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Produce for market, says Sar Kheng
Officials must help meet needs
The
Deputy Prime Minister, Sar Kheng has called for a market orientated farm
sector that supplies needs, not just produces more.
Sar Kheng said it was not easy task to make the change considering existing
conditions, but it was the only way to prospenty.
The Minister, closing the annual two day review of the Ministry of
Agriculture. Forestry asked officials to study the market, identify
needs and pricing. This was specially a pre-requisite for overseas market
penetration because of intensive competition form other countries.
In turn, officials dealing with rural communities should help them produce
the market needs in terms of quality, quantity and supply schedule.
Sar Kheng said this would mean serious efforts and co-operation between
several ministries, notably the farm and commerce minister lamented over the
low, and sometimes negative growth rate of the sector. Hun Sen said the
sector stagnated for two years from 1998, but the 2000-02 years was expected
to show an up turn, although at a slow pace of about 2.8%. Rice remained a
determining factor, but it often suffered from floods ad drought, he said
adding that a low rate could not support a population growth of 2.5%.
The
premier said therefore food security remained fragile, putting doubts about
maintaining sustainable economic growth over the long term and promoting
agriculture exports in the medium term. Rice production in the 2000-01
season was 4,026,092 tonnes against the previous season's 4,040, 900 tonnes
despite the flooding. The acting Minister, Chan Tong Iv said his ministry
was confident in maintaining a six percent growth forecast for rice for the
next season.
Subsidiary and industrial crop in the 2000-01 was about 60,000 tonnes higher
than the previous year at 800,000 tonnes.
The ministry said poor markets and foreign competition was a discouraging
aspect for farmers with subsidiary crops.
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