CAMBODIA (1 June)
Harvesting of dry season paddy crops has been completed and planting/transplanting of main wet season rice for harvesting from October/November is underway. Total paddy production in 2002 is estimated at 3.74 million tonnes, a drop of about 9 percent from a year earlier due to reduced area and lower yield. The target rice output in 2003 was indicated by Ministry of Agriculture at 4.5 million tonnes. The Government of Cambodia is set to develop the rice sector and boost rice exports as a critical component of the country’s national development strategy. Currently about 80 percent of the country’s population is involved in agricultural production, accounting for nearly 40 percent of the country’s gross domestic product.