After nearly a decade of research and development, Cambodia and Australia on April 5 jointly announced the official launch of a new fragrance rice variety named Champei Sar 70 (CPS 70) to mark the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two nations.

CPS 70 was born of close collaboration between the Cambodian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) and the Australian government, following nine years of studies and 80 on-farm trials in both dry and rainy seasons. The cultivar was developed from the award-winning “Phka Rumduol with CNi9024”, according to an April 5 joint press release by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the Australian embassy in Phnom Penh.

Agriculture minister Dith Tina and Australian ambassador Justin Whyatt jointly harvested CPS 70 during the April 5 ceremonial launch at the CARDI headquarters on the outskirts of the capital.

Tina noted that CPS 70 was named by Prime Minister Hun Sen to celebrate the two nations’ diplomatic relations, which have now turned 70.

“This new variety will significantly contribute to the diversification of fragrant rice production and the export of fragrant rice to international markets, leading to the improvement of farmers' livelihoods,” Tina was quoted as saying in the release.

Whyatt said his government takes pride in providing support for the development of CPS 70.

“I hope that farmers across Cambodia will grow CPS 70 to supply local and international markets, including Australia,” Whyatt was cited as saying in the release.

According to CARDI director Lor Bunna, CPS 70 is a non-seasonal crop that matures after three months. It is resistant to floods and drought, thereby enabling farmers to grow it two to three times per year.

“This rice variety is very beneficial for both farmers and traders. It could help farmers cut down on their expenses and efforts to take care of their rice fields. Since it is non-seasonal, traders can buy the paddy all year round,” he said.

The Cambodian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) has launched a new rice variety with a farming option of two to three times a year and a yield of 4.5 tons per hectare.

Named ‘Champei Sar 70’ with nine years of research, the new rice variety allows cultivation in a short time and is resistant to weather.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, through CARDI, released a new rice variety, fragrant rice, in late 2022, said CARDI official Orn Chhour.

It is a good quality rice, similar in length to Romduol fragrant rice variety and with an aromatic fragrance, he said.

The rice variety has been bred from the Romduol fragrant rice variety for nine years of research, which was started in 2013 and released in 2022.

“Farmers can do it two to three times a year, which can supply the market for a whole year, unlike the romduol variety, which can only be done once a year,” he said.

The CARDI is now working to supply the seeds to the community, Chhour said.

Although the rice variety of Champei Sar 70 has not yet been produced for sale, CARDI encouraged farmers to choose this rice variety to grow because of its weather and insect-resistant qualities and planting in the short term, which will make farmers reduce costs, including that of fertilizers.

“Based on experiments, this rice variety has a yield from 4 tons to 4.5 tons per hectare,” he said.

This new rice variety will be supported by consumers both in the country as well as the international market, as it provides standard rice that meets the needs of the international market, according to CARDI.

CARDI will start supplying new rice varieties nationwide through farmers, mills and farming communities.

In a visit to CARDI on Monday, Agriculture Minister Dith Tina applauded CARDI’s effort in rice research and development, saying that despite some difficulties, CARDI is still able to develop a new rice variety that is good and important for farmers.

“The development of this new variety can be considered a great achievement for the Institute and the agricultural sector, as well as the image of Cambodia,” Tina said.

Cambodia exported 637,004 tons of milled rice to international markets in 2022, up 3.2 percent, from 617,069 tons a year earlier, according to the Cambodia Rice Federation.

Cambodia bagged around $414 million in revenue from exports to 59 countries and regions last year.

Exported milled rice varieties included premium aromatic rice, fragrant rice, long grain white rice, parboiled rice, organic rice and glutinous rice, CRF said.

PHNOM PENH (The Phnom Penh Post/Asia News Network): Cambodia plans to begin the formal export of milled rice to the archipelago nation of Maldives, a month after its Phka Rumduol jasmine variety was crowned as the “World’s Best Rice” for a fifth time, as part of a campaign to raise the profile of the local grain on the regional and international stages.

At a ceremony marking the beginning of work to revamp the 95.27km National Road 41 on the morning of Dec 26, Prime Minister Hun Sen revealed that he would visit the Maldives next month to discuss milled-rice sales as well as stepping up tourism ties.

