At the signing ceremony (Photo: irri.org)
Phnom Penh (VNA) – Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture,Forestry and Fisheries on May 20 signed an agreement with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) aiming at improvingthe country’s rice sector through promoting research and enhancing productivityand resiliency.
Signatories to the agreementwere Cambodian Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Veng Sakhon and IRRI Regional Representative for Southeast Asia YurdiYasmi.
The IRRI representative said the agreement marked an importantstep forward in the traditional collaboration over the past more than fourdecades between the IRRI and Cambodia in the context of Cambodia’s rice sectorfacing such challenges as climate change, diseases, drought and decliningproductivity.
The Cambodian Government places strategic importance instrengthening the role of the agricultural sector, with rice-based farmingsystems central in generating jobs, ensuring food security, reducing poverty,and developing rural areas. The IRRI’s assistance has contributedremarkably to helping Cambodia increase its rice output from 2.4 million tonnesin 1993 to 10.8 million tonnes last year.
Accordingto statistics of the Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries,the country produced 31 million tonnes of food in 2019,generating income of 10 billion USD. Among its food exports, rice was the topforeign currency earner with 620,264 tonnes shipped abroad last year, bringingin 500 million USD./..
