Phnom Penh, Cambodia: Around one hundred representatives from government ministries, development partners, civil society and NGOs gathered at the consultative workshop on 14 February 2020 organized at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) by the Department of Planning and Statistic (DPS) of MAFF and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

It is the first national workshop, which was held to collect inputs from all relevant stakeholders for the Agricultural Sector Master Plan 2030 (ASMP 2030), which envisages a competitive, inclusive, resilient and sustainable modern agriculture sector in Cambodia in the next ten years. 

For Cambodia, this MAFF led event is also recognized as a formal national level consultation that gathered all relevant government ministries and DPs, who can give substantive inputs to the 35^th UN FAO Regional Conference for Asia and Pacific (APRC) to be convened in 2020. The ASMP 2030 will be the main reference document from which MAFF will base its contributions to APRC.

As summarized by H.E. Srey Vuthy, Secretary General of MAFF, the ASMP 2030 discussed challenges facing Cambodia's agriculture sector, from main crops, animal production to fisheries and forestry, and a growing local and international demand for high quality agricultural produce for food. He also emphasized the significant decline of natural resources, including water scarcity and the severe change of climate, causing irregular weather pattern and drought. These are also some of the key themes to be covered at the FAO 35^th APRC, the highest governing body of the Organization at regional level, a forum for government ministers and delegates from more than 40 countries in the region, with other institutions, civil society and the private sector as observers, to meet and debate challenges related to food and agriculture. Its main outcomes are recommendations will ensure FAO’s effective work and priorities in the region for the following 2 years.

Agriculture remains one of the Cambodia’s key economic drivers and is a source of employment for about 42 percent of the population, the World Bank reported in 2017. The RGC recognized that agriculture has important roles in contributing to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as indicated in a number of country’s strategies and policies, such as the Rectangular Strategy IV, the National Strategic Development Plan (NSDP) 2019-2023, and the Zero Hunger Action Plan, 2016-2025.   

During his opening remarks, H.E Chan Chesda, Secretary of State of MAFF said ASMP 2030 will help improve farmers' livelihood and food security for Cambodia as the master plan looks not only at boosting agricultural production, but to enhance agricultural commercialization, processing and an inclusive value chain for exports. ASMP 2030 is set to achieve at least three percent rise in the total valued added in the sector annually while bringing annual agricultural labour productivity up to USD 4,625 by 2030 from about USD 1,839 in 2018.

"In order to reach the set indicators, strategic objectives and actions, the plan must be centred on increasing competitiveness, inclusive agricultural growth, high quality, safe and nutritious products for farmers and Cambodian populations while ensuring the sustainable use of land, fisheries and forestry resource management," H.E. Chan Chesda said.

In other words, this long-term strategic plan is required to support the country to strengthen a vibrant agricultural sector that benefits Cambodian farmers and the population everywhere. By ensuring safe and quality and nutritious foods for people, a larger scale of quality products can enter regional and international markets, maximizing the country’s agricultural markets and trade.

Participants actively engaged in the discussion and shared their comments on each indicator, together with suggested constructive strategic actions to reach the set targets.

Speaking on behalf of both FAO and IFAD, the other co-DP Facilitator of the Technical Working Group for Agriculture and Water (TWG-AW), Mr Alexandre Huynh, FAO Representative in Cambodia, indicated the high importance of the AMSP to guide the development of the sector until 2030. The revitalization of the sector is critical for economic development and for the livelihoods of a very large percentage of the population, as they continue to rely on agriculture, animal production, fisheries and forestry as main source of income. "Diversification of production, development of value chains and value-adding are all recognised as essential aspects for the modernization of agriculture and for meeting the challenges of the future," he explained. 

He continued that rapid rate of urbanization in Cambodia has important implications for patterns of food production and consumption. Achieving the country Zero Hunger Challenge Action Plan by 2025 and the Cambodian SDGs of a ‘world with zero hunger’ by 2030 will require more productive, efficient and sustainable food production and systems in the country. This will require an urgent transformation of the current agri-food system, and a better awareness of the importance of nutrition.

H.E. Chan Chesda, at his closing remarks, thanked all stakeholders and partners for sharing insightful inputs to the development of an effective and relevant AMSP. MAFF's policy formulation team will take all inputs from all partners for further consideration and work closely with relevant ministries to revise the concerned indicators.