Kampong Cham (FN), Jul. 1 – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet stated that in 2023, Cambodia exported more than 8.82 million tons of agricultural products to 78 countries, with a total value of approximately USD 4.8 billion.

The premier spoke on Monday (Jul. 1) during the celebration of the 19th National Fish Day in Kampong Cham province.

"In the past 10 months, the Royal Government, the Ministry of Commerce, and other relevant institutions have been seeking not just local investments to create jobs, but also to increase the purchase of our products, especially agricultural products," Samdech Thipadei underscored.

Prime Minister Hun Manet recalled that during his official visit to China and meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, China confirmed it would import more Cambodian rice and other products. Additionally, during his visits abroad, he consistently encourages other countries to import more agricultural products from Cambodia.

Samdech Thipadei further stated that recently, in response to the concerns of livestock farmers, he decided to temporarily suspend the import of some frozen meat to support local farmers. However, he stressed that the ban on imports must balance demand and supply to avoid increasing prices and affecting consumers.

Samdech Thipadei added, "As I said, helping farmers increase their income is important, but we also need to ensure that food prices for consumers do not rise. This balance must consider the income of farmers and the cost of living and inflation for our people."

Cambodia's agricultural exports include rice, rubber, dried cassava slices, fresh cassava, cassava flour, cassava pulp, cashew nuts, corn, soybeans, fresh bananas, fresh mangoes, sweet lentils, coconut oil, pepper, mixed vegetables, and 100 other agricultural products.

In 2022, agricultural exports achieved 8.6 million tons valued at USD 5 billion to 74 countries, marking a 7.8 percent increase from 2021.
=FRESH NEWS