U.S. Companies Eye Opportunities in Cambodian Agriculture

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TAGS: EAGR EINV ETRD EAID CB
SUBJECT: U.S. Companies Eye Opportunities in Cambodian Agriculture

REFS: A) PHNOM PENH 276
B) PHNOM PENH 306
C) PHNOM PENH 285

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SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED. PROPRIETARY INFORMATION.

1. (SBU) SUMMARY: As the effects of the global economic crisis hit
Cambodia's other important growth sectors, the government is pinning
its hopes on growth in the expanding agriculture sector to shelter
Cambodians from the global downturn. In an effort to support the
government's growth initiatives while enhancing U.S. commercial
interests, the Ambassador led a delegation of U.S. companies in a
meeting with officials of the Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture,
Forestry, and Fisheries (MAFF) to discuss Cambodia's interest in
American Ag-sector products. Most of the companies are relatively
new to Cambodia and have complained of potential technical barriers
to trade. The meeting was all the more urgent as Cargill recently
announced its withdrawal from Cambodia ostensibly due to economic
conditions, but likely due in part to corruption-related issues
within the government. END SUMMARY.
Cambodia's Important Agriculture Sector
--------------

2. (U) For years analysts have touted Cambodia's agriculture sector
as the most obvious engine of growth for its economy. An estimated
80 percent of Cambodia's population lives in rural areas, and an
estimated 58 percent directly participate in the agriculture sector,
which comprises nearly 35 percent of GDP. The sector has recently
experienced steady growth rates, as high as 15 percent in 2005, and
has become increasingly important as Cambodia's other industries
face sharp declines due to the global economic slowdown (Ref A).
However, Cambodia's agriculture sector remains relatively primitive
compared to large neighboring countries, and possesses great
potential for growth.
Rice is King
--------------

3. (U) Rice occupies a place of pride in the Cambodian psyche, and
is planted in over 85 percent of all cultivated area. Prime
Minister Hun Sen has spoken optimistically of his vision for
Cambodia to become the world's leading rice exporter. Agriculture
Minister Chan Sarun forecasts that Cambodia will export eight
million tons of rice annually by 2015, a dramatic improvement from
the three million tons currently expected by the government for this
year, which would eventually place Cambodia very close to Thailand,
the world's leading rice exporter, which currently exports 9.5
million tons annually. [NOTE: While national rice production is in
surplus, deficits exist throughout the country where farmers cannot
produce enough for their own needs, as clearly demonstrated during
the global rice crisis in late 2007/early 2008 (Ref B) and recent
increases in the already high malnutrition numbers. END NOTE]. The
Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) hopes to continue to increase
production by utilizing better seeds, fertilizer, and planting
techniques, and by bringing more land under cultivation with the
expansion of irrigation systems. According to the UN Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO),only 16 percent of Cambodia's rice
fields are irrigated, but these fields account for 40 percent of
production. Expansion of irrigation in cultivated areas will also
allow for double-cropping, which remains relatively rare in Cambodia
despite the widespread practice in neighboring countries.
Cassava, Corn, and Rubber Cultivation Increasing Rapidly
-------------- --------------

4. (U) While rice remains the crop of choice, other crops are
quickly catching on. The United Nations Development Program (UNDP)
is helping Cambodia to diversify its agricultural production base
and has identified cassava, rubber, corn, fishery products, cashew
nuts, soybeans, livestock, silk, fruits, and vegetables as
industries with potential. Cassava has quickly become Cambodia's
second most popular crop after rice. According to MAFF statistics,
the 2008 cassava yield exceeded three million tons, a substantial
increase from slightly over 140,000 tons in 2001. Two processing
facilities have been established in Phnom Penh and Kampong Cham with
capacity to process one million tons of cassava, leaving two million
tons for export.

5. (U) Corn follows cassava as the third most popular crop, nearly
80 percent of which is produced near the borders with Thailand, with
the rest in provinces bordering Vietnam. According to official MAFF
statistics, Cambodia has over 160,000 hectares of land under corn
cultivation, and production is estimated at 612,000 tons in 2008,
more than 600 times 1999 production.

