PHNOM PENH: The Secretary of State for the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology, Bun Hean, has said that Cambodia's current irrigation systems can cover close to 2 million hectares of agricultural land, equivalent to more than 61% of the total agricultural land area, however, he said he is unable to confirm whether an expansion of this irrigation system will be able to meet 100% of the people's needs.

Speaking at a press conference on the five-year progress of the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology on Thursday morning, 25 August, Secretary of State Bun Hean said that the inability of current irrigation systems to cover all agricultural land is due to rapid expansion.

When asked if irrigation systems in Cambodia could soon be able to completely cover all agricultural land, he said, “The answer is no. As the director of the Pursat provincial department has already said, if the plan is [to expand irrigation systems to] 10,000 [hectares], the agricultural area will also increase by 115,000 [hectares] by the time we achieve [the 10,000], so no matter how much we set [our goal], it is not possible.”

Another measure to ensure sustainable water supply for the people and promote national economic growth mentioned at the press conference was through the better management of water resources during floods, by continuing to develop water reservoirs in key locations to prevent flooding and provide greater water distribution during the dry season.

So far, the Ministry of Water Resources states that it has implemented about 25% of the set plan, while more than 75% depends on investment.

In 2021, agriculture contributed to about 24.4% of Cambodia’s GDP. In the same year, Cambodia harvested a total of more than 12.21 million tons of rice on 3.55 million hectares of cultivated land.