Illustrative image (Source: Khmer Times) Phnom Penh (VNA) - Cambodia produced 10.5 million tonnes of paddy rice in 2017, up 5.7 percent year-on-year, Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said on May 2.
With the amount of production last year, besides local consumptions, Cambodia will have some 5.56 million tonnes of un-husked rice, or 3.56 million tonnes of milled rice, left over for exports this year, he said during the closing ceremony of the annual conference of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
Cambodian Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Veng Sakhon said the country planted rice paddy on a total area of 3.21 million hectares last year and a hectare averagely yielded 3.29 tonnes.
Agricultural sector grew by nearly 2 percent in 2017, accounting for 24.9 percent of the country's GDP, he said.
According to the minister, the country exported 635,697 tonnes of milled rice to 63 countries and regions last year. China is the top buyer of Cambodian rice, followed by France and Poland.-VNA
VNA
