The Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) on Wednesday announced strict penalties for exporters who mix Cambodian rice with low-quality rice from other countries after receiving complaints that some exporters have been using the method to increase profits.
“Firstly, some customers have said that the rice they have bought is not Cambodian, but Vietnamese. Secondly, they say that Cambodian rice is not so pure and is low quality because it sells at a cheap price,” said Hun Lak, vice president of the CRF.
Mr. Lak said that such complaints about quality have had a negative effect on the image of Cambodian rice, although he said the CRF has found no proof of such practices.
“We don’t want these rumors to happen anymore,” he said. “We need to have clear and strict measures, mechanism [and] discipline.”
According to a post to CRF’s Facebook page Thursday, the penalties on exporters will depend on the severity of their actions.
Importing rice from a neighboring country with the intention of exporting it as Cambodian rice will lead to fines of between $150 and $300 dollars per ton.
