Cambodia has asked Timor-Leste to invest in Cambodia’s growing rice sector and import more rice from Cambodia.
The proposal was made by Senate President Hun Sen during a courtesy call with Timor-Leste Ambassador Ermenegildo Kupa Lopes in Phnom Penh on Tuesday.
Hun Sen highlighted Cambodia’s potential as a major rice exporter and encouraged Timor-Leste to explore opportunities for investment in rice milling and processing plants in the country.
The Senate President said he also wants to see more rice from Cambodia enter Timor-Leste, which has so far imported about 4,000 tons of rice from Cambodia this year.
“I encourage investors in Timor-Leste to invest in rice production in Cambodia and import this rice to strengthen food security, in addition to exporting to other foreign markets,” Hun Sen said.
The Cambodian government also aims to establish a long-term partnership with Timor-Leste in the agricultural sector, sending experts there to assess soil conditions and identify suitable crop varieties.
The initiative is in line with Cambodia’s broader strategy to expand its rice exports to new markets and strengthen its position as a leading rice producer in the region.
The Cambodian Rice Federation (CRF) also sees Timor-Leste as a potential market for the country’s rice. The CRF has been working with several parties on a possible rice export agreement with Timor-Leste, its secretary-general, Lon Yeng, told the Khmer Times.
The CRF report showed that Cambodia exported 445,913 tonnes of rice in the first nine months of 2024, earning $335.4 million.
Rice varieties exported by Cambodia include fragrant rice, white rice, brown rice and organic rice.
Seven ASEAN countries import rice from Cambodia, with about 20 percent of Cambodia’s total rice exported through the end of September this year.
