Korea to support coffee production in northeast

The Korean International Cooperation Agency (Koica) last week unveiled a project to boost coffee production in Mondulkiri province, in the country’s northeast.

The agency said the project’s initial phase would be funded with $50,000, but added that before the project begins, Koica must reach an agreement with farmers in the area.

“Our aim is to hike up coffee production in the province,” said Jeong Yun Gil, Koica country director, on Saturday.

“We will promote [Cambodian coffee] in foreign markets where coffee is in great demand,” Mr Yun Gil said.

He said the project will focus on providing financial support and training to the province’s ethnic minorities to help them increase their income.

Mr Yun Gil also announced plans to build a coffee processing facility in Mondulkiri.

Song Kheang, from Mondulkiri’s agriculture department, said he was not aware of the project, but welcomed any programme that aims to boost coffee production in the province.

Both robusta and arabica beans are grown in Mondulkiri, with plantations occupying about 200 hectares of land, he told Khmer Times on Monday.

Read more...