Beats me , why Cambodian producers would need to pay an export tax, totally uneconomic.

'The total amount of rubber exported by Cambodia surged 30 percent last year, but widespread rubber smuggling on the Vietnamese border crippled potential profits from the booming industry.
Cambodia generated about $300 million in revenue by exporting nearly 189,000 tons of rubber last year, according to Pol Sopha, general director of the rubber department at the Ministry of Agriculture. The revenue boost was also helped by a 24 percent increase in the average price per ton, which was up to $1,586 last year, compared to $1,283 in 2016.
But while small-scale rubber farmers were able to sell their crops for a profit, the industry as a whole was crippled by massive smuggling operations that shipped much of the country’s rubber into Vietnam tax-free, according to Sopha'.

But over in Thailand, there's more focus on the low prices. The Bangkok Post (Jan. 6):

'Rubber prices are expected to rise to 60 baht a kilogramme in the first quarter after Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia pledged to withhold exports of 350,000 tonnes of natural rubber (NR) from this month until March.
...
Thai natural rubber prices have been falling for several years, largely due to oversupply from major rubber-producing countries. The weak global economy subsequently cut demand in the auto industry, damaging rubber producers as a result.
The drop was also attributed to the growth of rubber plantations in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam in the past 10 years. The CLMV countries currently supply 5.3% of the commodity to the global rubber market'. 

Seeing the pie has not increased, the new entrants are claiming a share, but Thailand seems reluctant. A solution put forward was to allow large scale investment (read take-over) in the Thai rubber sector by China. But the Bangkok Post (Jan. 7) reports on the distrust issue:

'China's plan to invest in rubber plantations in Thailand must be carefully considered, says Grisada Boonrach, minister to the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, but such projects must not impact local farmers. His comment was made in response to a report that China Hainan Rubber Industry Group is set to invest more in rubber plantations in the country, as it has done recently in the CLMV countries (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam). Under these schemes, Chinese nationals oversee rubber production on land leased by the company.
...
Mr Grisada said that as the issue is quite sensitive a thorough study must be undertaken to ascertain the impact on domestic producers. His major worry being that there might be a repeat of the price dumping by Chinese middlemen in fruit markets in the eastern provinces'. 

Then it's reported (Bangkok Post, January 24), that producers will still try to keep the prices reasonable:

'Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia are hopeful of seeing the end of sagging natural rubber prices after agreeing on export cutbacks, Agriculture Minister Grisada Boonrach said.
The minister expressed Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia are hopeful of seeing the end of sagging natural rubber prices after agreeing on export cutbacks, Agriculture Minister Grisada Boonrach said. The minister expressed confidence about the turnaround of rubber prices following the implementation of the three countries in the International Tripartite Rubber Council to curb exports for three months starting from Jan 10'.

Sugar

The great sell-off in practice. 

The Khmer Times (Jan. 12) notes how Cambodia is counting on China to take some sugar:

'During a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang yesterday, Prime Minister Hun Sen asked China to increase imports of Cambodian sugarcane.
...
The kingdom imports between 500,000 to 600,000 tonnes of sugarcane every year, according to a representative of Phnom Penh Sugar.
However, only 100,000 to 150,000 tonnes are absorbed by the local market, with the remaining sugarcane being re-exported.
During the meeting yesterday, Mr Li agreed to increase their quota for imports of Cambodian milled rice, from 200,000 tonnes to 300, 000.
During the opening of the LMC summit on Wednesday, Mr Hun Sen also encouraged China to purchase more Cambodian cassava.

Umm, the sugar isn't even Khmer.

Bangkok Post (Jan. 17) describes the measures taken to meet WTO rulings:

'The government has invoked Section 44 to float the local price of sugar, says Industry Minister Uttama Savanayana. The local price had been subsidised by the Thai government. But the government wants the local price to be on a par with the global rate, as its support was in violation of a World Trade Organization (WTO) rule, with other sugar producers such as Brazil crying foul.
The plan to float the sugar price had been postponed since Dec 1'. 

The idea is not to raise local prices, but to hope that world prices will drop to Thai domestic levels. Thus face saved.

