Rice Exports Flow Under Indonesia Pact
3,500 tonnes of rice has arrived in Indonesia. Photo: Ministry of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries
- By Teng Yalirozy
- November 2, 2023 8:00 PM
PHNOM PENH – Cambodia has exported 3,500 tonnes of rice to Indonesia two months after the renewal of an agreement to trade 125,000 tonnes of rice for four years.
The rice was delivered to Tanjung Emas Port in Semarang on Nov.2. Cambodia has received orders for rice from Perum BULOG Indonesia to Green Trade Cambodia for a total of 10,000 tonnes this year.
Agriculture Ministry spokesperson Im Rachana said another 3,000 tonnes left the port in Cambodia on Oct. 29 and another 3,500 tonnes were due to be exported on Nov. 3.
Areif Prasetyo Adi, general director of the Indonesian National Food Agency (NFA), said white rice in Cambodia was of high quality, requesting the country produce more for export to Indonesia in the future.
In August, Indonesia agreed to buy 125,000 tonnes of rice from Cambodia with the renewal of a memorandum of understanding for four years. State-owned Green Trade company will supply 100,000 tonnes of white rice to the Indonesian national logistics agency Bulog.
Another 25,000 tonnes of luxury rice will be traded between Indonesia’s ID Food and the Cambodia Rice Federation.
Im Rachana of the Ministry of Agriculture said this achievement came from a joint effort of the government and the farmers with the aim of providing economic benefits.
“What we are doing now is to reach the final important goal which is to provide economic benefits to aunty and uncle who are the farmers,” she said.
“This achievement is for them who relentlessly work in the field. The advancement of the agriculture sector and public-private partnerships contribute to Cambodia's economic growth.”
Indonesia has imported two million tonnes of rice from partner countries and will receive an additional 600,000 tonnes. The large imports are due to concerns about a shortage of rice supply caused by the El Nino weather phenomenon.
In an exclusive with Cambodianess, Indonesian Ambassador Santo Darmosumarto said Cambodian rice was the best he had tasted.
He said rice cooperation should go beyond trade, focusing more on investment or capacity building. He ncouraged Cambodian students to study agriculture in depth.
Indonesia has the Institut Pertanian Bogor, one of the best agricultural institutes for agricultural education in the region, he said.
“Hopefully, we'll be able to get more Cambodians studying there,” Darmosumarto said.
“I know a few of them have studied there, and they've become high officials here as well. So, I am looking forward to better cooperation in the agricultural sector between our countries.”
