Cambodia has asked the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to support the dairy sector here.

The request was made on Wednesday by Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Veng Sakhon during a meeting with FAO representative in Cambodia Alexandre Huynh.

Sakhon said the dairy sector in the Kingdom continues to underperform despite the ministry’s best efforts. He requested FAO’s intervention given the importance of milk in Cambodian children’s diets.

“I asked the FAO and other development partners to consider supporting the dairy sector because milk is nutritious and a very important part of children’s diets, especially in rural areas,” he said.

With FAO’s support, the number of dairy farms in the Kingdom could grow significantly, he said.

There are only a handful of commercial dairy farms in the Kingdom, which means Cambodia imports most of its milk.

Huynh agreed on the importance of milk in the diet of Cambodian children and promised to follow up on the minister’s request.

Mao Sokunthea, the sales representative of Techo Sen Russey Treb Milk, told The Post on Thursday that despite the high demand for milk in the market, investment on dairy farms here was minimal.

More investment in the sector would reduce milk imports and create new jobs, she said.

“I support the minister’s request. We need more investment in the sector. We need to promote local dairy products and to up their standards,” she said.

Techo Sen Russey Treb Milk is located in Preah Vihear province and has 100 cows. The firm produces 600 litres of milk a day.