One month after Cambodias Phka Rumduol jasmine variety was crowned for the fifth time as the World’s Best Rice, the country has decided to begin formally exporting milled rice to Maldives, to help raise the profile of local grain both nationally and internationally
On December 26, Prime Minister Hun Sen revealed that he would visit the Maldives in January 2023 to discuss milled-rice sales and strengthen tourism ties. “The Maldives is a rice-deficient country, so we want to forge links through tourism and milled rice exports," said Hun Sen in a report by The Phnom Penh Post.
Lay Chhun Hour, group president and CEO of City Rice Import Export Co Ltd, suggested that expanding the presence of Cambodian rice can improve its popularity. “We certainly welcome the efforts of our government, which is always trying to find new markets for our agricultural products and expand [existing ones], no matter how large or small, and our milled rice is becoming more and more known,” he said.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries reported that milled-rice exports had been performing well in 2022, amounting to 509,249 tons in the first 10 months.