“The Maldives is a rice-deficient country, so we want to forge links through tourism and milled rice exports. The Maldives may be a small country, but she also has demand [for milled rice] due to her large number of tourists. Our milled rice is superb, so she can bring milled rice from our country,” he said.

Speaking to The Post on Dec 26, Lay Chhun Hour, group president and CEO of City Rice Import Export Co Ltd, a major rice miller based in Battambang province, suggested that the more markets that Cambodian rice can establish a presence in, the more well-known it will become.

“We certainly welcome the efforts of our government, which is always trying to find new markets for our agricultural products and expand [existing ones], no matter how large or small, and our milled rice is becoming more and more known,” he said.

Chhun Hour is seen as the main person behind Phka Rumduol’s participation at the TRT (The Rice Trader) World Rice Conference in Phuket, Thailand on November 17 that awarded it the World’s Best Rice award for the fifth year.

Phka Rumduol is a type of long-grain jasmine rice that has emerged as a top choice of international buyers, and is one of the varieties exported under the “Angkor Malys” certification mark.

Lun Yeng, spokesman for the Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF), the Kingdom’s apex rice industry body, confirmed to The Post that Cambodia has never officially exported milled rice to the Maldivian market. He welcomed government plans to start doing so.

“Having more markets would be a boon for the Cambodian rice sector. Whether big or small, it’ll raise the profile of our milled rice on regional and international markets,” he said.

Straddling the equator in the Indian Ocean, the Maldives stretches along a length of 871km north-to-south and covers an area of around 90,000sq km, only 298sq km of which is dry land.

Most of the Maldives’ 1,192 islands form part of a double chain of 26 atolls that are grouped together into 21 administrative areas. The country reportedly had a population of 543,620 at end-2021 – up 0.57 per cent year-on-year – with 36.86 per cent women.

Milled-rice exports have been performing well this year, amounting to 509,249 tonnes in the first 10 months of 2022, up 10.67 per cent from the 460,169 tonnes registered in the same time last year, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries reported.

Fragrant rice contributed the bulk of the exports at 348,501 tonnes or 68.44 per cent, followed by white rice (148,933 tonnes; 29.24 per cent), and parboiled rice (11,815 tonnes; 2.32 per cent).

China was the largest buyer of Cambodian milled rice in the January-October period, accounting for 231,873 tonnes which were up 1.18 per cent year-on-year, followed by the EU (165,630 tonnes; up 43.43 per cent) and Asean. (48,253 tonnes; up 10.19 per cent), while other countries and territories bought 63,493 tonnes, marking an 11.48 per cent drop, the ministry said, indicating that four of the 27 EU countries did not import any through official channels.

A fragrant rice variety from Cambodia beat Thailand's Hom Mali rice to win the title of World's Best Rice 2022 at a global conference on rice held last week in Phuket, the Rice Exporters Association said on Monday.

The winning variety, called phaka lamduan, beat over 20 varieties of fragrant rice in blind tasting during the competition this year because of its stronger fragrance, said Chukiat Opaswong, the association's

honorary president. The Cambodian rice beat Thailand's Hom Mali rice by one point for the title. The Thai variety, which hails from the Northeast, came second, followed by a variety from Vietnam and Laos

he said.

The deciding point was awarded to the phaka lamduan by a judge from the United States, who said the Cambodian variety had a sweeter scent than the Hom Mali, explained the association's chief.

Mr Chukiat said the higher-than-average rainfall across Thailand this year may have contributed to the less pronounced aroma of this year's Hom Mali rice crop.

This year's Thai Hom Mali rice is expected to fetch US$750 (about 27,170 baht) per tonne, while phaka lamduan prices are expected to increase from its current average of US$720 per tonne due to its

new title as World's Best Rice 2022, Mr Chukiat explained.

Thailand's rice exports will increase to eight million tonnes next year, up from 7.5 million tonnes this year.

The increase will bring the market price for Thai rice down to US$410-450 per tonne, compared to Vietnam's US$400 per tonne.

Since the contest began in 2009, Thai varieties have won seven times, including last year and the year before that, he said.

Asean Business Advisory Council Chair for the Philippines and Go Negosyo founder Jose Maria A. Concepcion III said the Philippines is mulling over importing rice from Cambodia.

