Agriculture hampered by lack of funds in Cambodia

PHNOM PENH, June 9 (Xinhua) -- The Rural Development Ministry of Cambodia has announced that many Cambodian farmers are struggling with a lack of capital for land, fertilizer and insecticide, local media reported Monday.

A lack of investment in the agricultural sector and a land shortage is apparently compounding the situation, Sao Chivoan, the ministry's undersecretary of state, was quoted as saying by the Mekong Times newspaper.

Speaking at a round-table meeting organized by the Club of Cambodian Journalists (CCJ) on the development of Cambodia, Sao Chivoan said that agricultural development could be a sustainable way to develop the Kingdom.

"However, our country is still working on it ... so the 85 percent of Cambodia's population that live in rural areas continue to face challenges," he added.

Yang Saing Koma, executive director of the Center for Studies and Development of Cambodian Agriculture (CEDAC), said better irrigation and education in modern techniques would boost agricultural output.

He warned that sale of farming land could affect productivity.

Sao Chivoan also highlighted the uneven development currently taking place.

Most of development gathers around the Tonle Sap Lake where many people are living, he said, so development projects are not fully carried into more rural areas, especially border regions.

There are many barriers, including a lack of road infrastructure, budget and especially the NGOs' funds for development projects that are in the hands of donors, he added.

However, the government's rural development policies are beginning to bear fruit, with roads and schools becoming more common in remote areas, he said.

Editor: Du Guodong