A massive centralised rice drying facility in Battambang province being developed by Thaneakea Srov (Kampuchea) Plc will soon be operational, while its adjacent rice storage operations are on track to be completed early next year, the CEO of the company said yesterday.

Construction on both facilities began earlier this year when the firm inked contracts with three companies to help build its 200,000-tonne capacity silo and its drying facility capable of processing 3,000 tonnes of paddy rice a day. Thaneakea Srov first received a low-interest $15 million loan from the state-run Rural Development Bank in January.

While the drying facility is nearly prepared to open its doors, the silo isn’t expected to open for several more months, according to CEO Phou Puy.

“Our drying machines are being tested now, and we will start full operations at our drying facility after days of testing,” he said.

“The entire project will hopefully be complete by April of next year, when our storage facility is complete,” he said, adding that construction was 60 percent finished.

The completion of the storage facility is expected to help struggling rice farmers to secure orders by having a dedicated storage site while ensuring that the quality of rice is sustained throughout the harvest season, said Hean Vanhan, undersecretary of state at the Ministry of Agriculture.

“The project will benefit rice farmers because it will stabilise the price and quality of rice during the harvest season,” he said. “Farmers will face less stress during harvest season as a result.”