Tuesday, 5 October 2010

Cambodia to double rice exports to Europe

via CAAI

04 October 2010

PHNOM PHEN (Commodity Online) : Cambodia, one of Asia's leading rice producers, said it's rice exports to Europe might hit 40,000 tones this year.

A Cambodian trade delegation composed of government officials and industry representatives has attracted buyers to discuss deals.

Cambodia is looking for foreign investors to boost its fledgling rice milling sector so that it can reap higher dividends from its grain crop, much of which is currently sent to Vietnam to be milled and re-exported.

Last month, $583,000 worth of rice was shipped from Cambodia to Lithuania, Poland, Russia and Estonia.

Cambodian Small and Medium Industries Association aims to ship a total of 7,000 to 10,000 tonnes to European countries including France, Lithuania, , Germany, Estonia and Latvia during the rest of 2010.

Representatives of nine rice millers, including two private companies; and four government representatives from the Ministry of Commerce visited Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Germany and Poland from September 22 to 24 in search of opportunities for rice exports.

The visit also allowed industry insiders to meet with European rice traders and distributors to learn more about the regulations and quality standards required to access the European market.

The delegation found that trust and reliability was the most important issue for European buyers, especially with regard to filling deliveries on schedule. Ensuring quality standards and competitive pricing were also primary concerns for European dealers.

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