CRF taps UAE market to expand milled rice exports

The Cambodian Rice Federation (CRF) has sought to expand the milled rice market in the United Arab Emirates, saying that negotiations on a comprehensive economic partnership agreement between Cambodia and the UAE will give a significant boost to commodity exports to the market.

Its president Song Saran attended the Cambodia-UAE Business Forum in Abu Dhabi earlier this week, where he presented the potential of the Cambodian rice industry.

Saran said yesterday that Cambodia is expected to increase milled rice exports to the West Asian country and the region as negotiations on a comprehensive economic partnership agreement are underway.

He said that under the Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement, Cambodian milled rice will become increasingly easy to export to the United Arab Emirates and countries in West Asia.

Cambodian exports of milled rice to the United Arab Emirates are small. Therefore, through the negotiation of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement between Cambodia and the United Arab Emirates, this is the first opportunity to make Cambodia more widely known, he said.

“Cambodia will be able to export more rice to the United Arab Emirates,” Saran said.

Negotiations on the Cambodia-United Arab Emirates Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) officially kicked off on October 24 and could be completed by 2023, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

The Cambodia Rice Federation is offering an opportunity to dialogue with relevant partners to find trading partners for Cambodia to export rice to these countries.

“The Cambodian Rice Federation has made great efforts to promote Cambodian milled rice exports to promote rice-growing communities and farmers, especially to contribute to our national economy,” Saran said.

From January to September this year, Cambodia exported about 450,000 tons of milled rice to 60 international markets, including countries in West Asia, with a revenue of US$287 million.

China remains the largest buyer of Cambodian rice, buying 198,107 tonnes, accounting for 44.09 percent of Cambodia’s total exports, the CRF said. Other countries include France, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Italy, Gabon, Brunei, the United Kingdom and Germany, among others.