“Cambodia is a big exporter of rice, but it goes through Vietnam for processing,” said Concepcion.

“Our suggestion is import so that the Philippine companies can process the rice,” he added.

In a news statement issued by Go Negosyo on Tuesday, Concepcion shared that Cambodian businessmen were receptive to the idea, and even offered technology exchange between the two countries. “Cambodia is very good at growing rice, and we could learn from them,” the Go Negosyo founder added.

“Agriculture in particular, was revealed as a promising area of cooperation between the two countries. Cambodia produces rice, but Vietnam—which is a major exporter of rice to the Philippines—has the biggest production by hectare,” Go Negosyo said.

Further, it said that several expansion and export opportunities in Cambodia for Philippine companies were explored during the CEO Roundtable meeting held on the sidelines of the Asean summit in Phnom Penh last November 10.

The CEO Roundtable meeting was attended by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) President George T. Barcelon, LT Group’s Mike Tan, Go Negosyo senior adviser Josephine Romero, and the Philippine winners of the Asean Business Awards 2022.

Go Negosyo said aside from agriculture, other areas of cooperation that the meeting was able to identify were on housing, digitalization, food security, hospitality, garments manufacturing, business process outsourcing (BPO), and micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) development.

In his intervention during the event, Marcos stressed the importance of international cooperation to prevent regional food shortage.

“It has become glaringly clear that there is a dire need to strengthen food security towards self-sufficiency in our region, to increase adaptability and resilience in the face of threats to the global supply chain,” the President said.

Marcos is the concurrent Agriculture Secretary of the Philippines.

Meanwhile, during the meeting, the Philippine group invited the Cambodian businessmen to invest in the Philippines and partner with the Philippine businesses.

“SMEs from the Philippines—namely, FELTA Multimedia, Home Healthlink and Esquire Financing—who were also winners of the Asean Business Awards, said that they are looking for partners to expand both in the Philippines and within Asean. Meanwhile, the chairman of the Cambodian garments industry association commended during the meeting the logistics support from Philippine cargo and mobility facilities, namely Philippine Airlines [PAL],” Go Negosyo said in its statement.

According to Go Negosyo, the Cambodian businessmen shared that PAL helped them not only with cargo, but also with the transport of the designers and other technical people between the two countries.

Further, it said that the Philippines and Cambodia are also together in a campaign to get their respective garments exported at zero rates in the United States’s Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) so that these may be imported by US brands at zero, or near zero duty. Business Mirror.com.ph

PHNOM PENH (XINHUA) – Cambodia is expected to export more milled rice to China in coming years thanks to the entry into force of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) trade deal and the Cambodia-China Free Trade Agreement (CCFTA) earlier this year, Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) President Song Saran said.

A report released by CRF recently showed that China remained a major buyer of Cambodia’s milled rice in the first 10 months of 2022.

“These FTAs will further ease trade in goods between Cambodia and China as well as other participating countries,” Saran told Xinhua.

“Both trade deals have provided a bigger market access for Cambodia’s products, and I think it will attract more foreign investors to invest in various sectors, including in the rice industry, in order to export finished products to those RCEP member countries, with tariff concessions,” he said.

Ministry of Commerce’s Undersecretary of State Penn Sovicheat said the RCEP and the CCFTA have given and will continue to give a big boost to Cambodia’s exports to China and other member countries.

“China is a huge market for us,” he told Xinhua. “Under both trade pacts, we believe that the exports of our potential agricultural products such as rice, cassava, bananas, mangoes, and longans, among others to China will continue to grow in coming years.”

From January to October, Cambodia’s milled rice exports to international markets reached 509,249 tonnes, up 10.6 per cent year-on-year, earning gross revenue of USD324 million, the report said, adding that the milled rice had been shipped to 56 countries and regions.

Exported milled rice varieties included fragrant rice, long grain white rice, parboiled rice, organic rice and glutinous rice, it said.

The Cambodian government has donated 6,000 tonnes of rice to the Cuban government and its people.

Prime Minister Hun Sen on Facebook said that the Cambodian government donated 6,000 tonnes of rice to the Cuban government and its people.

“The donation by government and people is 3,000 tonnes of rice and the remaining comes from private sectors,” he said.

