Agriculture Related Social Safety-net
A response to Global Financial Crisis

Paper for : 14th GDCC Meeting
CDC Phnom Penh Cambodia  ( 28 April 2009 )
by

H.E. CHAN TONG YVES, Secretary of State
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

Royal Government of Cambodia


H.E DPM Chairman
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a privilege for me to deliver a statement on “Agriculture related social safety net, a response to Global financial Crisis” to the 14th GDCC Meeting at CDC today.

 

As you may know, Agriculture is the backbone of national economy, contributing 34,4% in GDP (2008) with 80% of the population living in rural areas and more than 70% of the country labor forces dependent on agriculture, improving food security as a factor to social safety net is the foremost priority of the RGC.

 

From 2003 to 2008, Agriculture has achieved significant result in food production with an average increase of 4,42% per year. Rice, generally, Symbolize the state of food security, in the country which contribute 52,7% of the country total crops, livestock production in (2008-2009) and 68% of calories intakes per capita. Other non-rice food includes subsidiary crops, livestock products (15,5%) and fishery products (25%) From 2000 until 2008 rice cultivation has increased in term of areas and production from 2.157.592Ha to 2.615.741Ha and from 4.040.900 T to 7.175.473 T respectively which rice surplus made a big jump from 407,359T of paddy in 2000 to 3,16millions tons of paddy in 2008-2009 Rice consumption averages 143Kg per capita/year in the general term Other non-rice foods such as subsidiary crops, livestock products, fishery products have increased steadily.

 

In achieving these, the RGC has developed and put in place many relevant policy frameworks to guide development when in poverty reduction and food security improvement have consistently been emphasized.

 

Some of these policy frameworks include: first and second Rectangular strategy, NSDP 2006-2010, SAW 2006-2010, the strategic Framework for food security and Nutrition 2008-2012.

 

However, national rice surplus achieved as not necessarily mean that food security exists across the country and every single Cambodian households has full access to food products in 2007, 30% of the population are under income poverty line and approximately 20% are under food poverty line calculated at calories intake of less than 1715kcal/pers/day. Most of them are living in the rural areas. Those people do not have adequate access to food.

 

Measures should be taken to tackle food insecurity for those marginal peoples. Beside Government efforts to increase and diversify production in a sustainable manner, there are a number of external funded projects (which appear in the appendix) being implemented with specific purpose of reducing poverty and improving food security among the poor and vulnerable groups.

 

In response to the global financial crisis, the following measures should be undertaken:
(1)-Activity implement the Development strategies set forth by RGC aiming at improving productivity and diversification of agriculture, ensuring enough and safety food availability for all people, reducing poverty, increasing GDP per capita and ensuring sustainable natural resource management and conservation focus will be given to implement the five programmes under SAW particularly the food security support programme and other poverty reduction and food security related projects.

 

The five programmes are:

  1. Institutional capacity building and management support program for agriculture and water;

  2. Food Security Support Program;

  3. Agriculture and agri-business (Value Chain) support program;

  4. Water resource management, Irrigation, and land program;

  5. Agricultural and water research, education and extension program.

(2)- Implement Government initiatives of “Agricultural Fund” to support agriculture;

(3)- Continue implementation of Government fiscal policy on agricultural inputs, agricultural machineries and equipments; and strengthen monitoring on price of imported fertilizer

(4)- Intensify and diversify food production by smallholder farming households, particularly those that are food insecure;

(5)- Accelerating access of smallholders to improved technology, improved agricultural inputs, improved soil quality and water management;

(6)- To further enhance agricultural productivity and diversification at national level;

(7)- Increase public investment in physical infrastructure including transportation, irrigation, market facility and agricultural research and extension;

(8)- Strengthening community based organization;

(9)- Develop agro-processing and agri-business;

(10)- Develop micro credit.

Distribution of Relevant On-going Projects by Agro-ecological Regions:

No.

Project Title

Value (million)

Agro-ecological Regions

Completed by 2010

1

ADRA HARVEST Project

AUD3.30

Tonle Sap Basin & Plateau

2

Northwest Irrigation Project (irrigation component)

USD30.87

Tonle Sap Basin

3

Northwest Irrigation Project (production component)

EUR4.00

Tonle Sap Basin & Plains (1 province)

4

Economic and Social Relaunch of Northwest Provinces (ECOSORN)

EUR25.00

Tonle Sap Basin

5

CARE Integrated Rural Development and Disaster Mitigation Project

USD4.60

Plains & Plateau (Krung Pailin)

6

Agriculture Development in Mine-affected Areas of Cambodia (ADMAC)

CAD4.48

Tonle Sap Basin & Plateau (Krung Pailin)

7

Tonle Sap Sustainable Livelihoods Project

USD20.30

Tonle Sap Basin

8

8. Food Aid Programme for Cambodia

USD64.00

Nation-wide

Completed between 2010 and 2015

9

Rural Poverty Reduction Project in Prey Veng and Svay Rieng

USD15.49

Plains

10

Cambodia Agriculture Value Chain Program

USD38.50

Tonle Sap Basin; Plains; Coast

11

Rural Livelihoods Improvement

USD9.52

Plateau (3 provinces)

12

Rural Water Supply and Sanitation

USD10.00

Tonle Sap Basin

13

Tonle Sap Lowland Stabilization Project

USD32.26

Tonle Sap Basin

14

Tonle Sap Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Sector

USD18.00

Tonle Sap Basin

15

Support Food Security for Women and Rural Poor in Cambodia

USD1.80

Plateau (3 provinces)

16

Emergency Food Assistance Project for Cambodia

USD40.00

Tonle Sap Basin & Plateau (1 province)

17

Cambodia Micro, Small & Medium Enterprise 2/Business Enabling Environment (MSME2/BEE)

USD24.00

Tonle Sap Basin (3 provinces); Plains (1 province); Coast (1 province)

Thank you for your kind attention.

 


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