Cambodia: “Food Patriotism” on the Move

Aiming to promote local agriculture and inspire a sense of patriotism among Cambodians, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries organized the “Khmer Agricultural Village” fair and “Khmer Agricultural Village” forum in early June to discuss the taste of Khmer agricultural products.”

The event aimed to connect local producers with consumers, especially those in the wedding catering sector, and foster greater appreciation of Cambodian agricultural products, the Phnom Penh Post reported.

“We have included a roundtable discussion that will encourage local food service providers and wedding catering companies to use local agricultural products,” Khim Finan, a spokesperson for the ministry, told the newspaper.

The ministry's announcement also highlighted that the event seeks to inspire nationalism and support for the Kingdom's farmers, thereby strengthening the agricultural sector.

By bringing together stakeholders from various sectors, including consumers and food services, the event hopes to create a strong platform to discuss the use of local agricultural products in various festivities and celebrations. The challenges to achieve this were also raised.

 “Farmers often have difficulty meeting strong customer demand due to seasonal agriculture and isolated production,” it was pointed out during the forum.

Hem Chanthou, Senior Project Officer for Agriculture and Natural Resources at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Cambodia, noted the progress of the kingdom's agriculture, with improvements in the quality, quantity and diversity of products .

Chanthou added that agriculture remains a vital sector in Cambodia, accounting for 21.2 percent of the country's GDP in 2023 and employing nearly 95 percent of rural households.

However, challenges such as limited access to modern technologies, financing and vulnerability to climate change persist.

Thus, access to financial services is difficult in rural areas due to the need to provide guaranties.

“The ADB, in cooperation with the government and its partners, has implemented several projects to support the formation of groups or associations of farmers bringing together the poorest as members to help each other,” underlined the head of the Bad...

AfDB programs also support agricultural diversification, commercialization and climate-resilient agriculture. “The kingdom must continue to strengthen the capacities of institutions to integrate climate adaptation into development plans and create policies to support agricultural adaptation to the climate.”