Inclination

A few snippets concerning growing cassava. The Khmer Times (Jan. 11):

'Agriculture Minister Veng Sakhon met on Monday with visiting US professors W. Ronnie Coffman and Max J. Pfeffer from Cornell University to discuss cooperation in a new project whose purpose is to yield disease-resilient, high yielding cassava.
...
CARDI director Ouk Makara, who also joined the meeting, told Khmer Times that the team of US professors use biotechnology [genomic selection] to cultivate their cassava variety.
“The next generation cassava yields 10 percent more than our cassava,” he said, adding that, on average, Cambodian cassava yields 24 to 25 tonnes per hectare.
Cassava plantations in the kingdom have increased from 30,000 hectares in 2005 to 684,070 in 2016, with total production amounting to 14.8 million tonnes last year, according to data from the Ministry of Agriculture.
The provinces in which the crop is grown are Battambang, Banteay Meanchey, Pailin, Kratie, Kampong Thom, Tboung Khmom and Oddar Meanchey.
Cambodia exported 2.3 million tonnes of cassava chips during the first nine months of 2017. Cassava chip exports in 2016 amounted to 2.9 million tonnes, which mostly went to China, Thailand and Vietnam'.

Is genomic selection just a short cut for natural selection?

The Vientiane Times (Jan. 15) finally shows us an example of how business should not take place:

'Many of the nation’s cassava farmers remain desperate to recover money that the Lao-Indochina Group Public Company has owed them since failing to pay for their produce in 2012.
The company’s bankruptcy resulted in the firm’s creditors, mostly cassava farmers, incurring further debts to banks, notably Nayoby Bank, leading the situation to its current deadlock.
...
The company ran up debts of 17.5 billion kip to cassava growers five years ago when it got into financial difficulties.
Only 4 billion kip of the total has been repaid to date.
In Vientiane’s Pakngum district alone, farmers sold 21 million tonnes of cassava worth almost 963 million kip to the company for processing at its tapioca factory in the district.
...
Cassava cultivation in Pakngum district is now fairly subdued.
Many farmers are disinclined to grow the crop because they are still indebted to banks as a result of their predicament.
This year, some farmers planted cassava, but in smaller quantities than in previous years with dried cassava then sold to Vietnamese traders.
Farmers want to know when they will get paid for all the cassava they grew and gave to the factory several years ago.
Many still owe money to district banks after borrowing to clear their land and plant cassava. Most of the farmers in question are now growing other crops, while some are pursuing other livelihoods'.

Obvious

Schocking
Probably the most important news this month is the report published by GRAIN conerning issues of land grab. 
With the increased agricultural prices of the last few years, land grabbing has become a pandemic which seems to be never-ending. From the summary:

'Despite the inherent shortcomings of the data, we feel confident in drawing six major conclusions:

1. The vast majority of farms in the world today are small and getting smaller
2. Small farms are currently squeezed onto less than a quarter of the world's farmland
3. We are fast losing farms and farmers in many places, while big farms are getting bigger
4. Small farms continue to be the major food producers in the world
5. Small farms are overall more productive than big farms
6. Most small farmers are women.

Many of these conclusions might seem obvious, but two things shocked us. One was to see the extent of land concentration today, a problem that agrarian reform programmes of the 20th century were supposed to have solved. 
... 
The other shock was to learn that, today, small farms have less than a quarter of the world's agricultural land ...'. 

The report is a damning of current policies driving farmers off their land, mostly for the acquired land to be distributed to wealthy investors who struggle to meet the efficiencies of those farmers who have been displaced. When, if ever, will this stop?

Pay-back

With prices for rice dropping, inevitably victims are falling. 

Victim 1? Apparently the Cambodian company named Megagreen Imex Cambodia was in line for fame and especially fortune in the nation's rice export dream. Phnom Penh Post (Jun. 6):

'In December 2011, the managing director of Megagreen Imex Cambodia, Renne Outh, proudly announced that his firm had inked a $21 million deal to be the first to ship Cambodian rice to the Philippines.

Nearly two and a half years on, not a single Cambodian grain has reached Manila. Export figures for the first five months of 2014 show that Megagreen, once among the top 10 rice exporters in the country, has fallen to 48th out of 84.

