Nhean Chamrong / Khmer Times

Synopsis: Ministry of Agriculture Dith Tina asks officials to investigate middlemen manipulating trade in each province and to coordinate with traders willing to offer higher prices to farmers, aiming to restore transparency and fair competition.

As paddy prices plunge from 1,200 to 600 riels per kilogramme, farmers have alleged that provincial middlemen, acting as market monopolists, are manipulating the trade, prompting the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) to order investigations to ensure fair market practices.

Local media, farmers and citizens have voiced concerns on social media that monopolists in several provinces are controlling paddy trade, limiting competition, and forcing down prices for personal gain. The alleged practice has created growing anxiety among smallholder farmers nationwide.

Farmers seeking higher returns often sell through these middlemen, as buyers offering better prices are not allowed to purchase directly. This system leaves farmers with sharply reduced incomes, limited bargaining power, and fewer options to access competitive markets or improve their livelihoods.

The prolonged drop in paddy prices has raised concerns over the economic well-being of rural communities, where rice cultivation remains a key source of income and a primary driver of local market activity.

Responding to public concern, Dith Tina, Minister of MAFF, yesterday instructed officials to investigate middlemen controlling in each province and to coordinate with traders willing to offer higher prices to farmers, aiming to restore transparency and fair competition.

“All heads of departments and agricultural officers must complete two tasks. First, clarify the news regarding monopolists causing the drop in paddy prices. Gather all information and identify them so that legal action can be implemented,” he said.

Tina continued, “Second, identify and report which buyers are offering higher prices, which areas they intend to purchase from, and ensure that prices go directly to farmers without deductions for manpower or transportation.”

He also instructed officials to facilitate coordination between traders offering higher prices and farmers facing logistical challenges. Measures include transporting paddy from fields to accessible collection points and ensuring farmers can sell at competitive prices without interference from monopolistic middlemen.

The investigation was prompted by a social media post on Saturday by San Buntheoun, founder of a local media, featuring a man claiming that provincial middlemen were controlling rice purchases, which was quickly picked up and widely reported by local media.

According to the three-minute leaked voice, middlemen are controlling provincial rice markets nationwide, preventing buyers offering higher prices from entering their zones, which restricts farmers’ options and suppresses their potential earnings across the agricultural sector.

Khim Finan, Spokesperson of MAFF, wrote on social media that the ministry is currently verifying the information and urged the public to provide the identities of monopolists so that immediate legal action can be taken.

Speaking to Khmer Times, Finan said that if such a problem exists, we urge people to provide clear evidence and identify the middlemen involved. “The ministry will take immediate legal action because, in a free-market economy, such practices are unacceptable and MAFF will always stand with our farmers.”

MAFF’s swift response and ongoing investigation aim to restore confidence in Cambodia’s rice market, ensure transparent trade practices, and stabilise paddy prices.

Published Date: November 3, 2025