6. (U) Rubber production is also quickly expanding, with nearly
108,000 hectares cultivated in 2008, up 31 percent from 2007. The
government hopes to have 150,000 hectares of rubber cultivated by

2015. The Cambodian rubber industry recently achieved a major
milestone through recognition of Cambodian certification by the
International Rubber Association, validating the quality of
Cambodian rubber to international buyers. This recognition is
expected to increase the value of Cambodian rubber exports, making

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rubber an increasingly attractive investment for farmers or foreign
investors. Seizing this opportunity, the Khao Chuly Group, a
diversified Cambodian business conglomerate which also distributes
GE industrial products in Cambodia, recently signed a deal with
French company Socfin to invest USD 100 million to plant 20,000
hectares of rubber trees by 2010 through economic land concessions
granted by the government. [NOTE: At least one of Khao Chuly's
concessions has generated controversy at the provincial level. For
further information on land concessions see Ref C. END NOTE].
U.S. Companies may be able to Transform Agriculture
-------------- --------------

7. (U) MAFF Secretary of State Chan Tong Yves told a U.S.
agriculture delegation, including representatives of U.S. companies
Dupont, Fort Dodge Animal Health, General Electric, John Deere and
Monsanto, that "agriculture is the backbone of the economy which
needs to be strong in order to support the rest of the body." He
conceded that agriculture is Cambodia's "social safety net" that
serves as a means of livelihood for those who cannot find work in
the cities, a thought reflected in Prime Minister Hun Sen's calls
for unemployed urban workers to return to agriculture in the face of
job losses caused by the global economic crisis. According to Chan
Tong Yves, Cambodia's agriculture strategy seeks to reduce poverty
and develop Cambodia's export capacity by focusing on improving
productivity and diversifying production.

8. (U) Analysts agree that American products have the potential to
improve significantly Cambodian agricultural diversity and
productivity by providing better inputs and practices. Despite
years of high economic growth in Cambodia, many U.S. companies only
recently have become interested in opportunities here, and U.S.
agriculture companies have begun to explore opportunities in the
Cambodian market.

9. (SBU) Five U.S. companies participated in an Embassy-led
initiative to promote greater American engagement in Cambodia's
agriculture sector. All of the participants in the MAFF meeting
were new to Cambodia's agriculture sector and exploring
opportunities, except for John Deere, which has been distributed in
Cambodia for many years. General Electric and Dupont opened offices
in Cambodia within the last year. Fort Dodge Animal Health, a
division of Wyeth, and Monsanto executives flew in from regional
locations specifically to attend the meeting and explore
opportunities for further engagement in the agriculture sector.

10. (SBU) Dupont and Monsanto are promoting hybrid corn seeds, and
weed and insect control. Their hybrid seeds can increase corn
yields up to four times over conventional seeds, and they both see
great promise for increased cultivation of corn. Secretary of State
Chan Tong Yves suggested their herbicides and pesticides be used on
Cambodia's rubber plantations. Fort Dodge Animal Health, the
largest vaccine seller in North America, promotes vaccines; they
foresee the small-holder Cambodian livestock industry intensifying
in the coming years. John Deere distributes tractors in Cambodia
that they hope will displace the water buffalo as a more efficient
means to till the land. GE hopes to introduce their biomass/biogas
generators that can produce electricity with organic waste. GE's
Alfred Buchner said Cambodia was a veritable "gold mine" because of
the prevalence of unutilized agricultural waste that can be
transformed into much needed electricity to power village homes,
producing a byproduct that can be reintroduced into the fields.
U.S. Participation Limited by Corruption
--------------

11. (SBU) Cambodia suffers from endemic corruption, a major barrier
for many American Companies. While the MAFF meeting was intended to
provide a formal introduction by the U.S. Ambassador of U.S.
companies to senior MAFF officials, and present the myriad
productivity improvements U.S. products can provide Cambodia's
agriculture sector, an underlying goal was to raise issues of
corruption that most of the companies have experienced in their
efforts to become more involved in the sector.

