Cambodia will host the World Rice Conference in 2025 after the country’s fragrant rice, Malys Angkor, won the World Rice Award last year.
Malys Angkor, the signature of Cambodia’s fragrant rice, won the World Rice Award for the sixth time at the World Rice Awards on November 7 during the 2024 World Rice Conference in Manila, Philippines.
Cambodia’s announcement to host the 2025 World Rice Conference was made during a meeting between Prime Minister Hun Sen and Jeremy Zwinger, President and CEO of The Rice Trader (TRT) and founder of the World Rice Conference (WRC), at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh on Wednesday.
Zwinger expressed his support for Cambodia’s hosting of the World Rice Conference, citing Cambodia’s rapid development in the rice sector with significant progress in rice production, logistics and other infrastructure.
Hun Sen thanked Zwinger for his support and stressed the importance of rice production for Cambodia’s long-term agricultural goals.
“The Cambodian government’s key policies are to boost Cambodia’s rice production to increase competitiveness, as well as develop infrastructure and logistics to facilitate transportation and reduce costs,” the Prime Minister said.
Winning the World’s Best Rice Award for the sixth time has placed the Kingdom of Cambodia at a prestigious level. Cambodia first won the award in 2012, then in 2013, 2014, 2018 and 2022.
Lon Yeng, Secretary-General of the Cambodian Rice Federation, said that the CRF and relevant stakeholders have jointly promoted Cambodia’s rice to the world through international exhibitions and events.
He said that this remarkable achievement highlights Cambodia’s growing reputation as a global rice producer, adding that with the label of the world’s best rice producer, Cambodian rice will be widely promoted, boosting market access and exports.
Cambodia exported 575,562 tonnes of rice in the first 11 months of 2024, generating $413 million in revenue.
Exported rice varieties include fragrant rice, organic rice, white rice, brown rice, and Japanese rice.
