Kampong Thom (FN), July 13 – Kao Thach, CEO of Rural Development Bank (RDB), said on Friday that in the upcoming rainy season, people will not worry about the price of rice, as the Royal Government of Cambodia is ready to provide loans to rice millers to buy rice from farmers at the market value.

His statement was made on Friday during the provincial workshop on “Business on Facilitation and Consultation between Traders and Agricultural Cooperation” organized at the Kampong Thom Provincial Hall.

The workshop was attended by Sok Lou, Governor of Kampong Thom province, Thiv Vanthy, director of the Provincial Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Oknha Hang Sokun, Community Agriculture Director, Oknha Song Saron, CEO of Amru Rice Company, local authorities, representatives from 10 Agriculture Communities and over 300 participants.

Kao Thach said the government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Hun Sen, has successfully solved problems and prevented the decline of the market price of rice under the special loans provided by the RDB to build rice storages to store 200,000 tons of rice and rice dryers to dry 3,000 tons of rice per day located in Battambang.

He added that the Royal Government has increased its loan portfolio to $50 million, with $43 million from special government package and $7 million from RDB’s direct funds to rice mills, rice processing companies and rice exporters, and paddy and harvesting rice collectors.

The Director General of the RDB also said that in addition to rice storage and large-scale rice dryers, the Royal Government of Cambodia has taken into consideration the maintenance of long-term rice prices, including production costs, transport costs as well as studying the linkage of agricultural transport routes.

Kao Thach has asked and encouraged the community to sign an agricultural contract with a rice mill or buyer in Kampong Thom Province.
=FRESH NEWS