The price of corn in Battambang province increased by 130 riel ($0.03) to 590 riel per kilogramme in the second harvest season compared to the first, the provincial Department of Commerce said.

The crop is grown twice a year, with the first harvest from late June to August and the second from late October to February. The price in the first harvest was 460 riel per kilogramme.

Battambang Department of Commerce director Kim Hout said that the price is reasonable and acceptable.

“If [the corn] keeps its current price or goes higher, a lot of farmers could return to grow the crop,” he said. However, he noted that the price could only reach such levels at the beginning of the harvest season.

Hout said about 70 per cent of Battambang’s corn is exported by traders to Thailand at about 5,000 tonnes per day, while the balance is supplied to local animal feed companies.

The second harvest is currently about 30 per cent complete, he said.

Ros Man Muoy, a broker in Battambang province’s Sampov Loun district, said the price slightly increased from last year.

“Prices now jumped between 590-630 riel per kilogramme, compared to last year’s 530-550 riel [range in the second harvest],” she said, adding that Thai dealers buy directly at the border.

Though prices have risen, Man Muoy said yields will probably decrease compared to last year.

According to the Battambang provincial Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries figures, corn was grown on 51,804ha of land in the province during the second harvest.

Heng Sith, an official at the Battambang provincial Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, said this year’s drought affected about 2,000ha of corn in the second harvest.