Field Work in Battambang
Field Work in Battambang
On Wednesday, 13th March 2024, the PCRL Consultant Team conducted a meeting with Chrey Bongkoern Phal AC in Chrey commune, Moung Russey district, Battambang province, a new proposed target groups, brought together 30 participants, including 10 women of AC members, and Commune Agriculture Officers (CAO) with the facilitation of the Battambang PDAFF officials. The meeting was presided over by Mrs. Tuy Sokheng, Deputy Head of the Department of Agricultural Land Resources Management (DALRM) of the General Directorate of Agriculture (GDA), and representing the PCRL project.
The AC has 224 active members, of which 60 are women. The current capital value is 67,000,000 Riels, equivalent to 222 shareholders, operating in two main businesses, including seed production, and micro-credit. The AC was part of the IPM, ECOSORN, BOOSTING, and ADB support. It is notable that with BOOSTING until 2020, the AC produced 100 tons of Phkar Rumdol seed per year and succeeded in supplying certified seed for neighboring producer groups and other provinces. However, after the intervention of this project ended, the AC struggled to supply these seeds without public subsidies. This year, they still have 40 tons of certified seed in stock and received no orders. This urged some of its members to sell their seed as dry paddy to the conventional market.
On the same day, another meeting with Chamroeun Phal Raingkesei AC was held with 23 people, of which 12 were female members of the AC, local authorities, and the CAO of Raing Kesei Commune, Sangkae district, Battambang province. It is also a newly suggested target AC for PCRL. This AC is working with their active member of 270 households, of which 127 are women. There is a range of business operations such as paddy rice production with contracts to Amru, agricultural inputs supplies, cover crops seed production, and rice seed production. In previous times, they used to have purified water manufacturing, but they had been postponed. The current capital value is 40,000,000 Riels. This AC is considered a flagship area for development support.
The AC is currently working with WAT4CAM on agroecological transition for their farming system, HARVEST-3 on vegetable production, and VSO on agribusiness. With support from JICA, the AC received to build infrastructure for rice seed storing facility. The current capacity of seed production is 60 tons per year of Sen Kroob. However, there are challenges to seed production since the tendency of the paddy producer is shifting to other varieties than Sen Kroob. It is observed that Sragnae is gaining in popularity amongst producers as it is less exposed to pests. Thus, it is a constraint to the seed production of the AC that needs a solution for adapting to market demand.
