Agricultural community competition wraps up

The fourth edition of the Agricultural Community Competition ended yesterday, with organisers hailing the role the event plays in improving the sector by helping farmers adopt good practices.

A total of 120 communities from around the country took part in this year’s competition, which was held at the Ministry of Agriculture in Phnom Penh.

Good farming practices were shared among the representatives of the communities attending the event, and will be applied once these representatives return to their respective communities, said Minister of Agriculture Veng Sakhon.

The event is proof that the government continues to push for sustainable development in the industry, particularly by increasing competitiveness, production capacity, and quality, Mr Sakhon said at the closing ceremony, adding that the organisers also hope to encourage more communities to enter contract farming schemes.

“This event connects the three most important actors in the sector – the communities, the middlemen, and the outlets that will sell the products,” he said, adding that contract farming schemes can help improve productivity and product quality and facilitate the adoption of new harvesting technologies.

“As a result of this event, the communities will be able to expand their markets, farmers will become acquainted with new technologies and SMEs will become more competitive,” he said.

In descending order, the contest’s top five winners were from Kampong Speu, Kampong Chhnang, Takeo, Kandal, and Kampong Cham.

Winners are chosen based on their management styles, creativity, and use of new technologies, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.