Cambodia to get $3 million in new agricultural aid from Japan

HENG CHIVOAN; Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Long Visalo and Japansese Ambassador Katsuhiro Shinohara.

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by Cheang Sokha
Friday, 05 September 2008

Funds are part of a yearlong program to alleviate poverty and provide greater access to educational and vocational television programming

THE Japanese government on Thursday signed an agreement with Cambodian officials to provide ¥369 million (US$3.4 million) in development aid for improvements in food production and television programming in the Kingdom.

The one-year project was signed by Long Visalo, secretary of state for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Japanese Ambassador Katsuhiro Shinohara.

Some ¥330 million will be given to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries to bolster agricultural production, while ¥39 million will fund new television programming for Cambodia's TVK network.

Long Visalo said to date, Japan has given ¥3.45 billion for agricultural development projects.

"This project will provide fertiliser to poor farmers," he said after the signing ceremony at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Shinohara said the funding aims to increase the production of rice, maize and cassava by supplying farmers with fertiliser.

"Poverty reduction remains a big challenge in Cambodia, especially in the rural areas, where more than 90 percent of people are living," he said. "It is crucial to develop the agriculture sector in order to generate income for poor farmers."

Nhean Chok, an assistant to Minister of Agriculture Chan Sarun, said the government was targeting poor rural families in order to alleviate poverty by increasing crop production.

"In this project we will receive 2,200 tonnes of fertiliser, and each family will receive 50 kilograms."

Shinohara said Japan will also provide access to more than 400 television channels from their national broadcasting corporation NHK, which will include educational, documentary, cultural and technology programming.