12. (SBU) All seeds, pesticides, and herbicides must be registered
with the MAFF before legally entering the Cambodian market.
Cargill, Dupont, Fort Dodge, and Monsanto have all reported
difficulties in registering their products with MAFF in a
transparent manner. Registration is a requirement for distribution
of these products. [NOTE: Some of these companies reported that
their products have entered Cambodia indirectly through other
distribution networks, but many cannot enter formally because of
registration issues. END NOTE].

13. (SBU) Cargill provides a good example of a pioneering American
company that began to engage Cambodia, only to depart quickly upon
experiencing the prevailing business environment. Only a few weeks
after a glitzy product launch to Cambodian farmers and product
distributors for their pig feed, Cargill abruptly withdrew from
Cambodia, ostensibly due to the lack of a market. However, the
Managing Director of Cargill Vietnam, which also has responsibility
for Cambodia, told EconOff with palpable disappointment that in
order to register their products with the MAFF, Cargill was asked to

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deposit funds into the personal account of an MAFF official, a story
corroborated by Fort Dodge Animal Health, which had a similar
experience when trying to register their vaccines. Fort Dodge
lamented that they would already have someone resident in Cambodia
if they had not run into corruption barriers.
MAFF Dodges Corruption Questions, Requests Assistance
-------------- --------------

14. (SBU) When directly confronted with a number of U.S. companies
complaining about non-transparency and excessive bureaucracy in the
registration process -- with the Ambassador pointing out that
Cambodia's agriculture industry is more regulated than Vietnam's or
Thailand's -- Secretary of State Chan Tong Yves could say only that
Cambodia is making efforts "to improve year-to-year," noting that
this year they are working to streamline the registration process
for forestry products, from five steps to three steps. He offered a
common excuse: the Ministry is slow to register products in part
due to lack of technical capacity. Ambassador Rodley quickly
volunteered USG assistance in a seminar on technical aspects of
product registration, which the MAFF officials welcomed. After the
meeting, Fort Dodge noted that other vaccines from Laos, Vietnam,
and India were already registered and promoted by MAFF, which led to
his rhetorical question how those smaller companies were able to
register their products and Fort Dodge, the world's fifth largest
vaccine seller with over $1 billion turnover, is experiencing such
difficulties. The Director of MAFF's Animal Production Department,
with which Fort Dodge has formerly dealt, said that an exhibition of
products would be helpful, a strategy Dupont has followed in
cooperation with another MAFF Department (with limited success thus
far),but one that Fort Dodge seems keen to follow in a long-term
effort formally to enter the market.
Plans for Assistance to Address Ag Sector Needs
-------------- --

15. (SBU) Donors, the USG, and the private sector are attempting to
work cooperatively to convince the Cambodian Government of the
benefits of modernizing their public administration system, which
will open the door to the rapid modernization of the agriculture
sector. However, more needs to be done. In August 2009, AID will
conduct an assessment of Cambodia's agriculture sector. This
assessment will inform the design of a four - to five - year
agriculture program that will begin implementation by the end of FY

2010. Cambodia's agriculture sector is constrained by inter alia,
the poor use of fertilizers, limited access to improved technologies
and practices, weak irrigation systems and rural roads, limited
access to credit, and a lack of research and development. To
address these impediments USAID will consider activities that
improve access to agricultural inputs, use bio - and agricultural
technology, increase agricultural services, improve post-harvest
management and technology, and lead to more efficient resource
management in order to boost Cambodia's agricultural yields for both
domestic consumption and export markets. Investments in improved
technical practices as well as assistance with
sanitary/phytosanitary measures will help Cambodia compete in the
global economy.

16. (SBU) COMMENT: It is unsurprising that many Cambodian farmers
continue farming in the same manner as their ancient ancestors.
Starting from the "year zero" base imposed on the Cambodian people
by the murderous Khmer Rouge, many modern technologies have since
been hindered from entering the market. U.S. companies can provide
better products and technologies that can significantly contribute
to Cambodia's agricultural productivity and diversification if
allowed to participate freely in the market. Post hopes to develop
a strategic framework to identify and understand market access
problems, points of engagement in the government to address them,
and where the Embassy can best use its influence to make inroads.
RODLEY