Thursday, December 30, 2010

Top Japanese trader signs trade agreement with AKR

by AC
30 December 2010

Top Japanese trading house signed trade agreement with AKR, paving the way for the two countries for closer cooperation on the agro trade, and turning the rice policy of the Cambodian government into action.


Marubenni's expansion. Picture shows top executive of Marubenni exchange trade information with Mr. Chieu Hieng, CEO of AKR.

Marubenni, a Japanese firm with top trading volumn in agricultural produces, signed a trade agreement with AKR, a leading rice producer in Cambodia, Mr. Chieu Hieng, CEO of AKR reveals.

The Japanese company aims to expand its activity to ASEAN countries, especially in the rice business where the firm already hold a strong position in the agro trade in the world. Marubeni is a long estrablished company (since 1858) with last year trading volumn more than 105 US billion dollars. Her business activities range from energy, machinery, food to finance and real estate.


This agreement will strengthen the position of Marubenni in the rice trade, when it tap to the new world rice supplier, Cambodia.

Prime minister of Cambodia, Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo HUN SEN, aims to revolt the countries rice industry, previously slow developed, by turning Cambodia to be a quality and reliable world rice/food producer.

AKR is a major quality/reliable rice producer. Estrablished 10 years ago nearby Phnom Penh, it plays a major role, for the private sector, to develope the countries rice industry. AKR is expanding it capacity this year upto 800 tons a day rice milling with a two megawatt rice husk fired power plant to ensure a reliable energy source.


Marubeni executive pointed to the rice bowl that cooked Neang Malis rice with apprciation. The rice cooking test comparing the rice taste from the other rice varieties avaiable in the market.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

The Phnom Penh Post: Rice-husk generator to power up villagers.

The Phnom Penh Post
Wednesday, December 15, 2010

RICE miller and exporter Angkor Kasekam Roongroeung Co., Ltd. will start operating its US$6million rice husk-powered electricity generator next month, its director said yesterday.

Chieu Hieng, Angkor Kasekam Roongroeung director, said yesterday that the kandal province-based firm would sell the excess electricity from its 2.5 Mega-watt generator to surrounding villagers.

“We hope that the electricity machine will not only supply us power for rice processing, but we will also be able to supply electricity power to the villagers around here,” he said.

Meng Sak Theara, director of the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy’s Department of Industry, said that the rice husk-powered electricity machines helped increase the Kingdom’s productivity because it was cheaper to run such technology compared with alternative power sources.

“I think using an electric machine powered by combustion of rice husks will enable rice exports to have more competitive prices,” he said.

Chieu Hieng said new power source would see the firm more than double its export capacity. He said about 30,000 tons of rice had been exported so far this year but “when we receive the new power, we will increase our rice productivity for export to 70,000 tonnes next year”.

“We will take this opportunity to process more rice for export in an attempt to help our rice producers earn more income,” he said.

AKR already has an international rice processing machine in Ang Snoul district, Kandal province, where it process rice for export to diverse markets including Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Hong Kong.

The firm said it would use 1.5MW to process the rice, but will sell the other 1 MW to villagers in the area at 900 riel per kilowatt. Normally villagers would pay 1,100 riel per KW from the national grid.

AKR, which can process 900 tonnes of rice per day, began building the new power source in 2009. It invested up to $6 million in the construction of the plant and the land it was built on.

In September, Golden rice Cambodia said it was in the first stages of building a $2 million rice-husk power plant to supply electricity to mills in Kampong Speu province’s Oudong district.

ភ្នំពេញ ប៉ុស្តិ
ថ្ងៃពុធ ទី១៥ ឆ្នាំ២០១០

"រោងម៉ាស៊ីនប្រើថាមពលអង្កាមនៅខេត្តកណ្តាលនឹងដាក់ឲ្យប្រើប្រាស់ខែក្រោយ"


ភ្នំពេញ៖ក្រុមហ៊ុនអង្គរកសិកម្មរុងរឿងនឹងដាក់ឲ្យដំណើរការរោងម៉ាស៊ីនថាមពលអគ្គីសនីតម្លៃ៦លានដុល្លារដែលមានកម្លាំង២,៥មេហ្គាវ៉ាត់ដើរដោយថាមពលអង្កាមនៅខែមករា។

លោក ជីវ ហ៊ាងប្រធានក្រុមហ៊ុនអង្គរកសិកម្មរុងរឿងខូអិលធីឌី បានប្រាប់ភ្នំពេញប៉ុស្តិ៍កាលពីថ្ងៃច័ន្ទថារោងម៉ាស៊ីននេះ នឹងជួយដល់ប្រតិបត្តិការក្នុងការកែច្នៃអង្ករសំរាប់នាំចេញ។

