Phnom Penh (VNA) – Cambodia shipped 50,450 tonnes of rice worth 39million USD to foreign markets in January, a year-on-year decline of 15.39percent, according to the Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF).
CRF secretary-general Lun Yeng said that exports to the European market, thelargest importer of Cambodian rice, in the month fell 22 percent year on yearto 5,269 tonnes since the EU Commission introduced safeguard measures last yearon rice imports from the country.
However, Lun Yeng said rice exports to the European market are set to increasein the coming months, thanks to a drop in taxes on rice imports from 175 EUR(190.99 USD) per tonne last year to 150 EUR this year.
The EU continued to be the leading destination market for Cambodian rice last month, accounting for the lion’s share of 37 percent, while Chinaheld 30 percent of the market, ASEAN 11 percent and other countries 22 percent,according to the CRF report.
Last year, Cambodia produced some 7.9 million tonnes of rice, over 620,000tonnes of which were set aside for export, falling 1 percent as compared to theamount in 2018./.