Boosting rice production in Cambodia

After the Paris peace agreements of October 1991, which followed two decades of conflict, Cambodia had to cope with 385 000 returnees from Thailand, 190 000 internally displaced persons and 40 000 people maimed by land-mines. Security problems persisted, with 10 to 15 percent of the country controlled by the Khmer Rouge and more than 5 million land-mines still in place. Agriculture was providing around half of a per caput gross domestic product (GDP) of less than US$200.

Ninety percent of farmland in Cambodia is devoted to rice. Fertilizers are essential to maintain and increase production. From 1991 to 1996, FAO implemented six fertilizer emergency aid projects with funds from the Netherlands, Sweden and Germany. The projects involved the distribution of more than 61 000 tonnes of fertilizer, representing about two-thirds of the total quantity of fertilizer officially imported into the country during the period. FAO also assisted in rebuilding the entry port's logistic capacities to handle large quantities of fertilizer; in training more than 150 extension workers and 35 000 farmers; and in providing equipment for the national soil laboratory. From 1992 to 1996 the projects increased paddy production by a total of more than 500 000 tonnes (equivalent to 300 000 tonnes of milled rice), reducing food aid needs accordingly.