cambodia modernises irrigation canals for rice potentials

Cambodian PM has ambitious to modernize irrigation and transportation infrastructures

Samdech Akak Maha Sena Phadei, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on January 6 gave green light to the ministry of economy and finance to borrow money from the friendly countries to modernize and improve the irrigation system and transportation infrastructures across the country to push up the economic development and expand the seasonal planting for people and help reduce poverty among the local people.

We have seen clear sights on two top priorities to develop the country are irrigation system and transportation infrastructures. They will help reduce poverty and living conditions among our people and it increase agricultural products,” He said in a repaired section of national road one in Kien Svay district of Kandal province.

“Even we have good seeds and fertilizers for agricultural crops but we do not have water, it could not happen. Water is a key factor for agricultural sector and we need to improve the irrigation system and our local people could increase the seasonal cultivation of agricultural crops and rice products,” he noted. We have always said that when we have road, and bridge, we have hope,” he said. But we need money to implement and improve the those infrastructures and next year we need to borrow about 400 million US dollars from friendly countries like Japan and ministry of economy and finance will play its role to work on this through asking to national assembly.

This year we need 200 million US dollar loan to implement our development projects as saying financial law this year. “It is good that they (friendly countries) have loan for us to borrow and we have clear sights for speeding up our economic growth at this time,” He stresses. The world need food and we have potential of producing un-milled rice and therefore we need irrigation system to increase the seasonal planting and our rice production will increase, he said, adding that neighboring Vietnam is using land until tired because it harvested three or four times in one year.

Under framework of the GMS greater Mekong Sub-region integration for south and west corridors, road construction in country is linking to neighboring countries to facilitate the transportation and traveling in region. Next year Battambang province will get over 300km road construction.
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