Farmers Expect to Get Higher Prices for Cassava this October Harvest Season
Cambodia's cassava farmers hold high hopes that the produce can be sold at high prices during the harvest season starting in October. Photo from Preah Vihear Provincial Department of Commerce
- By Chhum Chantha
- August 27, 2023 5:43 PM
PHNOM PENH—Cambodia's cassava farmers hold high hopes that the produce can be sold at high prices during the harvest season starting in October as Thai and Vietnamese traders have been competing to buy Cambodian cassava, especially along the border.
Ten Tum, head of the Kok Srok Green Agriculture Community in Tboung Khmum Province, said that there still is a pretty good market and, as a result, prices may continue to rise.
"This year, the price of cassava may be higher than last year because now, I see Thai traders coming to buy," Tum said. “And when Thai traders come to buy, it is good because there is competition with other buyers, such as the Vietnamese: This leads to an increase in the price of our cassava."
Fresh cassava can be sold for around 360 riels ($0.09) per kilogram, higher than in 2022 when the price only reached 320 riels ($0.08) per kilogram. However, Tum believes that the price of cassava can rise to more than 400 riels $0.10) per kilogram in October.
The Kork Srok Green Agriculture Community has 63 members who grow various crops and vegetables, including cassava on around 60 hectares. Apart from the community’s cassava farming, there are approximately 5,000 hectares of cassava grown by other villagers.
This year, Tum explained, cassava has grown well despite having been affected by the drought at the beginning of the year. Other crops, such as potatoes, have also been fine this year, he added.
Oeun Nay, a farmer who owns four hectares of cassava in Chey Sen District in Preah Vihear Province, felt as optimistic as Tum regarding cassava prices this season. Since the price had risen to 310 riels ($0.08) per kilogram over the previous month, high enough for him to make a lot of profit, he said.
"Previously, the price was only between 250 to 260 riels (around $0.06) per kilogram, but this August, it has risen to 310 riels ($0.08) per kilogram,” Nay said. “So, it could go up again in September or October."
According to a report of the Ministry of Commerce, Cambodia's cassava sales on the international market reached more than $330 million during the first half of 2023, which represented a 10 percent increase compared to the same period in 2022.
