Cassava is an agri-business crop for export and is not a basic food for the Cambodian people, but it is an important staple food of many Indonesians, Indians, Africans and Latin Americans. In Cambodia, cassava is used sparingly for animal food and is exported as raw materials to neighboring countries. The rapid growth of cassava cultivation areas in recent decades has made cassava the second most important crop after rice in Cambodia, equivalent to about 3-4% of national GDP. More than 90,000 rural families in 13 provinces are engaged in cassava cultivation and many workers are working in different stages such as cultivation, harvesting, processing and exporting. Almost 550 cassava collection points are located in five provinces: Battambang, Pailin, Banteay Meanchey and Tbong Khmum. These provinces direct export cassava from Cambodian plantations to processing plants, warehouses and neighboring ports. The Royal Government of Cambodia has developed a National Policy on Cassava 2020-2025 that key players are Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Ministry of Economy and Finance, Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation, as well as other relevant ministries, research institutes, universities, development partners, private sector, processing plants, farmers and other operators.
A farmer Ms. Sok Touch has been working on this cassava sector and expanding his farming from planting cassava for tuber to producing seeds in order to sell inside and outside the production groups. She is 50 years old and her husband Yim Tha, 57 years old, is a retired traffic police officer. They have four children, living in Borhuy Cheung village, Sankat Bor Yakha, Krong Pailin, Pailin province. She is a model farmer who grows cassava for tuber and plant cassava for producing seed and sell to producer organization in her village and other farmers outside the group. Since her marriage in 2001, she has started farming and planting such as green beans, sesame and cassava on 3 hectares of land and of rice on another 3 hectares, which were inherited from her parents. Cassava cultivation made little progress in the past providing income only for the family basic needs and the children’s education because the cassava crop per hectare yielded between 10 and 20 tons of cassava, equivalent to 2,200,000 to 2,300,000 riels. Until 2019, the Accelerating Inclusive Markets for Smallholders (AIMS) project, funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Royal Government of Cambodia, began to intervene in Krong Pailin, Pailin Province. With the support from the project, Krong Pailin Office of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, SATREPS Project and Local Authority, Ms. Sok Touch along with other 27 farmers attended the first meeting announced by the Farmers-Traders Cluster Facilitator on 13 May 2020 with the hope of gaining good potato cultivation techniques and a market that could further increase their family income. She initially was a typical member only. However, seeing the zealousness to know what was new and useful for the producer organization, the producer organization members elected her as the leader. She has learned hard to understand about discussion between trader to trader, identifying challenges and solutions with all parties. In fact, under her leadership, the Borhuy Khmer Cheung and Borhuy Khmer Tbong cassava producer organization has signed a buy and sell contract of cassava with Sailo Chhorn Naran on 840 tons.
Sitting depilate the grass at the cassava plantation, she said with a smile, “I have been growing cassava since 2001, but my cultivation of cassava was limited at first and I grew other crops such as soybeans and sesame and so on. Since I joined the AIMS project, my family has been better off and I have expanded my cassava cultivation to 7.5 hectares, yielding 25 to 30 tons per hectare, with an average of 205 tons and the first-year profit I bought a tractor and the next year I bought another one. I am not worried about the stuck with cassava market, because I, the same to the cassava producer organization in Borhuy Khmer Cheung village – Borhuy Khmer Tbong village, have signed a cassava buy and sell contract together under the auspices of the AIMS project.
A Sailo owner Ms. Chhorn Naran lives in Bor Taing Su village, Bor Yakha commune, Krong Pailin, Pailin province said, “My Sailo collects cassava from farmers between 20 to 100 tons per day, on average between 3,000 and 7,500 tons per year, equivalent to 660 million riels, according to farmers’ withdrawals. She added, “I collect cassava from Borhoy Khmer Cheung – Borhuy Khmer Tbong cassava producer organization which I have previously signed a buy and sell contract with Ms. Sok Touch, a representative of the producer organization”. She added that, no matter how large the amount, as long as the farmers sell it to me, I collect it all and weigh it sometime until 9pm.
In addition to growing cassava, Ms. Sok Touch is also a farmer who produces and distributes cassava seeds within and outside the producer organization. In fact, AIMS project organizes Field Business Model Learning and Exchange-out of province on cassava value chain in Teuk Sap village, Phum Meas commune, Rattanak Mondul district, Battambang province and Kamrieng village, Kamrieng commune, Kamrieng district Battambang province. Ms. Sok Touch paid her attention to the presentation of the team from the General Department of Agriculture (GDA) and the SATREPS project. After visiting, exchanging experiences and learning business models in both locations, she gained new experiences to practice by taking new weather-resistant cassava varieties provided by the GDA. She said, “As a result, I have increased the supply of cassava to the producer organizations and the non-producer organizations from Ochra village, Bor Taing Su village. This season, I have sold 5,000 bundles of Rak Yong 9 seeds at a price of 1,500 riels, equivalent to 7,500,000 riels. Further to the above-mentioned business of Ms. Sok Touch, she is also a seller of agricultural inputs and distribute to farmers in the producer organization and non-producer organizations. The agricultural inputs that she distributes are highly effective for agricultural crops, as well as being registered with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and she can earn from 7,000,000 to 15,000,000 Riels from the sale of these agricultural inputs.
A farmer Ms. Chham Chan, 52 years old, is a member of the AIMS project in Borhuy Khmer Cheung village, Bor Yakha commune, Krong Pailin, Pailin province. She has bought 3,000 bundles of cassava seeds from Ms.Sok Touch during 2022. She said, “Rak Yang 09 is a good variety with high starch and high market demand that Silo is not reluctant to collect and we sell good seeds and high yields, not infectious”. She continued, “Nowadays, I plant on 3 hectares of cassava, yielding between 20 and 30 tons per hectare. The total yield is 90 tons per year, generating about 18,360,000 riels and I change seeds according to the Silo’s need.
Growing, harvesting, processing and exporting cassava are keys to increasing employment and maintaining the livelihoods of thousands of household farmers, and it is also a major source of income. Cambodia is the fourth largest cassava grower in Asia and the tenth largest in the world. The new national policy will boost and diversify cassava growth and exports in the coming years, in addition to growing more than 12 million tons of cassava this year.
At the launching ceremony of the National Policy on Cassava 2020-2025, H.E Pan Sorsak, Minister of Commerce said, “Cassava is a key crop for Cambodia’s socio-economic development to take full advantage in the future. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the value chain by strengthening capacity and taking immediate action to seize new market opportunities. This policy will make cassava an important crop in promoting the development of agro-industry in Cambodia as well as help expand the economic base to contribute to the achievement of the development goals of the Royal Government of Cambodia in 2030-2050”. [Download]