The failed Philippines deal marks a pattern of broken promises, as the agricultural wholesaler now finds itself besieged by creditors and lawsuits seeking damages in excess of $1 million, with flawed agreements from one end of the supply chain to the other'.

Lower prices have meant that Cambodia's rice millers are left with unsold produce. And supposedly banks with unpaid loans. Phnom Penh Post (June 18) hints why:

'Cambodian rice currently trades at $440 per tonne. Meanwhile, rice in Thailand and Vietnam is selling for $385 per tonne and $405 per tonne respectively.

With the next harvest season due to begin in just three months, Lim Bun Heng, chairman of rice export firm Loran Group, said that millers had been pressuring his company to find buyers for Cambodian grain.

...

A rice mill owner, who asked not to be named for fear of damaging his business’s reputation, said that he had more than 2,000 tonnes of rice waiting for a buyer in Battambang province.

The mill owner added that he had accrued over $400,000 worth of bank loans to buy the rice off local farmers in the hope of selling it on to exporters for overseas markets.

“To pay back the bank only, I am forced to sell the paddy off at a lower price than what I bought it for,” he said'.

Expect the bill for these losses to be passed on to farmers come next harvest 

Another loser in the making? Vietnamnet reports (June 6) on the countries dealings with the Philippines: 

'Vinafood 1 and Vinafood 2 have been severely criticized for offering overly low bids in an effort to obtain the contract with the Philippines. Analysts believe that Vietnam made a major mistake when analyzing the situation, which then led to the wrong decision. Tuan of Thinh Phat [company] pointed out that Thailand was the major rival of Vietnam in the bid for the rice export contract because it was nearer to the Philippines than India and Pakistan, which allows savings on transportation costs. However, Tuan said Thailand should not have been considered a threat to Vietnam. NFA said that the Philippines would only accept rice harvested no earlier than four months ago. Thailand stopped collecting rice in February 2014. “This means that Thailand only had rice harvested in 2012 and 2014, and that Vietnam was the only seller in the market,” Tuan said'.

Re-wiring

The rice pledge scheme in Thailand. As it's now being wrapped up by the junta, there are a few articles concerned. first, the Nation (May 25) mentions that 

'The ousted government was able to pay about Bt100 billion to the farmers until now, but another Bt90 billion is still owed to 80,000 farmers'. 

The only reason for the outstanding amounts not to be made was that the prevoius government was a caretaker government. Luckily the junta has no law to uphold so can do as it pleases. Another PR activity.

The Bangkok Post (May 26) however mentioned that farmers were happy (who isn't nowadays?) as stalled payments were now being paid.

Thai farmers now having been paid, want new handouts. So mentions the Bangkok Post (June 2): 

'Songpon Poonsawat, chairman of the Council of Farmers in Ang Thong province, said his organisation would propose short-term assistance packages for the NCPO [the junta] to consider, to help farmers suffering as a result of lower prices. Mr Songpon suggested the intervention be carried out for the next two crops, until the market price of rice returns to normal'.  

But what is normal?

Then some confusing news. The Nation (June 5) has a short item on the end of the rice-pledging scheme: 

'Former Democrat MP Warong Dechgitvigrom Thursday called on the National Council for Peace and Order to end the controversial rice-pledging scheme'. 

It has already ended.

'He said the NCPO should replace the scheme with a rice price guarantee'. 

In other words: a rice pledging scheme!

And on June 8, farmers came up with a new proposal (Nation): 

'Rice farmers yesterday proposed that the National Council for Peace and Order set a price for rice based on the average production cost plus a 40 per cent profit margin so they can survive'. 

That also looks like a rice-pledging scheme. The Bangkok Post notes (June 10) that the military are unsure what to do. Going by previous experiences they fail to take decisions unless you criticize them... They prefer to shoot the messenger of bad news.

The junta has spoken and there will be a new subsidy scheme. The Bangkok Post (June 18): 

'Gen Chatchai said that participants agreed with the idea of a "cultivation subsidy" and soft loans for rice growers nationwide in the 2014/2015 crop season. The subsidy was set at 500 baht per rai (1,600 square metres) for up to 15 rai (24,000 square metres) per family, based on rice growers' estimated cultivation costs of about 4,000 baht per rai'.

