A worker at a rice warehouse in Phnom Penh. Cambodia shipped 500 tonnes of milled rice to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). KT/Chor Sokunthea

Kingdom has exported milled rice to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the first batch of 60,000 tonnes, grabbing a new market for Cambodia’s rice.

The official ceremony of the rice export was held last Friday in Phnom Penh. ONEROAD Group, a local rice export firm, was the exporter of rice export to the UAE.

This was the success of the rice export firm on receiving a purchase order of 60,000 tonnes worth $54 million from the UAE, said Minister of Commerce Cham Nimul.

“Rice exports this time will boost trade and friendly cooperation between Cambodia and the United Arab Emirates,” she said at the ceremony on the export of Cambodian rice to the UAE.

“In addition, these exports will open up new markets for trade and investment cooperation and provide new opportunities to strengthen cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, investment, tourism, culture and more,” Nimul added.

The export came after Cambodia and the UAE signed a bilateral trade agreement in June 2023.

Cambodia Rice Federation’s Secretary-General Lun Yeng lauded the official export of milled rice to the UAE market.

“Cambodia once exported milled rice to the UAE market in 2020 but in a small amount. Now ONE ROAD Group shipped in a large amount of milled rice, the first batch of 500 tonnes,” he said.

Cambodia exported a total of 656,323 tonnes of milled rice to 61 countries and regions in 2023, a year-on-year increase of 3 percent, according to the Cambodia Rice Federation.

The Southeast Asian country made a total revenue of $466 million from the export of the commodity last year, marking a year-on-year increase of 13 percent, the CRF said. CRF has targeted rice exports to reach 1 million tonnes by 2025.

China and Europe are the major markets for Cambodia’s milled rice.

The Ministry of Commerce will co-organise a business matching forum to be held at the end of February 2024 in Abu Dhabi, UEA, to promote and create opportunities for new markets for Cambodian rice, Nimul said.

The Commerce Minister also expressed confidence that there will be more orders and exports and requested the relevant ministries and institutions and partners to continue to work together to promote and develop the rice sector and the reputation of Cambodian rice on the international stage.

Last year, the two-way trade between Cambodia and the UEA topped $86 million, a year-on-year decrease of 17 percent. The Kingdom exported $71 worth of goods to the UEA, inching up 1.93 percent compared to a year before.

Published Date: January 14, 2024