PHNOM PENH: Prime Minister Hun Manet said that the Cambodian agricultural sector continues to remain strong and thanked the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, for its contribution in easing economic stress despite global downturns.

The PM spoke at the Ministry of Agriculture’s meeting on January 30 to review its performance in 2023 and to decide on a direction for 2024.

He praised the achievements of the Ministry for 2023, especially in ensuring food security and reducing domestic food inflation despite global food prices rising as a result of Covid-19 and geopolitical complexities, which have had a profound effect on Cambodia's socio-economic situation.

"As the world faces more and more climate change, which is causing food crises and concerns about food security, which is pushing some countries to restrict food exports, Cambodia's agricultural sector remains strong and achieved good growth in 2023," he said.

According to the Ministry’s summary report for 2023, total agricultural production reached 36.81 million tons, an increase of 6% compared to 2022. Of the total production, rice accounted for 12.49 million tons, horticulture at 4.96 million tons and industrial production at 18.96 million tons, with rubber accounting for .4 million tons.

At the same time, the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said that Cambodia has officially exported a total of 8.82 million tons of agricultural products worth more than $4.79 billion. Cambodia has a surplus of nearly 7 million tons of rice, up from 4.5 million tons (11.2%) in 2022.

Cultivation work in 2023 has encountered a number of problems related to climate change, especially floods and droughts, which have damaged the crops of farmers in 16 provinces. To address this problem, the Royal Government distributed 2,255.3 tons of rice seeds through the Cambodian food reserve system to 23,019 families, along with 30.5 tons of vegetable seeds and mixed crops to 98,452 families for rehabilitation intervention.