The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and
Fisheries on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with private
companies on the development of a model safe vegetable centre and the promotion
of a safe vegetable value chain.
This will be realised in accordance with Good
Agricultural Practices (GAP) standards in a bid to meet local demand and
exports, according to the terms of the MoU.
General Directorate of Agriculture
director-general Ngin Chhay said the deal is another breakthrough for the
directorate in its implementation of the government’s policy concerning
agricultural modernisation and reinforcing the Kingdom’s vegetable value chain.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Chhay said he
believes that the private sector’s involvement has encouraged farmers to move
to safe vegetable production and supply the local market.
“Private sector investment is an important
driving force in engaging with the government in improving the quality and
safety of vegetables and modernising agriculture as a whole.
“We are trying to mobilise private sector
investment in the vegetable value chain through a public-private partnership
mechanism between the state, the private sector and farmers under a framework
for agricultural development that uses contracts.
“In order to improve the production and supply
of safe vegetables to meet domestic demand through quality, safety and
competitiveness, as well as to further strengthen the vegetable export market,
Cambodia has been turning the crisis of vegetables supply imbalance into a new
opportunity for its agricultural sector,” he said.
Speaking at the ceremony, Tropicam Fruit and
Vegetable Co Ltd CEO Hun Lak said his company has worked with the directorate
to develop the 6ha safe vegetable centre at the Banteay Dek Agriculture
Research Station located along National Road 1.
Tropicam Fruit and Vegetable also signed MoUs
with safe vegetable distributor Natural Agriculture Village and another of
Lak’s ventures Tropicam Irrigation Solutions Co Ltd, which supplies modern
agricultural equipment and represents “model farmers” from some provinces.
It also signed MoUs with associations such as
the Cambodia Chefs’ Association, the Cambodia Restaurant Association, the
Cambodia Tourism Federation and the Cambodia Hotel Association.
Lak said: “The signing ceremony is vital to
promoting dissemination to stakeholders in the vegetable sector to focus on the
production of safe vegetables in keeping with the right standards until they
are recognised by public institutions.
“We urge stakeholders in the safe vegetable
production chain and consumers to support and promote the spread of safe
vegetable production in accordance with GAP standards.”
According to Chhay, Cambodia’s annual demand
for vegetables is around one million tonnes, which averages between 2,500-3,000
tonnes per day. It must import between 500-1,000 tonnes daily to keep up.
He said 57,762ha of vegetables were planted
last year, which yielded 68,212 tonnes.
The ministry has registered and evaluated 62
fruit and vegetable farms that operate under GAP standards in the period from
January-August and plans to register an additional 80 by year’s end, he added.
At the end of last year, there were 1,190
agricultural communities and groups, data from the ministry show. It identified
259 farming communities and 432 farming groups as implementing safe vegetable
production.