Rice federation to argue against European tariffs on Cambodian exports

The Cambodian Rice Federation (CRF) announced on Wednesday it planned to argue on the international stage against EU tariffs on Cambodian rice exports, saying the decision will cause the Kingdom to lose its competitiveness and hurt its ability to sustain itself.

According to CRF’s statement, imposing tariffs on Cambodian rice to the EU is a regressive move.

“The decision to impose tariffs is happening too quickly, Cambodian rice will need more time to be strong enough to fully compete against other rice without being tariff free,” it read.

The statement did not outline in detail the procedures it would take to negotiate over the EU’s decision.

Despite mentioning in the release that it will find ways to lower production costs across the rice sector to cope with the financial blow, CRF has not yet provided further details on how it will do so.

CRF also said it will aim to build a brand name for Cambodian premium fragrant rice, Angkor Malis, in the international market, and urged Cambodian people to buy local rice to grow the market.

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