Wednesday, 13.8.2008: Cambodia Will Spend More Than US$400 Million to Create a First Class Irrigation System

The Mirror, Vol. 12, No. 573

“Phnom Penh: A high ranking official of the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology said that Cambodia will spend more than US$400 million starting in 2008 for ambitious developments to create a huge, first class irrigation system.

“Mr. Lim Kean Hor, the Minister of Water Resources and Meteorology, said that more than one million hectares of rice fields in Cambodia are expected to be served with enough water when these projects will be completed towards the end of the newly starting fourth term of the royal government. Mr. Lim Kean Hor continued that the projects are now in the preliminary stages. After they are completed, it is expected they will deliver water to nearly 60% of the entire area of the present day rice fields.

“At present, the Ministry of Water Resources plans to start building a big dam in the coming dry season with resources from Qatar at the Vaico River in Svay Rieng, worth more than US$200 million, which can deliver water to more than 300,000 hectares of rice fields, and it plans to construct another dam at the Stung Saen River [Kompong Thom] with resources from Kuwait, worth over US$100 million, which can serve 10,000 hectares of cultivation fields. The Ministry plans also to build the Krang Ponley dam [in Kompong Speu], starting during the dry season, with a loan from the government of Korea at a costs of US$33 million, and to build dams at the Basal and Chi Kraeng Krom rivers [Siem Reap] with a loan from the government of India, at a costs US$30 million, as well as the Kumhat dam, by using water from the Stung Sangkae River [Battambang] at a costs US$52 million.

“The director of the Cambodian Center for Study and Development in Agriculture – CEDAC – Mr. Yang Saing Koma, immediately welcomed the project to spend money for a first class irrigation system, assessing that this project will help to increase paddy rice yields in the country by at least more than one million tonnes per year. Mr. Yang Saing Koma said that this is a good project, but the government has to ensure that expenses are used efficiently. In the meantime, the government has to clarify which system for storing water should be constructed or restored, in order to avoid losing national resources. According to Mr. Yang Saing Koma’s comment, the government as well as the Ministry of Water Resources should focus on delivering water to farmers to grow rice with stability in the rainy season as the first priority, because it will increase our paddy rice yields to be higher than at present.

“It should be noted that currently, because of insufficient irrigation systems to deliver water for rice production, Cambodia receives only 1.6 to 2 tonnes per hectare on average. Regarding this irrigation system, Mr. Yang Saing Koma said, ‘If our land of more than one million hectares receives enough water, in the rainy season, based on our experiences, farmers might yield at least between 30% to 50% more paddy rice – that is more than one million tonnes more.’

“At present, Cambodia, with more than 2.5 million hectares for rice farming, yields between 6 and 7 million tonnes of paddy rice per year, out of which more than 2 million tonnes can be exported. On 6 August 2008, Prime Minister Hun Sen stated in front of thousands of citizens who were transplanting rice seedlings in Kompong Speu that the next term government, which will be formed after the election of 27 August 2008, has the intention to give top priority to irrigation systems so that Cambodia will become a big rice exporting country in the region. He said that Cambodia will have between 4 and 5 million tonnes paddy rice to sell each year under the policy of giving top priority to irrigation systems.

“According to the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology, nowadays around 44% of the rice fields in Cambodia are being irrigated.” Khmer Sthapana, Vol.1, #72, 13.8.2008

Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:
Wednesday, 13 August 2008

Deum Ampil, Vol.3, #81, 13-19.8.2008

• Chinese President Hu Jintao Met Khmer King [11 August 2008 – Beijing]; [Minister of Foreign Affairs] Hor Namhong Will Take the Issues of the Preah Vihear Region and the Ta Moan Temple to Meet with the Thai King [and Thai high-ranking officials] on 18 August 2008

Kampuchea Thmey, Vol.7, #1718, 13.8.2008

• Deputy Representative of the US Department of Commerce [Director for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Liaison, Office of the United States Trade Representative, Dr. Christina Sevilla] Will Visit Cambodia [on 13 August 2008, to discuss private-public sector cooperation in order to expand commerce]
• A Student [of the Institute of Foreign Languages] Who Was About to Continue Her Studies in Japan Was Hit by a Motorcycle and Died before She Could Be Transferred to a Hospital in Vietnam [11 August 2008 – Phnom Penh]
• Thai Supreme Court Issued an Arrest Warrant for [ousted former Thai prime minister] Mr. Thaksin
• Russian President [Dmitri Medvedev] Ordered to Stop Military Operations in Georgia [12 August 2008]

Khmer Machas Srok, Vol.2, #220, 13.8.2008

• The Cambodian Independent Teachers’ Association Requests the Ministry of Education to Punish Those Who Committed Corruption during the [high school diploma] Examinations
• Lao Mong Hay [a senior researcher at the Asian Human Rights Commission in Hong Kong] Said that the Diplomatic Politics of the Hun Sen Government Are Weaker than Siam’s [Thailand has contacted the United Sates of America, China, and some European countries, and informed them about the border issues with Cambodia]

Khmer Sthapana, Vol.1, #72, 13.8.2008

• Civil Society Organizations Ask the Government to Lodge a Complaint against Thailand at the United Nations
• Cambodia Will Spend More Than US$400 Million to Create a First Class Irrigation System
• The Price of Oil on the World Market Continues to Decline to US$111 per Barrel; in Cambodia the Price Does Not Reflect such Changes

Koh Santepheap, Vol.41, #6422, 13.8.2008

• The Ministry of Foreign Affairs Claimed Publicly that the Group of Ta Moan Temples Is on Cambodian Territory
• The National Authority for Combating Drugs Published the 2007 Data [drug production, drug trafficking, and drug use became more complicated and spread countrywide, especially to rural areas]

Moneaksekar Khmer, Vol.15, #3537, 13.8.2008

• Former Khmer Rouge Leaders in Detention Are Accused of More Genocide Crimes

Raksmei Angkor, Vol.11, #1346, 13.8.2008

• The Norodom Ranariddh Party [changed position and now] Accepted the Election Results, and Suspended Cooperation with the Sam Rainsy Party [as announced on 11 August 2008]

Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.16, #4666, 13.8.2008

• Cambodia and Japan Plan to Organize a Mixed Cultural Event in 2009

Click here to have a look at the last editorial – really changes to be expected?

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