The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) will help rice farmers and agricultural cooperatives to improve their cultivation techniques and increase the capacity of paddy seeds production in Cambodia.
The memorandum of understanding was signed on December 16 by the Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) and TIKA by CRF President Chan Sokheang and TIKA’s Burak Saritarla during the presence of Ülkü Kocaefe, Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey in Phnom Penh.
The objective of the MOU is to improve the livelihoods of rice farmers through the donation of 20 rice transplantation machines and nursery trays to five agricultural cooperatives in Kampong Cham, Kompong Thum, Preveng, and Takeo provinces.
“The transplanting machines will help the cooperatives to improve their cultivation techniques and increase the capacity of paddy seeds production,” the CRF said. TIKA has been implementing projects in Cambodia in the field of education, housing, and capacity building. This project is the first project of TIKA in Cambodia in the agricultural sector and the agency is ready to consider future support to the Kingdom.
During the signing ceremony, Chan Sokheang, President of CRF, and Ambassador discussed the rice trade between Cambodia and Türkiye, which showed rapid growth in the first 11 months of 2022 by 3,000 tons.
Both parties agreed to work further to develop cooperation in the field of rice trade and cultivation. Cambodia rice exports to Turkey were valued at $1.65 million in 2021, according to the UN Comtrade database on international trade. Cambodia exported 449,325 tons of milled rice to international markets in the first nine months of 2022, up 10 percent over the same period last year, the CRF said.
This article was first published in Khmer Times. All contents and images are copyright to their respective owners and sources.
