Commerce Minister Cham Prasidh on Tuesday forecasted a bountiful wet season rice crop but said the country needs better rice mills and infrastructure in order to improve its rice exports.
Speaking to lawmakers at the National Assembly, Cham Prasidh said Cambodia could export as much as 60,000 tons of rice because of high yield this season.
Agriculture Minister Chhea Song said Tuesday this year’s crop would exceed last year’s harvest of 2.8 million tons of rice, estimating a surplus of 140,000 tons—the largest since 1983.
But poor infrastructure and a shortage of markets prevents Cambodia from exporting large amounts of rice, Cham Prasidh said.
The minister also blamed export problems on poor quality rice mills that result in a high percentage of broken rice grains. Clients who buy the rice in Vietnam and Thailand often separate the broken rice and repackage the unbroken grains to sell as their own, he said.
He said the government is seeking investors to build several high-quality rice mills.
