(Kampong Cham): Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Dith Tina said that Arbor Day has become a national movement to foster love, protection, and reforestation efforts nationwide. He added that Cambodia is among the leading countries in the region and the world in designating 40 per cent of its land area as protected forest zones.
Minister Dith Tina spoke on Wednesday (Jul. 9) during the celebration of “Arbor Day” held in Chamkar Leu District, Kampong Cham Province.
In his address, Dith Tina noted that Arbor Day has fostered a nationwide initiative to reforest and preserve forests by creating tree plantations and public green spaces across pagodas, schools, public areas, communities, and tourist sites, covering hundreds of thousands of hectares.
As of 2025, the Forestry Administration and Forestry Administration District have cultivated and planted more than 21 million tree seedlings using state funds. Additionally, millions more seedlings were cultivated and planted by citizens nationwide, excluding fruit trees or industrial crops like mango, jackfruit, coconut, oil palm, rubber, and cashew.
The minister also highlighted that under the principled leadership of former Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen, past Royal Governments introduced various policies and action plans to enhance the management, development, and conservation of natural resources, especially forests, water, land, and wildlife. Cambodia stands as a regional and global leader for having designated over 40 per cent of its land area as natural protected areas and continues to promote forest restoration.
In line with promoting wildlife abundance, Samdech Techo Hun Sen also approved a policy allowing citizens who care for wildlife to raise certain species domestically. This aims to support breeding, increase population numbers, and enable reintroduction into natural habitats, under the technical supervision of the Forestry Administration of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
On the occasion, the minister emphasized that the seventh-mandate Royal Government, under Prime Minister Hun Manet, is accelerating agricultural development through the Pentagonal Strategy Phase I. This initiative is guided by four key policy principles: food security, resource sufficiency, abundance, and sustainable growth. These principles are driving improvements in national food security, boosting productivity, promoting value-added processing, and ensuring long-term environmental sustainability.
=FRESH NEWS
