USAID Teams Up with Firms to Aid Farmers
The arrangement with firms BRM Agro, Khmer Organic Cooperative (KOC) and Leang Leng is part of the United States’ Feed the Future initiative. Photo: Khmer Organic Cooperative
- By Phoung Vantha
- February 15, 2023 2:20 PM
PHNOM PENH – Aid agency USAID has entered partnerships with three private sector agriculture firms to expand economic opportunities and access to domestic and international markets for Cambodian smallholder farmers.
The partnerships will have a combined value of $4.4 million, over half of which comes directly from the private firm investments.
The arrangement with firms BRM Agro, Khmer Organic Cooperative (KOC) and Leang Leng is part of the United States’ Feed the Future initiative.
"These new partnerships directly support USAID’s goal to reduce financial risks for firms to test and promote innovative solutions that spur agricultural investments, boost incomes for agricultural workers, and increase high quality and safe Cambodian agricultural products,” USAID/Cambodia acting mission director Hanh Nguyen said,
Under the two-year partnership BRM Agro, an integrated rice farm and rice milling company in Kampong Thom, will run an expanded, state-of-the-art drying facility which will enable the company to source increased volumes of export-quality fragrant rice from smallholder farmers.
KOC, a social agribusiness that produces and sells organic and good agricultural practice (GAP) certified horticulture products, will expand a cool-storage packing house to increase its capacity to process, store, and ship a consistent supply of organic agricultural products to local markets.
This effort will engage more Cambodian smallholder farmers through training and sourcing additional products from them. This comprehensive approach will increase farmer incomes, facilitate consumer access to safe and healthy food options and reduce Cambodia's reliance on imported vegetables.
Leang Leng, a family-owned business that produces sauces for sale to restaurants, supermarkets and households, will invest in a new state-of-the-art bottling line for its chilli and tomato sauces. Leang Leng will also build upon its contract farming model scheme which sources from smallholders and expands sales into five new provinces.
Feed the Future is the US Government's global initiative to address hunger and food security and supports broader US Mission efforts in Cambodia to promote economic development through greater engagement with the private sector.
