The General Directorate of Agriculture of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) have reached a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Cambodia’s fruit and vegetable production project (CHAIN Phase III).
The MoU was inked by H.E. Ngin Chhay, Director General of General Directorate of Agriculture and Mr. Markus Burli, SDC’s representative under the presidency of H.E. Veng Sakhon, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries here in Phnom Penh recently.
Ms. Alexandra Mandelbaum, Country Director of SNV (Netherlands Development Organisation), Mr. Rik Overmars, Team Leader of CHAIN project, concerned senior government officials as well as national and international guests witnessed the official signing.
The agreement aims to continue strengthening and cooperating in implementing the project in order to increase safe fruit and vegetable production ensuring sustainable income, food security, economic development and poverty reduction in line with the government’s Agriculture Sector Strategic Development Plan 2019-2023.
Speaking on the occasion, H.E. Veng Sakhon underlined that the Royal Government through his ministry is working hard to promote agricultural productions and commercialisation, shifting to intensive farming development and agro-commerce.
The ministry also encouraged producers to boost safe farm crops and raise pigs, ducks, fishes, chickens and so on, to meet domestic demand and reduce imports, he continued.
He also spoke highly of the efforts of all concerned partners, especially the General Directorate of Agriculture and SDC in carrying out the CHAIN (Cambodian Horticulture Advancing Income and Nutrition) project successfully and reaching its phase III.
Through the project, he added, horticulturists will receive modern techniques in growing crops and marketing safe fruits and vegetables, contributing vitally to rural livelihood improvement.
The project (CHAIN for 2014-2022) cost US$10 million and is operating in Cambodia’s four provinces: Kratie, Preah Vihear, Stung Treng and Oddar Meanchey.