One problem will be the way the subsidies will be doled out, probably through subsidies to ag input sellers. While there may be limitations on hand-outs per family, there will be all of a sudden be a lot more families in Thailand ....

Top dog
The bargain sales have resulted in Thailand returning to the top of the rice exporting nations. The first five months of this year have seen this sale recapture the buyers spirits and Thailand is yet again the no. 1 exporter in terms of tonnage. Bangkok Post (June 4): 

'Somkiat Makcayathorn, secretary-general of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, said on Wednesday that from Jan 1 to May 20, 2014, Thailand exported a total of 3.93 million tonnes, surpassing India (3.74 million tonnes) and Vietnam (2.4 million tonnes) in the same period'.  

Hurrah! Back to no. 1. But why obsess with who is no. 1? Surely it should be the income generated for the nation which should count. The article continues to assist the junta's PR machine: 

'The fall happened when the Yingluck Shinawatra government increased the price of Thai rice through its loss-ridden rice-pledging scheme, which promised over-market  prices to farmers. Many were never paid'. 

It appears that the exporters and general traders and millers are the ones cheering. Farmers are a lot more quiet ...

Meanwhile, Channelnewsasia (June 4) reports on the Thai Rice Exporters Association's prediction of a 20% rise in exports for Thailand this year.

Est
The Bangkok Post has the story on the losses of the old rice-pledging scheme (May 28): 

'Estimated losses from the previous five crops under the Yingluck Shinawatra government’s rice-pledging scheme could be lower than 500 billion baht, says the Finance Ministry'. 

Or 15 billion US$! Inflation? PR? Hmmm, ...

The previous government and their sceme (-ing?)? They should be tried: 
* loss of nearly 3 million tonnes (swept under the carpet?), 
* poor quality and 
* failure to calculate what the loss was. 
The Bangkok Post (June 10) reports that the former government want a quick resolution on the charges. As everything is in a flux, there probably can't be any conviction unless one based on politics.

As Thailand has no clue as to what they have stockpiled in the past it comes as no surprise that the Bangkok Post reports (June 13) that an audit will take place. We also know that the audit will find less rice than expected ...

National affairs

The Cambodia Daily (June 3) sees the positives in a 1% rise in rice exports from Cambodia. Quite confusing as it also mentions rising imports to or from Thailand?

But ..., the problems in Thailand have had an impact on Cambodian direct exports to Thailand. They have nearly disappeared, so reports the Phnom Penh Post (May 29).

Real growth lies elsewhere. Via Phnom Penh Post (May 19) it is reported that Cambodian organic rice is finding a market in Hongkong:

'While the US and Germany have traditionally been the key markets for Cambodian organic rice, with about 300 tonnes sent there last year, CEDAC president Yang Saing Koma told the Post that his organisation has exported 30 tonnes to Hong Kong this year, as the market for the Kingdom’s natural produce expands'.

With rice losing favour, the rural sector is losing a taste for alternatives. The Cambodian Daily (May 27) notes that cassave exports are also down:

'Cassava exports dropped by about $25 million during the first four months of 2014 compared to the same period last year, according to figures provided by the Ministry of Commerce on Monday.

From January to April this year, Cambodia exported 203,934 tons of cassava, worth about $13 million, the figures show. In the corresponding period last year, 273,415 tons, worth about $38 million, were exported'. 

A typical double whammy: lower prices and less production. This contrasts heavily with black pepper. Cultivated in patches near the coatsal towns of Kep - Kampot as well as near Kampong Cham, production was on the up, so reported the Phnom Penh Post (May 27):

'Kampot pepper has the WTO’s geographical indication (GI) status linking the quality of the product to its origin. Exports and prices have been on the rise since receiving the status in 2010.

The total cultivated area of GI Kampot pepper reached 90 hectares this year, twice that of 2013 – but it will still be years before many of these plants mature and are ready for harvest.

Him Anna, a pepper farmer in Kampot, told the Post that she had exported 3 tonnes of pepper this year and the market was hungry for more. “There is huge demand in the market with a very good price, but until now we still have a problem with supply.”' 

