Cambodia and Myanmar have raised their objections against the European Commission (EC)’s decision to impose tariffs on their rice. (Photo: AFP/VNA) Phnom Penh (VNA) – Cambodia and Myanmar have raised their objections against the European Commission (EC)’s decision to impose tariffs on rice imports from the two Southeast Asian countries.
In an announcement, the Cambodian Ministry of Commerce stressed that the inspection by the EC which found imports of indica rice from both nations have increased by 89 percent in the past five rice-growing seasons was made based on inaccurate information.
The decision will hurt farmers in one of the most impoverished countries in the Southeast Asia, it said.
Meanwhile, the Myanmar Rice Federation called on the European Union (EU) to continue supports for the country which is facing a wide range of challenges.
According to the EC’s decision, from January 18, the EU will reinstate the normal customs duty on this product of 175 EUR (199 USD) per tonne in the first year, reducing it to 150 EUR (171 USD) per tonne in the second year, and 125 EUR (142 USD) per tonne in the third year.
Cambodia and Myanmar are beneficiaries of the EU’s Everything but Arms (EBA) trade scheme, which unilaterally grants duty-and quota-free access to the world's least developed countries, according to the statement.
Statistics show that Cambodia exported a total amount of 626,225 tonnes of milled rice in 2018, with 42.9 percent of it going out to European markets. Meanwhile, Myanmar exported around 100 million USD worth of the grain to the EU each year.-VNA
VNA
