Agricultural census to start

Cambodge Soir

11-09-2008

On Wednesday September 10, an official ceremony attended by the Minister of Planning was organised to mark the launch of the huge task of undertaking an agricultural census.

The project is supported by the United Nations (UN) Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) and will be implemented in 2009. A year-long planning phase, prior to the census, will last 20 months.

It is the first time that such a census has been carried out in Cambodia. It is in line with the plan to fight poverty in the agricultural sector which aims at sustainable development in rural areas.

The FAO finances US$ 399,000 out of a total of US$ 4.28 million of the project’s budget. The government finances 16.1 percent of the overall budget or US$ 689,690. The government is looking for donors to finance the remaining US$ 3.2 million.

The agricultural sector represents 30 percent of Cambodia’s GDP, employing 70 percent of the country’s workforce. But rural areas, where 80 percent of the Cambodian population live, are still stricken with poverty. A 2006 report from the World Bank stated that development of agricultural production is vital to reach development goals set by the government. This report also mentioned that the poverty rate in Cambodia decreased from 47 percent in 1993 to 35 percent in 2004. With annual agricultural growth of three percent, this rate could fall to 28 percent in 2015, even to 21 percent if the growth rate were to reach four percent.

To reach this goal and be within the framework of a development policy, there is a need to gather viable and global data in this industry. The census will include lands, their use, irrigation systems and yield assessments. The aim is to decrease food insecurity in order to eradicate poverty and better allocate national and international funds for rural development. “These data are important for investors as they can only inject money if they are able to understand the operation of Cambodia’s agricultural industry” explained Chan Tong Iv, Secretary of State for agriculture.

The 2006-2010 nationwide strategy of the Cambodian government for the development Plan estimates that the country needs US$ 3.5 billion for the public sector, of which US$ 350 million are earmarked for agriculture and land planning and US$ 350 million for rural development.