Nearly 7,000 Hectares of Rice Damaged in Cambodia's 14 Provinces

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By:
- Chhum Chantha
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February 4, 2025, 3:15 PM
PHNOM PENH– An acute water shortage has quickly taken its toll on Cambodian rice paddies. In just two weeks, nearly 7,000 hectares of dry-season rice across 14 provinces have been damaged, according to the National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM). The provinces of Banteay Meanchey in the northwest and Prey Veng in the south have been the hardest hit.
The NCDM's report, which covers the period from January 19 to February 2, paints a picture of widespread impact. Out of the 871,514 hectares of rice fields across these 14 provinces, 6,913 hectares have been affected by the water shortage.
The list of affected provinces includes Tbong Khmum, Kandal, Kampong Thom, Takeo, Kratie, Svay Rieng, Pursat, Kampong Cham, Kampot, Battambang, Siem Reap, Pailin, Banteay Meanchey, and Prey Veng.
Despite this concerning damage, there's a silver lining. Overall rice yields remain above what was planned.
Of the total rice fields, 90,279 hectares have experienced some level of water shortage. Intervention by the Ministry of Water Resources has been crucial, with 67,277 hectares of rice successfully saved. They are currently working to mitigate the effects on another 16,116 hectares.
The NCDM explained, “The rice was damaged due to the absence of a water source, and while the damage may increase as the water dries up, the extent has not significantly increased.”
Looking at the specific impact on each province reveals a varied picture: Banteay Meanchey saw 15,977 hectares affected, with 1,199 damaged and 14,300 recovered.
Prey Veng, while seeing a large area affected (32,942 hectares), remarkably reported no damage, with 25,831 hectares recovered. Tbong Khmum had 1,207 hectares affected, 144 damaged, and 702 recovered.
Kandal saw 6,047 hectares affected, but no damage, and 5,512 recovered. Kampong Thom had 4,593 hectares affected, 340 damaged, and 3,777 recovered.
Takeo had 6,497 hectares affected and 3,285 recovered, but no damage.
Kratie saw 1,273 hectares affected, with 1,034 saved and no damage. Svay Rieng had 5,150 hectares affected, with 4,460 saved and no damage. Pursat saw 2,446 hectares affected, 1,018 damaged, and 1,105 saved.
Both Kampong Cham (397 hectares affected) and Kampot (2,735 hectares affected) experienced significant rice loss, though specific damage figures weren't provided.
Battambang faced a significant challenge with 8,933 hectares affected, 4,160 damaged, and 2,937 recovered. Pailin had 817 hectares affected and 49 damaged, while Siem Reap saw 1,265 hectares affected, no damage, and 1,215 rescued.
