An employee checks processed rice at a facility on the outskirts of Phnom Penh. Heng Chivoan
The Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) is in talks with Japan’s Kett Electric Laboratory Co Ltd to set up a “calibration centre” in the Kingdom, which could improve the quality and safety of rice and other crops as well as boost exports, according to the federation’s boss.
Founded in 1946 in Tokyo, Kett offers a selection of moisture meters, organic composition analysers and other measuring instruments for agricultural applications, which Kett US’ website says “provide a rice farmer with the same level of measurement quality available within government test labs”.
CRF president Song Saran told The Post that he had met Norihiro Yoshida, general manager of Kett’s International Sales Department, at the federation’s headquarters on April 19 to discuss a feasibility survey to better define the target market for the project – especially for the moisture meters which he said could help improve the quality of locally-grown cassava and cashew nuts, as well as rice and other grains.
At the meeting, CRF voiced support for the project, noting that a number of rice millers and exporters currently use Kett products, Saran said.
The CRF asked to work with Kett on organising workshops and training programmes for federation members and agricultural cooperatives on paddy moisture control and quality management, he said.
He added that the federation also asked the Japanese firm to offer special prices on their moisture meters, which he claimed could help avoid disputes over sales of paddy and other grains.
Saran said a team at Kett would work with the CRF secretariat to potentially produce a terms of reference (ToR) or memorandum of understanding (MoU) to define tasks and specify timeframes to completion.
“The CRF will further discuss cooperation with Kett so that the projects in Cambodia under consideration by the company can succeed. We have yet to talk in detail,” he said.
Agricultural exports have been trending up year after year, although not entirely unscathed by the Covid-19 pandemic, and could be aided by tailwinds created by Kett’s projects.
For reference, Cambodia exported 3,434,070 tonnes of agricultural products to 57 countries and territories in the first quarter of this year, up by more than 344,860 tonnes or 11.16 per cent year-on-year, with an estimated value of $1.268 billion, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries’ General Directorate of Agriculture.
Major agricultural exports include milled and paddy rice, cassava chips, fresh cassava, tapioca starch, raw and processed cashew nuts, dried corn kernels, mung beans, bananas, pomelos, fresh and processed mangoes, peppers, tobacco, fresh and dried chillies, and a variety of other vegetables.
Additionally, ministry data shows that in 2021, Cambodia exported a total of 7,984,252 tonnes of agricultural products to 68 countries and territories, an increase of 63.83 per cent from 2020 figures, with revenue totalling $4.96 billion.
