PHNOM PENH, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet said on Tuesday that the government has reserved 100 million U.S. dollars for boosting the country's agricultural sector.
"We have prepared a budget of 100 million U.S. dollars to intervene in agricultural products such as paddy rice, milled rice and vegetables," he said in a speech during a get-together with some 18,000 garment factory workers in Phnom Penh.
Hun Manet said the prices of agricultural products have fluctuated based on demands in the international market, adding that however, the budget will help stabilize the prices of agricultural products for farmers.
The budget will also be used for the improvement of the irrigation system and for training agricultural specialists, he said.
Meanwhile, the prime minister said the Cambodian government has planned to deploy agricultural officials to all communes nationwide to work directly with farmers.
Agriculture is one of the four pillars supporting Cambodia's economy.
The Southeast Asian country exported 4.51 million tonnes of agricultural products to 68 countries and regions in the first seven months of 2023, earning a gross revenue of nearly 2.63 billion U.S. dollars, according to a Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries report.
Major agricultural exports included rice, rubber, cassava, mangoes, fresh bananas, pepper, cashew nuts, longan, corn, and palm oil, among others, the report said. ■
