Agriculture Exports Take a Five-Way Hit
- By Meng Seavmey
- July 13, 2023 6:18 PM
PHNOM PENH – Agriculture exports declined by 22.52% compared with the same period last year, hit by the global economic crisis and the increasing absorption of local raw materials for animal foods and processing.
Additionally, export figures for some crops decreased because of uncertain market conditions, climate change and unofficial trade at the borders of Vietnam and Thailand.
However, nearly 330,000 tonnes of milled rice, worth $229.23 million, were exported in the first six months of this year, approaching 50% of the goal for 2023.
Milled rice exports were up 0.75% on the 327,200 tonnes during the same period in 2022, according the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries’ report. The target amount of 750,000 tonnes was set by the Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) this year.
The types of rice exported included fragrant rice, long-grain white rice, short-grain white rice, steamed rice and organic rice.
Among the 329,633 tonnes of milled rice exported to 52 countries, there were 138,365 tonnes to China and its Autonomous Regions, 122,117 tonnes to 25 European countries, 28,110 tonnes to four ASEAN countries and 41,042 tonnes to 21 other countries.
As for the agriculture exports, the paddy rice share was more than $447 million, milled rice exports contributed around $281 million, and other agriculture products shared around $672 million.
More than 3.9 million tonnes of agriculture products went to 67 countries, of which nearly 330,000 tonnes were milled rice, more than 1.22 million tonnes were paddy rice, and over 2.34 million tonnes were non-rice products.
The ministry gave four reasons for the 22.52% decline to about $2.4 billion in revenue in the first half of this year.
The impact of the global economic crisis reduced orders for all types of goods and disrupted the trade, and the increasing absorption of local raw materials for animal foods and processing in the country resulted in the increase in the absorption of fresh products for processing.
Additionally, the production of some crops decreased because of uncertain market conditions and climate change, which affected crop yields and quality.
The ministry added that the decline in the export figures was due also unofficial trade without phytosanitary certificates to Vietnam and to Thailand without records.