លោកបញ្ជាក់ថា៖«រោងចក្រអគ្គីសនីនេះមិនត្រឹមតែអាចផ្តល់ថាមពលសម្រាប់បំរើឲ្យការកែច្នៃអង្ករនាំចេញរបស់យើងប៉ុណ្ណោះទេប៉ុន្តែក៏អាចធ្វើការលក់ផ្គត់ផ្គង់ទៅឲ្យប្រជាពលរដរស់
នៅតំបន់ជុំវិញនោះប្រើប្រាស់ផងដែរ»។

រោងម៉ាស៊ីននេះមានទីតាំងសិតក្នុងស្រុកអង្គស្នួលខេត្តកណ្តាល។ លោក ម៉េង សក្កិធារ៉ា អគ្គនាយកនៃអគ្គនាយកដ្ឋានឧស្សាហកម្មរ៉ែ និងថាមពលបានមានប្រសាសន៏ថារោងចក្រអគ្គីសនីនេះ
ជួយបង្កើនផលិតភាពវិស្ស័យឧស្សាហកម្មស្រូវអង្កររបស់កម្ពុជាព្រោះថាតម្លៃថាមពលដែលផលិតបានមានតម្លៃថោក។
លោកបន្តថា៖«ខ្ញុំគិតថាការដំណើរការរោងចក្រផលិតថាមពលអគ្គីសនីដុតអងា្កមនេះនឹងជួយឲ្យអង្ករនាំចេញកាន់តែមានថ្លៃប្រកួតប្រជែងខ្លាំងជាងមុន»។
បច្ចុប្បក្រុមហ៊ុនអង្គរកសិកម្មរុងរឿងកំពុងដំណើរការកែច្នៃអង្ករសម្រាប់នាំចេញទៅកាន់ទីផ្សារនានា មានដូចជា ប្រទេសបារាំង អ៊ីតាលី អាល្លឺម៉ង់ អង់គ្លេស អូស្រ្តាលី និងទីក្រុងហុងកុង ។
លោក ជីវ ហ៊ាង ឲ្យដឹងថា នៅឆ្នាំ២០១០ នេះ ក្រុមហ៊ុនបាននាំអង្ករចេញទៅកាន់បណ្តា ប្រទេសខាងលើបានប្រមាណ ៣០,០០០តោន ហើយក្រុមហ៊ុននឹងបង្កើនឲ្យបាន ៧០,០០០តោន នៅឆ្នាំក្រោយ ។

លោកបន្តថា៖ «យើងនឹងប្រើប្រាស់ឪកាសនេះដើម្បីកែច្នៃអង្ករនាំចេញឲ្យបានច្រើន ប្រយោជន៍ជួយដល់កសិករដែលជាអ្នកផលិតស្រូវឲ្យពួកគេមានប្រាក់ចំណូលកាន់តែខ្ពស់» ។

តាមក្រុមហ៊ុនបានឲ្យដឹងថា គេនឹងបែងចែកកម្លាំងភ្លឺង ១ ម៉េហ្គាវ៉ាត់ លក់ទៅឲ្យប្រជាពលរដ្ឋនៅក្នុងតំបន់ ដែលលក់ក្នុងតម្លៃ ៩០០រៀលក្នុងមួយគីឡូវ៉ាត់ម៉ោង និង ១,៥ មេហ្គាវ៉ាត់សម្រាប់រោងម៉ាស៊ីនកិនស្រូវ ៕

Monday, December 20, 2010

Bangkok Post: Cambodia a new Hom Mali rival

Bangkok Post
13 December 2010

Thai Hom Mali rice could lose market share in Hong Kong to Cambodia, where premium fragrant rice sells at more competitive prices.

Chinese rice traders sample Thai Hom Mali rice at an event held in Si Sa Ket in response to reports that some shipments to China contained other varieties mixed with jasmine rice.

Hong Kong imports 220,000 to 230,000 tonnes, or 10% of the jasmine Hom Mali rice Thailand ships each year.

But the volume of Thai rice to the territory has been falling in recent years, as Cambodia offers lower prices by shipping out of ports in Vietnam, Thai exporters said.

"Cambodian fragrant rice sold in Hong Kong is very competitive at US$800 per tonne, lower than the $1,100 for Thai rice," said Charoen Laothamatas, the president of Uthai Produce, the country's leading Hom Mali exporter.

Thai Hom Mali exports to Hong Kong dropped to 196,100 tonnes last year, down 3% from the year before. In the first 10 months this year, the volume shrank 14% to 135,000 tonnes.

