Cambodian Finance Minister Urges Coordinated Action to Safeguard Cambodia’s Rice Industry

By Din Thary

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (Aug. 28, 2025) — Deputy Prime Minister Aun Pornmoniroth, who also serves as Minister of Economy and Finance, has issued nine strategic recommendations to relevant ministries and institutions aimed at strengthening Cambodia’s rice sector amid shifting market conditions.

Speaking at the closing session of the Cambodia Rice Federation’s fourth mandate general assembly on August 25, Pornmoniroth noted that rice market dynamics vary year to year and require constant monitoring and coordinated interventions. He cited a decline in rice prices in 2025 compared to 2024, attributing the drop to increased global supply, India’s export policy changes, resumed exports from Pakistan, temporary import bans by the Philippines, and the Cambodia–Thailand border closure.

He emphasized that the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries is actively managing the situation and called for a proactive, multi-sectoral response. His nine recommendations include:

• Market Monitoring and Intervention: Strengthen inter-ministerial cooperation to track market trends and deploy existing government mechanisms to stabilize the sector.
• Export Strategy Implementation: Accelerate the rollout of the 2025–2030 rice export diversification strategy, with active participation from the Cambodia Rice Federation.
• Brand Promotion and Supply Chain Development: Invest in promoting Cambodia’s rice brand and build stable, high-quality supply chains.
• Production and Input Management: Improve oversight of agricultural inputs and production volumes to ensure market balance.
• Infrastructure Investment: Expand rural infrastructure to support flexible and sufficient rice collection during harvest seasons.
• Technology Adoption: Promote digital technologies across all stages of the rice value chain, from production to export.
• Farmer Capacity Building: Develop farmers into agri-entrepreneurs through seed improvement, input access, and market diversification.
• Integrated Value Chain System: Build a unified rice value chain that ensures mutual benefit and competitiveness, especially for smallholder farmers.
• Inter-Ministerial Export Task Force Activation: Mobilize the newly formed task force under the Economic and Financial Policy Committee to assess challenges and propose timely, effective solutions.

Pornmoniroth concluded by urging all stakeholders to act with urgency and coordination to ensure the sector’s resilience and long-term sustainability.