Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries secretary of state Yang Saing Koma reiterated that his decision to join the government late last year stemmed from his desire to use his skills to develop Cambodia’s agriculture sector.

Formerly founder and leader of the party Grassroots Democratic Party (GDP), Saing Koma has plans to support 1 million farmers across the country, boosting both agricultural production and their incomes.

“Under the new government, I have to choose between the position of minister attached to the prime minister or secretary of state. I’ve decided to remain with the ministry in order to implement the fifth and sixth priorities of the government’s six key priority programmes,” he said in an August 24 social media post.

The fifth and sixth priorities pertain to the Kingdom’s agriculture sector. They include establishing mechanisms and finance programmes that will boost production, unlock new markets and maintain the prices of key products, as well as the deployment of agricultural specialists to all communes throughout the country. More farming communities will also be organised in rural areas to promote contract farming and allow farmers to negotiate collectively

“We plan to deploy 1,600 agricultural officers across the country to work with more than 1 million farming households,” added Saing Koma.

“I will work with agriculture minister Dith Tina and the other leaders of the ministry to ensure the successful implementation of the two policies. We will support agriculture, farmers' livelihoods and food security for our entire society,” he said.