Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Dith Tina on January 19 met with French Development Agency (AFD) country director for Cambodia Sandrine Boucher to pitch a potential new project that could turn ordinary fishermen into bona-fide aquaculture traders.

At the meeting, the two sides discussed this, along with other ongoing and proposed projects and initiatives to be carried out in collaboration between the agriculture ministry and AFD-Cambodia.

The minister was particularly insistent on the importance of the management and budgeting of his new proposal, stressing the need for “wise spending”, the agriculture ministry said in a January 19 social media post.

Other initiatives brought up by Tina included: a study involving loans and insurance aimed at improving farmers' solvency position; and solar irrigation systems for low-cost water supply.

The ministry hailed AFD-Cambodia as an “essential cooperative partner” in agricultural development and capacity-building, as well as research and innovation concerning climate change and exports.