Rice exports: Cambodia surge

Cambodian rice exports to international markets grew by more than 21 percent in the first two months of this year (Photo: www.phnompenhpost.com)

The Phnom Penh Post newspaper quoted Cambodian Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Veng Sakhorn as saying that in the period under review, Cambodia shipped 136,499 tonnes of rice abroad, a year-on-year increase of 21.34 percent.

China is the leading market for the grain from Cambodia, with a market share of 37.43 percent, followed by the European market at 30.31 percent, ASEAN countries at 18.48 percent and other destinations at 13.78 percent.

Secretary-General of the Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) Lun Yeng said that rice exports are rising in all export destinations.

He noted tariffs on exports to European markets decreased from EUR 175 (about US$195) per tonne in 2019 to EUR 150 per tonne in 2020, which likely led to the increase.

He voiced his belief that the Cambodian rice is becoming more popular in China. However, transport via waterway has reduced significantly, which may impede delivery of goods.

Chan Sokheang, CEO of Signature of Asia Co., a local rice exporter to several countries around the world, said Cambodia’s rice exports in early 2020 were positive and will continue to grow, adding that the COVID-19 outbreak will not impact rice exports from the country.

According to a CRF report, in 2019, Cambodia exported 620,106 tonnes of rice, down 0.97 percent from 626,225 tonnes in 2018.