PHNOM PENH: The Ministry of Agriculture is preparing more than 2,000 tons of rice seeds and more than 50 vegetable varieties to respond to natural disasters that may occur during this rainy season.

Speaking at a press conference of the Royal Government Spokesperson’s office on Tuesday morning, 19 July, the Director General of Agriculture, Mr. Ngin Chhay, said that in response to natural disasters destroying crops, local authorities and the Provincial Department of Agriculture must assess the situation with the provincial disaster committee, and make a request to the Secretariat of the Cambodian Food Reserve for a decision on how to respond.

"I would also like to appeal to the authorities at all levels in the province, if there is a natural disaster, please hurry to evaluate the situation and make a request as soon as possible to avoid delays in providing seeds," he said.

He added that the state is ready to intervene in the event of an outbreak or contamination, including animal and agricultural diseases, and will provide targeted technical training and work with agricultural communities to connect with the private sector.

Cambodia's agricultural sector saw a slowdown in growth in 2019, however, it rebounded in 2020 and continued to grow by 1.1% in 2021, contributing about 24.4% of the country’s GDP, worth more than $6 billion US dollars.