Prime Minister Hun Sen met with Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel yesterday.

“The donation will leave Cambodia in October, and arrive in Cuba in December,” he added.

In the meeting, both leaders highlighted the good bilateral relations and reiterated the willingness to strengthen cooperation in sports, health, culture, and biotechnology.

Mr Hun Sen said the Cuban President thanked Cambodia for its rice donation.

President Díaz-Canel recalled the historical ties of friendship between both countries and the firm connection between Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz and King Father Norodom Sihanouk, founders of the Non-Aligned Movement (MNOAL).

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia exported 169,766 tons of milled rice to China in the first seven months of 2022, earning 89 million U.S. dollars in revenue, the Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) said on Wednesday.

China remained the largest buyer of Cambodia's rice, followed by the European Union, the CRF said in a news release, adding that China accounted for 48.3 percent of Cambodia's total rice export volume during the January-July period.

CRF President Song Saran said China is a big market for Cambodian rice and the country hopes to export more rice to China.

"The RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership) will further ease trade in goods between Cambodia and China as well as other participating countries," he told Xinhua.

"This mega regional trade pact provides a greater market access for Cambodia's products, and I think it will attract more foreign investors to invest in various sectors, including in the rice industry, in order to export finished products to those RCEP countries, with preferential tariffs," he added.

According to the CRF, Cambodia exported a total of 350,902 tons of milled rice to 56 countries and regions in the first seven months of this year, up 13 percent year-on-year, generating 218 million U.S. dollars in revenue. 

Cambodia and Timor-Leste discussed a rice export deal as the two countries pledged to strengthen bilateral trade and economic cooperation.

The discussions were held when Rath Saravuth, Director General of International Trade at Cambodia’s Ministry of Commerce and Domingos Lopes Antunes, Vice-Minister of Commerce of Timor-Leste met at Dili city on Monday.

In the meeting, the two sides exchanged views on boosting bilateral trade and cooperation between the two countries’ private sectors through business matching, mutual exchanges and exhibition activities, according to the Commerce Ministry.

“The two sides reaffirmed their commitment to continue cooperating, facilitating and promoting business and investment activities to boost economic and trade growth between the two countries,” said a release.

“The two sides also identified potential items for trade, especially the export of Cambodian rice to Timor-Leste,” it added.

Cambodia has asked Timor-Leste to buy Cambodian rice and invest in local rice mills and warehouses after backing Dili’s bid to join the Asean.

Timor-Leste is a potential market for Cambodia’s milled rice, said Lun Yeng, Secretary-General of the Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF). The two sides have been working on a rice export deal for some time, he said.

“We have talked with the embassy of Timor-Leste in Cambodia that said it is working with the commerce ministry (of Timor-Leste) on a possible rice export deal. Now, we are waiting for the feedback from them,” Yeng said yesterday.

The CRF is striving to find new markets for the Kingdom’s rice as it sets a target of at least 800,000 tonnes of milled rice export this year.

Cambodia exported 327,000 tonnes of milled rice in the first semester this year, an increase of 16 percent compared to the same period last year, according to a report by the CRF.

China remained the Kingdom’s biggest export market for the milled rice during the period, accounting for 51.43 percent of the total milled rice export from the country. The rest mainly went to European Union (EU) countries, accounting for 32 percent of the total volume.

PHNOM PENH, June 12 (Phnom Penh Post/ANN): Cambodia has exported over 25,000 tonnes of milled rice to South-East Asian (Asean) countries in the first five months of this year, an increase of 9 per cent compared to the same period last year.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said that from January to May, a total of 25,691 tonnes of milled rice – an increase of 9.06 per cent – has been exported to other Asean member countries.

Malaysia is the top export destination at 15,120 tonnes for an increase of 5.33 per cent. Brunei is the runner up as they imported 8,022 tonnes of milled rice or an increase of 2.8 per cent.

Singapore and Vietnam ranked third and fourth, importing 1,549 tonnes (0.55 per cent increase) and 1,000 tonnes (increase of 0.3 per cent) respectively.

Lun Yeng, secretary general of the Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) said that Malaysia is the biggest Cambodian rice importer in Aseanand is third among 90 countries that imported rice from Cambodia in the past five years (2017-2021) with a total rice of 204,565 tonnes imported or nearly seven per cent of all 3,148,697 tonnes in that period.

