Dhaka seeks rice, land concessions
from Phnom Penh
New Age Desk
Bangladesh is seeking to purchase 2,00,000 tonnes of Cambodia痴 rice and has requested economic land concessions, according to Cambodian foreign minister Hor Namhong, the Phnom Penh Post reported on Monday.
After the meeting with his Bangladesh counterpart Dipu Moni on Monday, Hor Namhong told reporters the government of Bangladesh saw its food shortage problem as a first priority. Consequently, it has asked to purchase roughly 2,00,000 tonnes of rice as soon as possible.
In turn, Cambodia requested more investment from Bangladesh to process rice domestically.
We have a rice surplus although Cambodia does not have the rice mills to process it so we want Bangladesh to invest in rice mills. Because we do not have the rice mills our farmers sell their rice to Vietnam and Thailand,・he said.
Thailand and Vietnam are the world痴 two largest rice exporters.
Last week the Bangladesh Directorate General of Food released a tender on its website seeking to import 50,000 tonnes of white rice to help its domestic shortage. It gave bidders until January 3 to submit offers.
Hor Namhong said Bangladesh wanted to invest in growing rice in Cambodia for future exports back to Bangladesh, requested long-term land leases for up to 99 years, such as Cambodia had already granted to other countries.
The two countries would work towards an agreement to improve the bilateral trade and investment relationship which was now quite small, he said.
Bangladesh痴 foreign minister痴 two-day visit, which ends Tuesday, is the first state visit from Bangladesh since 2001.
She has also met the Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen and the minister of agriculture, Chan Sarun, for further discussions about agricultural projects.
Cambodia痴 national rice policy includes an aim to reach 1 million tonnes of milled rice exports by 2015.
from Phnom Penh
New Age Desk
Bangladesh is seeking to purchase 2,00,000 tonnes of Cambodia痴 rice and has requested economic land concessions, according to Cambodian foreign minister Hor Namhong, the Phnom Penh Post reported on Monday.
After the meeting with his Bangladesh counterpart Dipu Moni on Monday, Hor Namhong told reporters the government of Bangladesh saw its food shortage problem as a first priority. Consequently, it has asked to purchase roughly 2,00,000 tonnes of rice as soon as possible.
In turn, Cambodia requested more investment from Bangladesh to process rice domestically.
We have a rice surplus although Cambodia does not have the rice mills to process it so we want Bangladesh to invest in rice mills. Because we do not have the rice mills our farmers sell their rice to Vietnam and Thailand,・he said.
Thailand and Vietnam are the world痴 two largest rice exporters.
Last week the Bangladesh Directorate General of Food released a tender on its website seeking to import 50,000 tonnes of white rice to help its domestic shortage. It gave bidders until January 3 to submit offers.
Hor Namhong said Bangladesh wanted to invest in growing rice in Cambodia for future exports back to Bangladesh, requested long-term land leases for up to 99 years, such as Cambodia had already granted to other countries.
The two countries would work towards an agreement to improve the bilateral trade and investment relationship which was now quite small, he said.
Bangladesh痴 foreign minister痴 two-day visit, which ends Tuesday, is the first state visit from Bangladesh since 2001.
She has also met the Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen and the minister of agriculture, Chan Sarun, for further discussions about agricultural projects.
Cambodia痴 national rice policy includes an aim to reach 1 million tonnes of milled rice exports by 2015.
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