First Organic Rice Shipment To Be Sent to US by CEDAC

The Cambodian Center for Study and Development in Agriculture, or CEDAC, is poised to send its first shipment of organic rice to the US, the organization said yesterday, adding that it is hoped the shipment will help establish more export channels to EU and US markets.

?This is the first time CEDAC exports 100 percent organic rice,? CEDAC communications officer Him Khortiet said, adding, ?Roughly 10 days more and we start exporting.?

The shipment of certified Cambodian organic rice is the first of two shipments totaling 36 tons and bought by US specialty rice company Lotus Food, Mr Khortieth said.

He said CEDAC had faced a lot of difficulties in preparing a shipment that met the quality requirements of the US market and Lotus Food. Mr Khortiet explained that the percentage of broken rice grains in the shipment could not exceed 5 percent and packaging needed to be organic as well.

?We never dreamt we can do that,? he said. ?We are now confident that after this shipment we can export to the US and European markets.... We plan to expand our export to the European market to 200 to 300 tons next year.?

Winfried Scheewe, a marketing adviser for the German development agency DED, who helped set up the export, said the production process involved around 250 farmers from Damrei Romeal Organic Cooperative Federation in Tramkok district, Takeo province, who were paid a premium price of 1,250 riel per kg, which is 13 percent higher than the price for conventional rice.

The shipment of rice was grown organically using System of Rice Intensification, or SRI, techniques, Mr Khortiet said, adding that this type of farming is environmentally sustainable and high-yielding, while offering good prices for farmers.

?Cambodia has a huge potential for organic rice production, especially compared to neighboring countries,? where farmers depend much more on the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizer, he said, adding that organic rice production offers Cambodia a chance to develop a valuable export product.

Phou Phuy, president of the Cambodian Rice Millers Association, the country?s largest rice millers? organization, said organically produced rice is often of a high quality and is in demand in foreign markets.

?We are pushing our farmers to reduce the use of chemical fertilizer...and increase the use of natural fertilizer,? Mr Phuy said, adding however, that his organization was not yet buying organic rice to mill for export, as there are not enough farmers growing organic rice.

Sourced = The Cambodia Daily