FOOD CRISIS: CAMBODIA

Lush paddy fields as far as the eye can see. So why cant this farmer afford to feed
his family- Alex Renton, The Oser!er, Sunday, "#
th
$uly, "##%.
&ood situation in 'amodia, a nei(hour of South )orea and Thailand, ha!in( a
population of *+,,-- million and ./0 *%"# 12 000 345 "##%6 continues to e !ery
unsatisfactory in as much as with a population (rowth rate of * percent per annum,
the undernourished population was estimated to e ", percent 1"##7, &AO6.
Thou(h of late the food prices stand fairly stale yet the same still is hi(her than
the pre-food prices crisis le!el and despite "##--*# (ood har!est food security still
affects many people. Thou(h si(nificant 8uantities of rice will e hopefully
exported in "#*# as a result of the .o!ernments remo!al of rice export an, yet the
same should not e ta9en as an indicator of a (ood food front. The a((re(ate
production is estimated at :.*7 million tonnes of paddy 1+.7% million tonnes milled
rice6. 'ountrys rice exports are forecast at *., million tonnes 1some *, percent
elow last years record le!el6. ;xportale surplus of mai<e is placed at ", ##,###
tonnes. This is the first Asian country to lift a rice export an 1in =ay, "##-6.
&ood alance sheet, howe!er, is not rosy since the country, thou(h not a country in
crisis re8uirin( external till, "%### tonnes of wheat is to e imported durin( "#*#,
as per .o!t data. Since Septemer, "##- rice prices ha!e started mo!in( north.
'ountries are placed in a etter position when they can speciali<e in the thin(s they
do est. 4ith e!eryone in the world doin( what they are est at and then en(a(in(
in trade, e!eryone is etter off. Since 'amodia lac9s the s9ills and industries to
ma9e, for example, electronic (oods, it is etter to concentrate on what is does est
3 (rowin( rice 1it (rows more rice than it needs6 than uildin( warehouses and
factories to mill and polish the rice and ma9e ready for mar9et especially when this
country experienced war and conflict from the *-:#s to the *--#s that destroyed
much of its infrastructure and resources.
0RO5L;=S .ALOR;>
4ea9 industry-a(riculture lin9a(es led to lea!e population partly fed. =any
'amodian farmers uy rice from the mar9et at hi(her price than it sold it for. The
millin( and polishin( is done in Thailand, which, in turn, could ha!e enefited the
host !ia !alue addition and increased prices. As a result when the price of rice
suddenly rose 1as the case was durin( first six months, "##%6 e!en the rice farmers
cannot offer a s8uare meal to their families.
4hat is more the rice farmin( itself is old-fashioned. One har!est reapin( per year
compared to two or three in ?ietnam exposes the wea9ness of the farm sector and
the resultant scarcity of staple food.
The ille(al smu((lin( of rice to Thailand and ?ietnam 1countries also sufferin(
from inade8uate rice production to feed its people6 has een on the rise@ There is
less rice in the 'amodian mar9ets to sell. &armers ecome poorer while rice
traders ma9e hu(e profits@
4ea9 infrastructure has stood in the way of uran-rural connecti!ity, which, in
turn, se!erely delimits the mar9etin( process.
0oorly paid farmers cannot meet oth ends 3 a days pay in the rice field, for
example, is +#p.
Anade8uate access to irri(ation water, dama(e fre8uently done to fields and crops
y floodin( and drou(ht in some specific locations tell upon the entire (rowth
process.
A'TAO/S TA);/
The international community is also ta9in( action to support the food insecure
population throu(h a Boint pro(ramme of the ;C D &AO and 4&0 food inter!ention
for *.% million people. At is (ood that the country has since listened to 4TO ad!ice
that ad!ocates all countries to allow free trade. This, in turn, could enale it to (ain
more from trade.
Oxfam supports farmers to claim le(al ri(hts to fishponds and teaches them how to
fish in a sustainale way. The Anstitution is helpin( the country to sell or(anic rice
in ;urope and a!ail enefit from he prices it is worth.
ST;0S TO 5; TA);/E
'oncentratin( on rice production ac9ed y 8uality inputs 1oth wet and dry
seasons !arieties6 and processin( facilities. This, in the second sta(e, may e
re!ised to include fish culti!ation side y side with rice.
0ost har!est mana(ement, irri(ation and water supply is to e stren(thened.
5oostin( the inter-sectoral resource flow 1a(riculture-industry-ser!ices6 so that
income and employment 1direct and indirect6 could (i!e a 8uantum Bump
temporally.
5etter policin( can control the ille(al rice smu((lin( throu(h the orders.
=odernisation of a(riculture and orrowin( technolo(y and scientific a(ricultural
practises is !ery ur(ent.
&armers education D trainin( calls for ur(ent steps. The poor farmers lac9 of
information does not allow them to sell their or(anic rice in ;urope where the
acceptaility and prices offered are much etter.