Rice products barred from Green Trade

Green Trade cancelled after a barrier of rice export

Cambodian Samdech Techo Prime Minister Hun Sen on April 27 announced that the Green Trade, a branch under the ministry of commerce was cancelled its work after it created the barriers for rice product export to foreign market.

Green Trade issued in 2008 ad recommended all rice traders to apply for license if they want to export over 200 ton of rice products and only Green Trade has sole right to provided license for the rice traders to boost the export rice product to foreign market.

But so far the private sector said that this state institution created the barriers for fostering the export of rice product after it has many legal procedures for exporting the rice product.

“So from now, we have nullified this authority to facilitate the rice export to foreign market,” Samdech Techo Hun Sen said, adding that the government want to expand the sale of rice product to foreign market and help farmers. Samdech Techo recalled again that Cambodia has “white gold” with referring to the rice product. The world concerned about food security and price of food increased in the past years. “When we have rice product, we will not die,” he reconfirmed. “Petroleum is not necessary, food is necessary,” he said, adding that increasing of food price is helping farmers.

On the 6th April 2010 at the closing of the stocktaking meeting of the Agriculture sector 2009-2010 and direction setting for 2010-11, I have then formulated our ambition to transform Cambodia into one of the world’s largest rice exporting countries. “If we consider rice production in 2009 the average yield was 2.83 tons per hectare. After satisfying the domestic consumption, we will still have 3.5 million tons for paddy rice in excess, which is equivalent to 2.24 tons of rice, while, international demand for Philippines., Indonesia, India, and China is constantly growing, he noted.

According to report from the ministry of agriculture, forestry and Fisheries, Cambodia will expand rice paddy product to 3-4 tons per hectare with seeking high seedling and technique to gain high product.

Dr Mong Rithy, co-chairman of working group from the private sector in charge of Agriculture and Agro-industry said that Samdech Techo Prime Minister Hun Sen’s recommendation is a move to contribute the rice export for international market and we all from private sector thanked for his measure in cancelling the Green Trade agency.

He said that in the past year, private sector met many difficulties in exporting agricultural products even we recognised that it has advanced process in facilitating the trade. But to export, the private sector needs to permit many places and expend more money and time. In case of rice product, we asked for Green Trade and then involved ministries before we could export rice, he said.

“We believed that it should have simple ways to export products and we can see good process in ASEAN bloc and expenditure of products should be cheaper in order to traders to be able to compete in free markets. The best ways, we hope export process needs fast, transparency and suitable price for exporting goods in current situation,” he noted.
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