AGRICULTURE RELATED SOCIAL SAFETY-NET A RESPONSE TO GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRISIS





Paper for: 14th Government Development Partner Coordination Committee (GDCC), on 28 April, 2009- CDC, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

 

 

I- Overview of Agriculture Sector

  • Cambodia is an agricultural country. 80% of people living in rural areas and they rely on agriculture for their livelihood;

  • Cambodia is rich in natural resources, including agricultural land, forestry and fisheries that are favorable to agricultural development;

  • Agriculture plays an important role for economic growth, poverty reduction, social safety-net, particularly food security as well as 70% of jobs for people;

 

 

II- Strategic Framework

  • Rectangular Strategy;

  • Agricultural Strategic Development Plan (2006-2010);

  • Strategy for Agriculture and Water (2006-2006).

The long term visions and goals of the strategies are to improve productivity and diversification of agriculture, to ensure enough and safety food availability for all people, to reduce poverty, increase GDP per capita and sustainable natural resource management and conservation.

 

 

III- Agriculture for Economic Growth and Poverty Reduction


1. Agriculture Share in GDP:
In 2008, The global financial crisis has dropped down the share of industry and services section in GDP, thereby increased the agriculture share from 28.5% to 34.4%.


 

2. Evolution of Agriculture Growth (%) 1999-2008:

 

 

IV- Food Availibity

  • Rice symbolize the state of food security in Cambodia with 68% of calories intake per capita;

  • Other non-rice food includes: subsidiary crops, livestock products, fisheries products ect…

1- Rice Production:

Year 

Cultivated
(ha)

Yield
(T/ha)

Production
(Tones Paddy)

Surplus and Export

1967-1968

2,513,800

1.00

2,513,800

Export rice 252,000 T

1999-2000

2,157,592

1.943

4,040,900

Export rice 260,710 T (407,359 tones paddy)

2007-2008

2,585,905

2.620

6,727,127

Surplus exportable rice 1,649,640 T ( 2,577,562 tones paddy)

2008-2009

2,615,741

2.746

7,175,473

Surplus rice 2 million tones (3,16 tones paddy)

2- Rice Balance 2008-2009

Description

Unit

Wet season

Dry season

Total

Planning

Ha

2,232,600

320,200

2,552,800

Cultivated area

Ha

2,255,104

323,295

2,578,399

Destroyed area

Ha

3,156

0

3,156

Replanting area

Ha

785

 

785

Harvested area

Ha

2,252,733

360,630

2,613,363

Yield

T/Ha

2.540

4.030

2.746

Production

T

5,722,142

1,453,331

7,175,473


Remark
 

- Reduction of 13 % for seed reserve and post harvest losses
- Remaining paddy available for consumption
- Available rice for consumption converted into milled rice 64%
  milling-rate
- Food requirement per year 143.0 kg x 13,778,115 (person)
- Surplus Production of rice 3,995,303 T - 1,970,270 T
- Surplus in term of Paddy


 


932,811 t
6,242,662 t

3,995,303 t
1,970,270 t
2,025,033 t
3,164,114 t

 

 

 

3. Livestock Production

  • The Cattle increased around 13% from 3 million to 3.4 million
    heads in 2004-2008;

  • Pig decreased around 8% from 2.42 million to 2.21 million heads
    in 2004-2008;

The Poultry development:

  • The poultry production decreased caused by bird flu outbreak in
    2004;

  • Since 2005, the poultry production considerably increased from
    15 million heads in 2005 to 16.9 million heads in 2008.

 

 

4. Fisheries

  • Inland Fisheries: Decreased from 395,000 mt (2007) to 365,000
    mt, in 2008 due to change of natural water condition (the level of
    water was lower than last year);

  • Marine Fisheries: Marine catches was around 66,000 million
    tones (2008), increased 18% within 5 years;

  • Aquaculture: Increased from 20,535 tones to 40,000 tones;

  • Fisheries Community: 468 Fishery Communities (227,044
    members).

 

 

5. Rubber Production:

 

 

 

V- Relevant on-going Programmes/Projects for Poverty Reduction and Improving Food Security

Beside Government efforts to increase and diversify production, there are a number of external funded projects being implemented with specific purpose of reducing poverty and improving food security among the poor and vulnerable groups.

Distribution of relevant on-going project by agro-ecological regions:


 

 

VI- Measures

In response to the global financial crisis, the following measures

should be undertaken:

  1. Strongly implement the five programmes under SAW, particular food security support programmes and other poverty reduction and food security related projects.

The five programmes are:

(i)- Institutional capacity building and management support program for
      agriculture and water;
(ii)- Food Security Support Program;
(iii)- Agriculture and agri-business (Value Chain) support program;
(iv)- Water resource management, Irrigation, and land program;
(v)- Agricultural and water research, education and extension program.
 

  1. Implement Government initiatives of ” Agricultural Fund ” to support agriculture;

  2. Continue implementation of Government fiscal policy on agricultural inputs, agricultural machinaries and equipments; and strengthen monitoring on price of imported fertilizer

  3. Intensify and diversify food production by smallholder farming households, particularly those that are food income;

  4. Accelerating access of smallholders to improve technology, improve agricultural inputs, improve soil quality and water management;

  5. To further enhance agricultural productivity and diversification at national level;

  6. Increase public investment in physical infrastructure including transportation, irrigation, market facility in agricultural research and extension;

  7. Strengthening community based organization;

  8. Develop agro-processing and agri-business;

  9. Develop micro credit.

 

 


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