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Farmers are concerned over the continued drop in rice prices, with a political party urging the government to release a special budget to address the issue.
A farmer posted a video clip on Facebook stating the price of rice dropped to about 500 riel per kilogram after harvests in Banteay Meanchey province. The current price is 600 riel compared to 1,150 to 1,250 riel a year ago, he said.
Den Channy, a rice farmer in Tbeng Meanchey district, Preah Vihear province, told CamboJA News that she will harvest her rice, although the price has fallen sharply this year, causing her to worry about heavy losses.
She planted Neang Ouk and Neang Am rice varieties, which are now selling for only 600 riel per kilogram — almost half of last year’s per kilogram price of 1,150 riel. Rice traders are reluctant to buy, she added.
Channy has been farming for more than 17 years and cultivated three hectares of rice this season, which can produce five to six tons. Like many farmers in her village, she had to borrow money from the bank to cover production costs.
“Rice is cheap, and no traders are coming to buy. Farmers are complaining because they owe a lot of money,” she said. “At 600 riel per kilo, it’s not even enough to cover the cost of fertilizer and [rent] tractors.”
She alleged that she has yet to see any announcement from the Ministry of Agriculture about rice prices, adding that she does not know how to access modern farming communities or support programs.
“As a farmer in Por village and commune, I would like to ask traders and farming communities to help ensure fair prices so that we don’t suffer losses,” she said. “I also urge ministers to help farmers in Preah Vihear province. People here are poor, and with rice prices dropping, our debts are growing. We work hard every day and just want a fair price for our rice.”
Another farmer, Tai Samnang from Takeo province, said he is preparing to harvest his rice fields covering six hectares later this month (November) and is concerned about the sharp drop in prices this year.
Last year, rice sold for 1,250 riel per kilogram, but the price has fallen to around 800 riel, he said. However, he does not know what caused the decline. He urged relevant ministries to help ensure a fair price for farmers.
“If the price stays low, we will face losses,” he said. “We borrow money to buy fertilizer and pesticides, and we can only repay the loan after selling the rice.” He said in all his years of farming, rice prices have never dropped below 1,000 riel per kilogram.
He also told CamboJA News that he has not joined any modern farming communities because he does not know how to access them.
Agriculture Minister Dith Tina recently called on merchants to offer fair prices for rice during the current harvest season, noting that farmers are harvesting Neang Am rice while other cross nations are collecting Pka Romdoul.
“We appeal to rice merchants to buy from our farmers at fair prices — like Pka Romdoul, which is sold around 1,000 riel per kilogram — that would be a fair price,” he said.
“I have discussed with the [Cambodia] Rice Federation to prepare a campaign this November to promote the purchase of our rice at fair prices,” Tina said.
He also appealed to creditors to delay debt repayments, citing low market prices which make it difficult for farmers to pay back loans. He encouraged farmers to form cooperatives to strengthen their ability to access loans and improve agricultural organization, sharing that Cambodia has 1.7 million farming families and three million hectares of farmland.
His ministry is also expanding cooperatives with private partners such as Vireak Buntham Company, which buys the produce at 950 riels per kilogram, compared to the current 600 riel price. He pointed out that around 30,000 tons of rice are being harvested daily, and despite current low prices, the calculation showed that the returns will be high.
The opposition party, Grassroots Democratic Party (GDP), expressed concerns about the low price of wet rice, requesting the government to release “a special budget package” to collect and purchase rice from farmers at a reasonable price.
“[Wet rice prices] are falling sharply during this harvest season, which is causing serious problems and impacting livelihoods. It is an additional debt burden for Cambodian farmers,” it said.
GDP president Sek Sokha observed several challenges facing farmers, including persistent low prices, lack of warehouses to store their paddy and problematic middlemen.
“The majority of farmers have borrowed money for cultivation, and they must repay the loans after harvesting, which is difficult when they have to sell their rice at low prices,” he said.
He said that relevant institutions “already know” where this problem is, and the government should allocate a special budget to address the situation.
Agriculture Ministry spokesperson Khim Finan did not respond at the time of publication.