"Cambodia's jasmine rice appears to have the similar fine quality of Thai rice since it also has many locally owned strains and cross-bred varieties, some developed from Thai Hom Dok Mali 105 and Pathum Thani 1," he said.

Its exports have been active in recent years thanks to good productivity and the strong sweet scent of its jasmine rice grown from fertile soil with fewer chemical fertilisers, said Mr Charoen.

Prime Minister Hun Sen forecast earlier that Cambodia would produce 7.5 million tonnes of rice this year, more than enough for local consumption of 4 million, so it plans to export the balance.

Thai Hom Mali rice also must deal with fake Hom Mali being sold in Hong Kong and China.

Because Hom Mali sells at a premium, it encourages traders to copy the trademarks on bags of lower-standard grain, said Mr Charoen.

Hom Mali exports have dropped to 1.82 million tonnes in the first 10 months of the year, down 14% from the same period of 2009.

His company's sales last year shrank to between 150,000 and 160,000 tonnes from more than 250,000 the year before.

To alleviate the problem, he suggests the government classify other Thai jasmine fragrant rice strains in order to offer choices for consumers who don't want to spend as much.

He added the quality of Hom Mali rice, especially the aroma, has been deteriorating due to a lack of investment in research and development of rice breeds and the lack of a zoning system to ensure the grain's properties.

"It is always frightening to learn there are new strains of less fragrant jasmine rice being planted in the Northeast, the region most suitable for growing Hom Mali," he said.

Mr Charoen also urged the government to guard against illegal imports of Cambodian jasmine rice by Thai millers because of the Thai government's income guarantee programme.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Cambodian Business Review: Contract Farming for Rice in Cambodia.

Cambodian Business Review
May 2010
Volume 6, Issue 5

From the farmer’s perspective, contract farming provides stable market access, credits, extension services, infrastructure and other benefits, but has drawbacks such as limiting the flexibility of farming and marketing.

Based on a survey of rice contract farming for export in Cambodia, this paper uses simple mean comparison, propensity score matching comparison, and switching regression comparison to assess the impact of contract farming on farmers’ performance.

Farmers with larger family sizes, younger and more educated household heads, less asset value, and those with farm locations closer to the highway are more likely to join the contract. The contract farming of non-certified organic rice has a positive impact on farmers’ profitability.

They also suggest that progressive farmers living nears the highway tend to join the contract first, but leave contract farming early, while farmers in more remote areas remain under contract. It appears that the sample former-contract farmers’ profitability did not decline after leaving contact farming as they further intensified their farming systems to produce fro the less chemical conscious market.

Thus, contract farming may be involved in the process of helping subsistence farmers develop into independent commercial farmers.

Contract Farming: Pros and Cons

Contract farming is an institutional arrangement widely adopted in agricultural production. Contract farming represents an agreement between farmers and contractors (mostly processing and/or marketing firms) for the production and supply of agricultural products.

Under contract farming, farmers usually agree to deliver specific commodities in predetermined quantities and to meet predetermined quality standards, while contractors agree to provide production support (e.g., supply of input and provision of technologies) and accept products at predetermined prices.

Contract faming is beneficial to farmers because it opens up otherwise unavailable markets (especially to smallholder farmers), providing materials, technological and financial support, and reducing farmers’ costs and the risks involved in selling products.

It also benefits contractors by allowing them to establish close relationships with farmers and by reducing uncertainties in purchases through predetermined timing, prices, and quality standards.

While contact farming is a conceptually sound institutional arrangement, lack of flexibility is one of its main liabilities, and coordination problems are faced during its implementation.

As contract farmers are often required to grow new crops or adopt unfamiliar farming techniques, they tend to encounter greater production risks. They are also likely to face greater credit risks because of excessive advances, which tend to jeopardize the sustainability of their operations in the long run.
Supports from contractors can help reduce these risks. However, overdependence on a contractor not only makes farmers less adaptive and hence more vulnerable to economic shocks, but also tends to reduce their bargaining power in contract negotiations.

Contract farming may also be biased against poor farmers in remote areas while favoring better-off farmers with extensive land who are living in areas with good infrastructure. Contract enforcement is another major issue.

Farmers may breach the contract by diverting inputs supplied on credit to other purposes or selling outside the contract for higher prices, while contractors may breach the contract (e.g. with unfair quality standards, low quality inputs, poor technical assistance, incomplete purchases, delayed payment, etc.) because of inefficient management or marketing problems.

