PHNOM PENH (Bernama-Xinhua): Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Man has announced the government has reserved US$100 million (RM465 million) to boost the country's agricultural sector.
"We have prepared a budget of US$100 million to intervene in agricultural products, such as paddy rice, milled rice and vegetables," he said in a speech during a get-together with some 18,000 garment factory workers in Phnom Penh.
Hun Manet said the prices of agricultural products have fluctuated based on demands in the international market, adding that the budget will help stabilise prices.
The budget will also be used to improve irrigation and to train agricultural specialists, he said.
Hun Manet said the government has planned to deploy agricultural officials to communes nationwide to work directly with farmers.
Agriculture is one of the four pillars supporting Cambodia's economy.
The South-East Asian country exported 4.51 million tonnes of agricultural products to 68 countries and regions in the first seven months of 2023, earning a gross revenue of nearly US$2.63 billion, according to a report by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
Major agricultural exports included rice, rubber, cassava, mangoes, fresh bananas, pepper, cashew nuts, longan, corn and palm oil, the report said. - Bernama-Xinhua