He said that in 2021 Cambodia had exported 46,181 tonnes of Fragrant Rice to Malaysia, worth $32.07 million, making the country third ranked after China and France.

“In Malaysia, most elderly people have heard of Cambodia’s fragrant rice since before the war and the kind of rice that was sold there was known as Somaly. Currently, the milled rice packaged with the name Somaly is still popular there,” he said. - Phnom Penh Post/ANN

Cambodia earned $564m from rice exports in the January-May period this year – $173 million from milled rice exports and $391 million from paddy rice, according to a report from the Cambodia Rice Federation.

In the first five-month period, Cambodia exported 283,675 tonnes of milled rice through 53 exporting companies, read the report.

China remained the top buyer of Cambodia’s rice, followed by the European Union, the CRF said in a news release, adding that export to China accounted for 52.6 percent of the total rice exports.

The Kingdom exported 88,167 tonnes to the European countries, representing 31 percent of total export, an increase of 49.26 percent compared to the same period last year, read the report.

Exports to Asean countries rose by 17.59 percent to 25,691 tonnes, equivalent to nine percent, added the report, citing that exports to various destinations in 21 countries reached 20,376 tonnes or 7.20 percent.

Of the milled rice export, premium fragrant rice accounted 64.10 percent, white fragrant rice 33.12 percent, and parboiled rice and organic rice 1.42 percent.

Cambodia also exported 1,698,908 tonnes of paddy rice, valued at $391.7 million. In May this year alone, the country exported 62,537 tonnes of rice, an increase of 54.28 percent compared to May 2021.

The price of Cambodia’s premium rice is currently $840 per tonne.

Lun Yeng, Secretary-General of the Cambodian Rice Federation (CRF), said that the CRF has boosted the exports of rice to international markets, especially Europe, despite rising shipping costs.

“For the remaining months this year, we expect that the export of commodities will continue as usual despite the transport fee hike because our rice is mostly premium rice and our markets – the EU, China and Asean – have remained stable,” Yeng told Khmer Times.

Yeng said the price of the commodity is predicted to increase between 10 and 20 percent due to the threat of the prolonging Russia-Ukraine war and the rise in the cost of inputs used for rice production.

Cambodia exported 221,138 tonnes of milled rice and 1,648,474 tonnes of un-milled rice, with a total value of $516.21 million in the first four months of 2022, according to a release from the Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF).

Forty-eight exporters sent products to 54 destinations, of which Cambodia exported 115,255 tonnes, or 52.12 percent, worth $62.74 million to China and Hong Kong Autonomous Region. The Kingdom exported 68,555 tons, or 31 percent, valued at $51 million to Europe.

The export to Asean countries amounted to 21,876 tonnes or 9.89 percent, with a value of $13.90 million. The exports to other countries were valued at $11.74 million, representing 15,452 tonnes, or a share of 6.99 percent.

Exports of all types of fragrant rice were 67.12 percent, white rice (30.13 percent), steamed rice (1.07 percent) and organic rice (1.68 percent).

In the first four months, 1,648,474 tonnes of rice were exported through the border with Vietnam, earning about $376.64 million.

Lun Yeng, general secretary, CRF, told Khmer Times, “With rice exports up nearly 15 percent in the first four months of 2022, we expect further growth with a potential to reach 750,000 to 800,000 tonnes, as food demand soared during the Russia-Ukraine war crisis.”

Song Saran, president of the CRF and CEO of Miller and Exporter, said, “For Cambodia, we are progressive in the agriculture sector. Cambodia is considered as a country of food products in South East Asia with high potential in rice, cassava, cashew nut, etc. In the past six months, the impact of Covid-19 affected supply chains, including transportation.

“In 2022, exports recovered by more than 12 percent, but earnings from exports decreased. The war between Russia and Ukraine has driven food demand by more than 30 percent from the European market,” he added.

THE EUROPEAN Commission has found sufficient evidence to launch an investigation into whether Cambodian rice exported to the EU puts an unfair burden on European rice farmers, potentially imperiling the Kingdom’s tariff-free exports to the bloc.