Contract Rice Farming in Cambodia

The largest contract rice farming operation in Cambodia is organized by Angkor Kasekam Roongroeung Co., Ltd.

Its main business is to export non-certified organic Neang Malis (an aromatic Cambodian rice variety introduced by AKR) to the international market1. AKR has invested about US$8 million in a high-tech rice mill that has a processing capacity of up to 10 tons per hour or up to 30,000 tons per year.

In 2005, the company worked with farmers in four provinces (Kandal, Kampong Speu, Takeo, and Kampot) which were selected based on their ideal agronomic conditions for the cultivation of the Neang Malis organic rice.

At the start of the contract farming operation, only about 100 farmers joined the contract because of a lack of trust in AKR’s contract arrangement as well as the company’s low milling capacity. Subsequently, the total number of contracted households reached more than 40,000. More than 80% of the contract farmers are located in Kompong Speu province.

AKR’s experiences shows that contract farming was generally successful in Kampong Speu province and in some nearby areas in Takeo province. Field observations indicate that the distance from the operation sites to the AKR headquarters is not a factor determining the success of contract farming.

Rather, most of the successful cases were farmers in former forestland and land close to mountains where rice can be produced at higher quality and yield. On the other hand, farmers that are close to AKR (and therefore close to main roads) and have more market experience tend to have higher levels of defaulting on the contracts.

This latter group of farmers is made up of the former contract farmers of the survey. AKR is involved in every stage of rice production and marketing. Its roles include: 1) identifying areas suitable for growing fragrant paddy; 2) establishing farmer associations based on existing commune structures and bringing these under its management; 3) using these associations to recruit farmers; 4) delivering improved seeds and technical advice to contract farmers; 5) monitoring and solving production problems; 6) collecting and purchasing rice output at AKR’s gate; 7) sorting milled and packaged paddy into different types; and 8) exporting rice to international markets, including Europe, Australia and Hong Kong.

Since all steps of production and processing are well coordinated, AKR shortens the supply chain under contract farming and thus lowers transaction costs for rice export, relative to the normal supply chain.According to AKR’s contract arrangement, the company distributes Neang Malis seeds in credit during July and buys back the output from October to January of the following year. This arrangement requires farmers to repay the credit seeds and transport the harvested paddy to the company’s rice mills.

The amount of seeds that farmers need to return, the minimum guaranteed price, and the penalties for contract defaults, are explicitly stated in the contracts. However, while contract farmers agree to obey AKR’s quality control mechanisms, conditions related to production methods are not clearly specified in the contracts.

The contracts also do not clearly state AKR’s liabilities if it does not buy contracted rice at the predetermined prices. The contracts state that AKR is obligated to buy rice from farmers at the minimum price without clearly specifying the terms of purchase in detail.

In practice, AKR often uses technical reasons to reject or lower the prices of rice that farmers have transported to the firm. AKR establishes commune associations to help enforce contracts.

Each commune association consists of a head, a deputy and the village head. The head and deputy are trained by the firm to understand the basic technical aspects of organic farming and the farming of Neang Malis.

Each association routinely observes the progress of its members and reports to the AKR management. The progress report includes every stage o production from plowing, transplanting, water management, and harvesting.

Each association also provides basic technical advice to its members, advises them not to use chemical fertilizers, and helps them grow other crops after the harvesting season. The associations also help members develop mixed or integrated agriculture (e.g., growing vegetables and raising livestock) to increase incomes and reduce poverty.

Commune associations report to AKR any issues related to the production process such as drought, flood disease, insect and other significant issues that affect production. The firm channels its policies through the associations and provides extension services via its agents.

At present, these associations are tightly controlled by the firm and have little bargaining power.

However, the have a promising future and could develop into independent organizations representing the interests of the community.

AKR associations appear to be a good model for community-based development. They provide the basis and experiences for the future development associations in Cambodia where farmers are predominantly smallholders.

On average, contract farmers have larger rice fields and use a higher percentage of their rice fields for commercial purposes. And average contract farmer controls 1.71 hectares of land (including both own and rented land) and uses 1.64 hectares of the land for rice farming, 46% of which is used to plant commercial rice.

An average former-contract farmer controls 1.30 hectares of land and uses 1.26 hectares of the land for rice farming, 26% of which is used to plant commercial rice. An average never-contract farmenr4 controls 1.03 hectares of land and uses 1.02 hectares of the land for rice farming, 5.4% of which is used to plant commercial rice.The low percentage of commercial rice fields for never-contract farmers indicates that most of them are subsistence farmers. On average, contract farmers have a lower harvest ratio (46%) than former-contract farmers (55%) for the entire operation. The difference is even greater in commercial fields.

