Domestic vegetable production increases in 2020

Domestic vegetable production increases in 2020

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries has announced that domestic vegetable production increased in 2020 thanks to government’s efforts to boost production chains.

Agriculture Minister Veng Sakhon said local vegetable production was 716,113 tonnes for the year, an increase of 5 percent over 2019’s total of 681,099 tonnes.

Last year’s vegetable consumption in Cambodia was estimated at 1 million tonnes, Sakhon said.

“Local production of vegetables last year was about 68 percent of total consumption. The difference was made up for by imports.” Sakhon also said that imported vegetables are generally ones not grown in Cambodia because of the climate.

He added the trend towards consuming safe food, including vegetables, fruit and meat, is seemingly increasing.

“[In] reply to this demand the Cambodian government encourages and supports people [in increasing] local vegetable production [in order] to supply domestic markets, increase income, generate jobs and [create] export opportunities,” Sakhon noted.

Sakhon thanked his ministry’s development partners including the Agriculture Services Programme for Innovation, Resilience and Extension and the Cambodia Agricultural Sector Diversification Project.

“Through this cooperation, the ministry firmly hopes that in the future, Cambodia will produce enough safe vegetables domestically to supply both domestic market and export markets,” said Sakhon.

The Kingdom exported $4 billion in agricultural products in 2020, according to data from the minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

The exports included milled rice, rice paddy production, cassava, cashew nuts, mangoes, rubber, bananas, Pailin longans, peppers, birds’ nests, fisheries products, animal products, forestry products and other goods.

Although Cambodia still depends on vegetable imports to make up for its consumption/production gap, the Kingdom also exports a small amount of vegetables, mostly to a number of EU countries, Sakhon said.

Cambodia currently has 60,000 hectares of land under cultivation with vegetables at farms throughout the nation. Khmer Times