[Background / related]
The Vietnamization of Kampuchea: A New Model of Colonialism (Indochina Report, October 1984)
Part
II: Vietnamization of the Economic Framework (continued)
The
Unequal Exchange
It
is within this new institutional framework that the Vietnamese are asserting their hold over the economy
and future of
Kampuchea. Fisheries, rubber and rice are the three main sectors affected by what should be termed the Unequal
Exchange between Vietnam and Kampuchea.
...
Farmers Block Road Amid Rice Price Crisis
Phnom Penh Post | 19 September 2016
At least 400 farmers piled 100
tons of rice paddy across National Road 5 in Battambang province on Sunday
morning, seeking a guaranteed minimum return for their harvest amid frantic
government efforts to confront falling prices.
Since the middle of last month,
there has been a
steep
drop in the average
per-ton payment that millers are offering for rice paddy, from about $250 to
$193 last week, according to a
statement released by the Ministry of Finance on Friday.
Intervening
in an attempt to protect farmers, Prime Minister Hun Sen had approved a $27
million grant—$20 million from the state and the rest from the Rural
Development Bank—to subsidize millers and keep payments stable, the statement
said. About 90,000 tons of rice could be bought with this allotment, it said,
allowing farmers to expect about $235 per ton.
“At the same time, rice
exporters will have rice to export as they will receive a sufficient supply
from the rice mills who have sufficient amounts of rice paddy in their
storage,” said Hun Lak, vice president of the Cambodia Rice Federation.
In Battambang, however, farmers
say the situation has become dire, with rice mills offering even lower payments
than the ministry’s lowest estimate, or refusing to buy their harvest outright.
“We have worked so hard and
then we took our rice paddy to sell to the rice mills in the village, but some
of them did not buy it for this or that reason, while some offered very low
prices that we could not accept,” said Im Sarin, a 32-year-old farmer.
Feeling stiffed and without any
other options, Mr. Sarin and dozens of fellow farmers decided to take their
problem to the Kompong Prieng commune office in Battambang’s Sangke district at
8:30 a.m.
“We stopped along the road with
our tractors and rice paddy and we pulled about 10 bags of the rice paddy out
onto the road in order to claim a higher price,” he said, adding that the crowd
grew as they made their way to the office.
Eventually, a representative
from the province’s largest rice bank, Thaneakea Srov (Kampuchea) Plc., began
negotiations, he said.
By 1 p.m., the farmers agreed
to sell their paddy for between $192.50 and $210 per ton, depending on the
quality, according to commune chief Som Neth. Despite causing four hours of
traffic jams, he said the protest had not been particularly problematic.
“They just requested a solution
to make the price of rice paddy higher, and the problem was solved already
early this afternoon as the rice bank in the province agreed to buy their rice
paddy,” he said.
“Now some trucks from the rice
bank are working to collect the farmers’ rice paddy.”
Kang Voeun, 60, another farmer,
said that the conclusion was disappointing, but had brought some relief.
“We were so sad that our rice
paddy had lost all value, and if we cannot sell our products, our standard of
living would be more diminished, as we would have no money to pay debts that we
have incurred,” he said.
“Even though the price is not
as high as we want, it is acceptable as it can let us gain some benefit.”
The government’s intervention,
meant to ensure that farmers don’t lose money on the harvest, is misguided,
according to environmental consultant Ian Thomas.
“It sounds like this is a handout to the [wealthy] Cambodian…
millers that are partly responsible for the problem,” he said. “The thing that
rice farmers in Cambodia need is storage so they can say no to the middlemen.
Then they can just wait until they get a good price.”
Still, he said, Cambodia can’t
expect to compete in a market already saturated regionally—with an abundance of
rice coming from Vietnam, Burma and Thailand.
“You’ve got to get out of being
too dependent on rice,” he said. “The best thing to do is help the farmers and
get them another means of making money besides rice.”
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