About 20 farmers in Battambang’s Mong Russey district blocked part of National Road 5 on Jan. 13, urging the government to secure a market for their recently harvested white paddy rice – a strain the Agriculture Ministry has labeled low-value for export.
Facing low prices from traders, farmers said they are struggling with financial losses and debt repayments, with some even considering a move to Thailand to find work.
While the ministry has blamed market fluctuations on farmers growing O Mon (OM) rice, a Vietnamese variety prized for productivity in the dry season, instead of fragrant varieties with strong export demand, the farmers are calling on the state to help stabilize prices for their current yields and seeking more support through projects aimed to build a commercially viable rice industry.
“We request the Ministry of Agriculture in Battambang to help increase the price of rice. I only want one thing – to resolve my debt, please help me,” one protestor said on Facebook live.
Many of the rice growers who blocked National Road 5 said the cost of fertilizers, pesticides, and gasoline has hit an all-time high, while rice prices remain low, leaving them unable to turn a profit and pushing some into debt.
“If rice is cheap, farmers can’t survive. If I can’t pay my debts, I’ll take my children and move to work in Thailand,” one grower said during the livestream.
Farmers in several other provinces have also taken to social media over the past week to voice concerns about low farm gate prices offered by traders and their reliance on OM rice for dry season yields.
Keo Vina, a farmer in Banteay Meanchey province, said prices for fragrant varieties have also plunged, with Neang Khon rice, a variety valued for export by the Agriculture Ministry, dropping from 10,000 baht ($288) per ton last year to 6,000 baht ($173).
“At 10,000 baht per ton, we could afford fertilizer, which costs 1,500 baht a sack,” she said. “We need multiple sacks per hectare, plus pesticides and other expenses. With prices this low, it’s exhausting to figure out how to manage everything.”
Vina plans to borrow from microfinance lenders – in spite of reports of predatory practices and land seizures – or migrate to Thailand with her family if things get worse.
Despite repeated announcements by the Agriculture Ministry and local officials, many farmers who spoke with CamboJA News said they lack trust or confidence in the ministry’s recommended rice varieties.
Some fear that if crops are hit by disease, they’ll be left without support, leading to low yields. Others worry that when prices drop, officials will simply suggest switching varieties instead of stepping in to help.
Cambodia’s volatile rice market, which gained export potential just over a decade ago thanks in part to multi-million-dollar aid from development banks, is nothing new.
While the country does not have a body that sets price caps or floors, the government influences the market through advocacy groups like the Cambodian Rice Federation (CRF).
However, in some cases, the government has stepped in to buy rice directly from farmers to stabilize prices or ensure food security during crises.
According to the CRF, Cambodia exported nearly 652,000 tons of rice last year, worth over $491 million, to 68 markets, including 26 European countries. Seventy-six percent of the exported rice was considered of fragrant variety. In 2023, exports saw a 13% increase in value and a 3% rise in volume, with more than 656,000 tons of milled rice valued at $466 million, the CRF said
OM rice, also known as white rice, has become frequently relied on by farmers in Battambang and elsewhere because it thrives in dry season conditions and yields more than fragrant Khmer rice, which is prone to disease unless grown in ideal wet season conditions, a farmer from Kampong Priang asserted.
Tep Horn, governor of Mong Russey district, said that after farmers protested over rice prices, the Agriculture Minister met with them the next day to discuss a solution. The Ministry also asked farmers to notify authorities before harvesting their next crop so relevant departments could help find buyers.
“However, the price cannot be set because it is a free market,” he said, adding that authorities are also monitoring middlemen to determine if they are buying at excessively low prices.
Agriculture Minister Dith Tina explained that OM rice is cheap because it’s a foreign variety, oversaturated in the Vietnamese market, while fragrant Cambodian rice holds its price, unlike OM rice, which depends on Vietnam.
“The problem with dry season rice arises because people focus on making money. This year, statistics show more than 700,000 hectares of dry season rice are being grown in Cambodia, with nearly 5 million tons in total yield, most of which is OM rice,” the minister said.
“Some citizens, when officials advised them to grow fragrant rice, still chose to grow OM rice, and we respected their decision. They needed water, so we helped. Now, we see the price of OM rice may not rise until the harvest ends. We are ready to help within certain limits, but we can’t offer the same support as with Khmer rice, which has a domestic market,” Tina said.
To develop a long-term solution, Tina suggested citizens form modern farming communities. The ministry will help farmers switch from OM rice to fragrant rice, which has a domestic market and ministry support. For the new season, farmers who join these communities can invest in 1,000 hectares of rice at once, with the ministry providing loans to boost yields, to be repaid after harvest, he said.
Chhim Vachira, director of the Battambang Provincial Department of Agriculture, told CamboJA News that the province’s first rice yields of 2025 were mostly OM rice, making up more than half of the total output.
Song Saran, president of the CRF, noted that low prices for white rice are an international issue, not just a problem in Cambodia. Prices have already dropped 20% to 30%, compared to two years ago when droughts in other countries boosted rice prices, he mentioned, adding that the CRF is working to find alternative markets in ASEAN and the EU for the glut of non-fragrant rice.
Ky Sereyvath, an economics researcher at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, stressed the importance of modern agricultural communities, which help guarantee the purchase of rice when farmers struggle to sell. He also called for encouraging local product purchases and attracting investors to recycle unsold goods to meet the country’s needs.
He noted that Cambodia’s reliance on cheaper rice from neighboring countries for products like rice powder and noodles limits its ability to use domestically produced rice. Sereyvath also pointed out that Cambodia does not produce its own fertilizer, driving up costs for farmers. While low rice prices aren’t the primary issue, high fertilizer costs reduce farmers’ income, he said.
