Agriculture minister Dith Tina meets with Wendy Umberger, CEO of Australia’s international agriculture research centre. Agriculture ministry
Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Dith Tina has reiterated that Cambodia welcomes investors who wish to inject capital into the agriculture sector. He explained that this included research and the development of infrastructure that will support the sector.
Tina met with Wendy Umberger, chief executive officer of the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), at the ministry headquarters on February 3. He informed her off the great potential of Cambodian agriculture, and offered his support for research or investment efforts in the sector.
He noted that ACIAR initiatives are of great benefit to the Kingdom’s farmers, but also urged the centre to expand their research efforts. He suggested that they explore the fields of energy usage, renewable energy, carbon credits and biodiversity, among others, ensuring that the data collected is clear and practical for implementation.
“Cambodia is open to all investors who wish to invest in the agriculture sector, whether in agricultural inputs, animal feed production, energy investments or research in various sub-sectors such as livestock production, aquaculture and essential infrastructure,” he told her.
Tina encouraged the ACIAR team to continue their cooperation with the ministry to ensure effective, high-yield results that will benefit farmers and boost the economy.
The 2025 Budget Brief document reported that the Kingdom’s economy is projected to grow by 6.3% in 2025, primarily driven by the industrial sector, which is expected to continue growing at 8.6%. This is followed by the services sector at 5.6% and agriculture at just 1.1%.
It suggested that the agriculture sector will improve due to the growth of sub-sectors such as crops and livestock, as well as slight growth in the fisheries sub-sector.
Crop cultivation is expected to maintain good growth due to continued investments both domestically and internationally in agricultural product processing, increased public investment and government interventions such as subsidies and trade agreements.
Hong Vanak, an economic researcher at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, told The Post that while new investments in Cambodia are mostly in the industrial sector, agriculture still plays a major role in the national economy, with a large portion of the workforce employed in the sector.
“Agriculture not only helps Cambodia ensure its own food security but also enables us to export large quantities of agricultural products every year,” he added.
The agriculture ministry reported that in 2024, Cambodia exported 11.7 million tonnes of agricultural products, a 39% increase from the 8.4 million tonnes sent overseas in 2023. The export value of these agricultural products was approximately $4.8 billion. Major agricultural exports included rubber, rice, cassava, mangoes, bananas, and other key agricultural products.
The agriculture sector contributed about 22% of the Kingdom’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2024.
