PHNOM PENH: Cambodia exported 283,825 tons of milled rice in the first six months of 2015, a 59.5 percent increase from the 177,928 tons over the same period last year, according to an official report here the other day.
Seventy-two companies have exported Cambodian rice to 51 countries and regions, said the report compiled by the Secretariat of One Window Service for Rice Export.
Three top buyers are China, France and Poland. During the January-June period this year, Cambodia exported 72,086 tons of rice to China, up 9 times from only 7,731 tons over the same period last year, as the country sold 36,233 tons to France, up 8 percent and 32,268 tons to Poland, down 4 percent.
The Southeast Asian country produced over 9 million tons of paddy rice a year. With this amount, it has more than 3 million tons of milled rice left over for annual exports.
In 2010, the country launched a rice promotion strategy, setting a goal of exporting one million tons of milled rice by the end of 2015; however, Commerce Minister Sun Chanthol said early this year that it was unlikely to achieve the self-imposed target due to a lack of milling capacity and funding.
