A community in Stung Treng Province, with about 45 households of a cassava producer cluster have successfully signed a contract with Pheng Pengeang Cassava Enterprise for approximately 700 tons of fresh cassava for 3 months in 2018, which will be cultivated in around 64 hectares of cassava plantation and 43 hectares grown in along the remaining land space of cashew nut plantation in Daun Pa Village, Srae Russey Commune, Thala Borivat District. Cassava will be sold to the company at a higher price than the market price, giving hundreds of farmers a chance to earn a better living. This group was trained on technical aspects of cassava cultivation by the Provincial Department of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, a specialized department in the province. Many smallholders in the cluster and nearby communities are now using the techniques they learned to improve their production. About 31 out of 45 total households have higher commitments to expand their investments in cassava cultivation by borrowing additional capital from AMRET to an estimated US$ 30,000. This additional capital has been utilized by the smallholder farmers in expanding their production capacity and purchase good input supplies such as fertilizers, seed materials, and others. Currently, the members of this cluster are strongly drawing their attention in the cluster and Multi-Stakeholder Platform (MSP) meetings to get additional techniques in cultivating cassava and solving current issues and challenges in marketing, as well as in meeting the terms and conditions in the contract farming arrangement. For more information, see the link
