Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Dith Tina said that his ministry is supporting the partnership with the state and various organizations to increase incomes by helping to produce and process standard domestic products with improved food safety so that the products can enter supermarkets.
The minister made the remarks on November 24 as he visited the Chea Thou Steamed Fish Handicraft in Tomnup Roloak commune of Preah Sihanouk province’s Stung Hav district.
The handicraft received the support of the Fishery Administration-implemented CaPFish Capture project and UNIDO Cambodia in cooperation with European Union finance.
The minister also met with farmers who process dried shrimp in O’Oknha Heng commune of Preah Sihanouk province’s Prey Nop district.
“I support and encourage the farmers who work in the fishing community sustainably to join us in the care of the environment and the habitats of shrimp and crabs. In particular, if they catch crabs and see the crabs are spawning, they have to release them,” he said.
On the same trip, the minister arrived in Samrong commune’s Samrong Kraom village of Preah Sihanouk province’s Prey Nop district on November 24 to inspect the Agriculture Services Programme for Innovation, Resilience and Extension (ASPIRE).
After discussions with the farmers and buyers, he recommended that they learn about business planning to avoid the production of rice beyond market demands.
“Forming a group or a farming community is important to help them to be able to prepare a calendar to grow vegetables and negotiate market prices,” he said.
He added that that the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has to coordinate the work with net house supply companies and vegetable purchase companies to provide the farmers with the net houses for growing vegetables so that they can farm throughout the year and pay for the net houses in instalments to the companies to avoid owing debts to microfinance institutions.
