New Minister of Agriculture agrees to support Thnot d’Or

HE Dith Tina, Minister of Agriculture, received on February 1 a delegation from the Kinal Foundation and the Thnot d’Or jury – Dr. Hay Ly Eang, President of the Foundation, Philippe Monnin, President of the Jury, accompanied by Hym Piseth and Pierre Gillette – who came to present the 2023 edition of the Thnot d’Or.

This prize, which rewards research work in the field of agronomy and food production carried out by students in these sectors, was organized for the first time in 2017. It was supported by the Ministry of Agriculture from the start. Appointed Minister a few months ago, Dith Tina reaffirmed his ministry’s commitment to this prize created by the Kinal Foundation to encourage the spirit of research and innovation of students in agronomy and food production so that they become actors in sustainable rural development.

To mark the resumption of the competition, which had been halted in 2020 due to the Covid pandemic, the Minister expressed the wish that it be centered on a highly symbolic product of Cambodia: prahok.

Thus, the theme of this new edition will be the valorization of prahok in order to make it a successful product for export.

The students will have to provide a research work on all or part of the production chain – transformation, conservation, packaging design, etc. – by developing innovative ideas so that this typical product of Cambodia becomes a standard-bearer of the country on the international gastronomic scene and, by its valorization, will be a source of an increase of the incomes of all the actors of the production chain.

Prior to the new Khmer, the competing teams will have to present a summary of the project they wish to develop. The jury will then make a selection of the most relevant projects that will be presented during the New Year at an event organized by the Kinal Foundation with the support of the Ministry of Agriculture.

After the Khmer New Year, the selected teams will develop their project from a documentary and technical point of view in order to provide the jury with all the data needed to judge its interest and feasibility. This file must be submitted to the jury during the first half of July. The award ceremony for the three teams rewarded by the jury will take place under the high presidency of HE the Minister of Agriculture at a date to be determined according to his agenda.

Students from the Cambodian Institute of Technology and the Royal University of Agronomy in Phnom Penh, St. Paul’s Institute in Takeo, National Institute of Agriculture in Kampong Cham, National Institute of Technology in Kampong Speu, National Institute of Technology in Kampong Thom and Heng Samrin University in Tbonk Khmom are expected to participate in the competition.