Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen announced plans Thursdayto encourage rubber smallholdings in a bid to expand production as the countrypromotes the cash crop as the number two commodity after rice.
Hun Sensaid the government will support not only large-scale rubber plantations butalso smaller producers.
“We must continue to promotesmallholding rubber plantations and promote rubber plantation on economic landconcessions,” he said.
Cambodian Rubber Department Director Ly Phalla told RFA that family-based rubber plantations haveincreased in Koh Kong, Sihanoukville,and Kampot provinces in the country’s s southwest.
According to government targets, Cambodia plans to increasethe area of land used for rubber plantations to 400,000 hectares (1 million acres)and to export 300,000 tons of rubber latex by 2020.
Cambodia, whose leading cash crop is rice, currently hasabout 300,000 hectares (750,000 acres) of rubber plantations, but most of thetrees have been planted in recent years will not be ready in the immediateperiod. Rubber trees take about five to six years before they can produce white, milk-like rubber latex.
Last year Cambodia exported about 46,500 tons of rubber,double the year before. The exports generated about U.S. $200 million dollarsand made Cambodia the world’s ninth-biggestproducer.
All of its rubber is for export, and most is sold to Vietnam, Malaysia, China, and Singapore,where it is used in manufacturing
Cambodia has welcomedforeign investment, especially from Vietnam and China, giving companies 99-yearland concessions to establish rubber plantations.
Of theland used for rubber plantations last year, over two thirds were landconcessions to companies, while the remaining were small-scale family andprivate plantations.
At least 77 companies are investingin the crop in the country, covering 17 percent more land than the year before.
‘Just like gold’
At the same time as increasing production, Cambodia ismoving to increase the quality of the rubber produced. Most that is producedcurrently is low-grade.
“Wemust ensure the quality of cultivationand of the variety becauseinferior varieties return lowyields and result in revenue losses,” Hun Sen said.
He warned thatfailure to upgrade rubber quality couldboomerang on the expansion plans, resulting in losses valued at about U.S.$600 million annually from 2020.
Agriculture Minister Chan Sarun said that thegovernment is working on improving rubber grades to make them acceptable ininternational markets.
“We must guarantee our quality, including planting,selecting seeds because bad seeds will [dampen yield],” he said.
He forecast a great future for Cambodia’s rubberindustry, likening planting rubber to “makinggold.”
Cambodia’s biggest cash cropwill remain rice, its primary agricultural export, he said.
Environmentalists in Cambodia have campaigned againstrubber plantations in protected forest areas.
In the Prey Lang forests in the northeastern part of thecountry, activists have combated illegal logging and other abuses, which they saystem from government concessions for opening up the land to rubber plantations.
The Prey Lang network says more than 40,000 hectares(98,840 acres) in the forest have been granted for rubber plantations alone.
Reported by Sok Serey for RFA’s Khmer service.Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Rachel Vandenbrink.