Let's just hope that prices remain attractive and markets can deal with the upsurge in acreage from Cambodia. It remember that the Malaysian state of Sarawak had the intention of cornering the pepper market, however expansion didn't reap rewards.

Well with farmers being caught with increased corporisation, they are now urged to go green, so reports the Phnom Penh Post (May 23): 

'Officials from the Ministry of Agriculture have called on farmers to cease using chemical pesticides and adopt environmentally friendly methods in an effort to increase yields and reduce damage to produce. Hem Em, a farmer with 7 hectares of pepper-growing land in Kampong Cham, said he had spent more than $300 on pesticides this season to ward off pests.

“If we do not use pesticide, we will not be able to harvest crops because the insects destroy the flower and our crops give no fruits,” he said'.

It wouldn't hurt if green produce was paid more, but that's probably not the message.

Founding father
The Phnom Penh Post (May 23) on the new Cambodian Rice Federartion (CRF). An interview with  CRF’s newly elected president and CEO of SOMA Group, Sok Puthyvuth. Some of the Q and A's:

'How is your rice body going to represent farmers?
This is the foundation of the rice sector. If the foundation is not strong, forget about the millers or exporters.

One of our major priorities is to really look at the foundations of the sector, how have the farmers been doing? Whether the access to all this support, like finance, fertiliser or techniques are up to date? 

...

Your father is the deputy prime minister. Have your family ties helped you land the CRF job?
I am the new generation. You could say it is a coincidence that I happen to be in this position, but it was not appointed. We went through an election. I don’t think people voted for me because of who I am. If they feel that I am someone who doesn’t know what I am talking about, I don’t think they would have voted for me'.

An earlier article by Phnom Penh Post (May 20) also noted that his father-in-law is the PM himself ..., so that might help, certainly with the election process. It also noted that all other industry bodies would be dissolved ...

The Phnom Penh Post (May 30) has an interesting coverage of a rice industry workshop:

'The rice industry's quest for greater quality at lower cost reached a dead end yesterday at a conference in Phnom Penh, with exporters and farmers polarised on how to achieve greater returns for the industry.

The workshop, titled "Improving Rice Value Chain and Enhancing Farmers’ Livelihoods", was attended by more than 70 farmer representatives, businesses and government officials. On one side exporters want farmers to provide a better-quality rice grain, but on the other, farmers cannot afford the premium to pay for the higher-quality seed ... Kan Vesna, a farmers representative from Battambang province, rebutted the millers concerns, saying millers systematically reducing prices across the industry created little incentive for farmers to improve their crops'.

With prices dropping and companies feeling the pinch, no doubt lower prices for farmers will be the indiustry's answer to their problems (passing on the buck).

The Cambodian Daily comes with a farmer based article (May 30) concerned with the same workshop:

'Cambodia’s rice farmers are being neglected amid the government’s push to ramp up exports of milled rice to one million tons by the end of next year, a goal that will only be reached with improved cultivation, agriculture experts and farmers said Wednesday at the Royal University of Phnom Penh'.

Mitigating

The World Bank has some bad news: world food prices are going up (source). We never see this sort of alarmist news when prices are dropping (though we never notice it in the shops  ..., lower prices mean more profit for end-use companies ...). The price rise is lead by rises in wheat and maize, due to political instability in Ukraine and wider implications of the conflict. Only rice prices were dropping ... The report also notes: 

'Food price shocks can both spark and exacerbate conflict and political instability, and it is vital to promote policies that work to mitigate these effects'. 

The only way forward is to reverse policies on creation of national reserves. For years the World Bank has been advocating selling of strategic stocks thus exacerbating price rises! Another hmmmm

World prices seem to be on the drop at least in the short term. India has announced to offload it's reserves on the internal market so as to drive down prices and thus inflation (source). But that means less exports further on down the road and eventually higher prices.

King

Meanwhile farmers are proving to spoil local markets in Laos. According to Vientiane Times (May 23):

'The price of rice in the markets of Borikhamxay and Luang Namtha provinces increased 500 kip per kilogram this week, while staying the same in most other provinces. The price rise is believed to be caused by some farmers stocking their rice to consume through the wet season, causing a shortage in the markets'. 

Oddly the article features no official response to the price rises. Are Lao farmers king?