Compared to former- and never-contract farmers, contract farmers enjoy significant price premiums in their commercial operations. On average, contract farmers can sell their commercial rice at 747 riel per kg, higher then former-contract farmers’ 684 riel per kg and never-contract farmers’ 645 riel per kg.

High rice price is a major factor4 attracting farmers to join the contract, which not only subjects them to strict quality standards but also constrains their freedom in farming activities such as the use of seeds and chemicals.

Former-contract farmers’ average commercial rice price is not significantly different from that of never-contract farmers.

As contract farmers con sell their rice at higher prices, one may expect that hey would have higher revenues, which nevertheless turns out not to be the case. On average, contract farmers’ revenue (per hectare) from commercial operations is 722,000 riel, which is lower than former-contact farmers’920,000 riel but not significantly different from never-contract farmers’684,000 riel.(US$1/-=4100 CR).

Monday, December 13, 2010

Cambodia Daily: Challenges Confront Growth of the Rice Sector.

Mr. Chieu gave interview to Cambodia Daily reporters

Cambodia Daily
December 2nd, 2010

In August, the government released a new policy aiming to increase rice exports in Cambodia to 1 million tons a year by 2015, up from less than 40,000 tons currently. Despite rising interest from foreign buyers, experts agree that reaching that target will be a challenge due to a combination of high energy costs, Poor irrigation and limited credit availability for farmers and millers to expand.

In an interview with Cambodia Daily reporter Hul Reaksmey and Simon Marks yesterday, Chieu Hieng, chairmen of Angkor Kasekam Roongroeung, Cambodia’s largest exporter of fragrant rice, said the rice sector would only reach its potential if capital investment in the sector experiences a major boost in the coming years and farmers can be convinced to sell to dedicated brokers that ensure a regular supply of high-quality paddy.

Q: Do you believe that Cambodia’s rice sector is capable of reaching exports of 1 million tons a year by 2015?

A: We can reach the target, but we have to prepare from now ….If you ask me how much we can export in the future, I am unable to say. In Cambodia, we lack standardized rice mills. Therefore, if we want to export millions of tons, we need to have exemplar rice in order to meet market demand. If we achieve these twothings, we will be able to export a lot of rice.

Q: What are the major constraints on the expansion of the rice sector?

A:
The biggest burden is capital constraints. It’s the biggest issue affecting the sector…….. [The banks] are strict and the interest rates are high. The second issue is related to trading regulation across borders. We do not control the border seriously enough. When rice becomes expensive, neighboring countries will challenge and buy rice paddy from us. If the price drops, the buying stops. This is an irregularity that makes those who have rice mills for export face difficulties.

Q: Is the rice sector capable of convincing banks and microfinance institutions to lend it money in order to fuel its growth?

A: If the government has a policy working on this matter, I think there will be quick progress….. The government should encourage the use of quality seeds …. and stop farmers from growing rice at random and buyer from purchasing rice in an unorganized fashion. If we have a good arrangement to classify the standard of rice, we will sell at a higher price and the market will rise.

Q: Where do you believe most foreign demand for Cambodian rice will come from?

A: The main market will be countries in Asean such as Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia. Besides that,we think that demand will come from Eastern Europe and some African countries.

Q: How do you convince buyers from abroad to purchase rice from Cambodia as opposed to the Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand?

A: If standards rice mills increase in number to [as many as 300] in the future, Asean countries comprising the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia will come and buy from us. They will have a dependable market. If we don’t have these rice mills, they will not come and buy. They will turn to look for rice in Vietnam and Thailand. More importantly, we have to maintain quality standards.

Q: What is your company doing to ensure that rice quality is always of a high standard when it arrives in paddy from at the factory?

A: We have created an association to distribute seeds in four provinces ( Kandal, Kompong Speu, Takeo and Kampot). In these four provinces, we have between 60,000 and 70,000 families. We have been buying expensive seeds to ensure good quality for nearly 10 years. Sometimes people sell the paddy to other brokers, who bring it to Vietnam and Thailand. These are the circumstances our company faces.

Q: How do you make sure that rice farmers consistently sell to formal Brokers that deliver a reliable supply to your milling company?

A: We cannot do that…Farmers will sell their paddy rice wherever there is a high price.

Q: Do you have any recommendations on how rice exports though Sihanoulville Autonomous Port can be facilitative?

A: In other countries they manage [rice exports] by not allowing shipping companies from increasing and decreasing fees arbitrarily. They have a fixed fee. This is the first thing our country does not yet do. Secondly, we have to select a good container. We will not take any old container before we put our rice in it.