Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and Australia’s ambassador to Cambodia held talks on agricultural cooperation between the two countries.

Minister Veng Sakhon requested the Australian side to review and support cooperation with private companies – both domestic and foreign – to establish a rice seed production facility to distribute to farmers across the country.

The seed has been already developed by the Cambodian Agricultural Research and Development Institute.

He also proposed the establishment of internship programs for agricultural students and strengthening other technical cooperation, including the processing of agricultural products in the new project, which will be implemented at the end of 2022.

As a result of the Cambodia-Australia Agricultural Value Chain program (CAVAC), he confirmed that the project has made a significant contribution to the construction and development of the Cambodian agricultural value chain.

Pablo Kang, the Australian ambassador, said that his country supports Cambodia in socio-economic development through technical and financial assistance in a number of key areas, especially agriculture, infrastructure, education and energy.

He also underlined the long-standing cooperation between the two sides and reaffirmed Australia’s cooperation.

According to a report from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, there is mutual cooperation between the two countries in the development of the agricultural sector through AusAid.

It also detailed the development and release of good crop varieties for farmers, development and transfer of agricultural techniques, the use of nutrients for innovation, sustainability and economic profitability, training human resources in agricultural talent and collaboration on research and development.

According to a report from the Australian Embassy released in 2010, Australia has invested AUD 130 million through CAVAC to improve rice productivity, irrigation for smallholder farmers, and agriculture diversification in Cambodia.

The program has reduced rural poverty, substantially increased farmer incomes and supported Cambodia’s agriculture sector to become more commercially viable and competitive, the report said.

CAVAC will officially end on August 15 2022, but the successor program – the AUD 87 million Cambodia-Australia Partnership for Resilient Economic Development (CAP-RED) – will continue supporting Cambodia’s economic recovery.

The Government of Australia has pledged to provide grant aid to Cambodia under the Cambodia-Australia Partnership for Resilient Economic Development (CAP-RED) programme for eight years, from 2022-2030.

• Tags: agricultural, Australia