PHNOM PENH, December 22, 2025 — In a major step toward transforming Cambodia into a regional agro-industrial powerhouse, H.E. Cham Nimul, Minister of Commerce, chaired a final-term evaluation of the National Cassava Policy 2020-2025 today. The meeting, which included representatives from all 25 provinces and the private sector, concluded with a unanimous agreement to launch a “Step 2” policy aimed at maximizing the value of Cambodian cassava on the global stage.
Evaluating the Success of the 2020-2025 Mandate
The National Cassava Policy was launched five years ago with the vision of making cassava a primary export crop alongside rice. During the meeting, the inter-ministerial working group highlighted several key achievements:
- Economic Stability: Cassava has solidified its position as Cambodia’s second-largest agricultural export, contributing significantly to the national GDP.
- Poverty Alleviation: The policy has directly improved the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of farming households, providing a stable income and reducing the need for migration.
- Investment Attraction: The framework successfully attracted several international investors to set up collection points and small-scale processing units.
The Three-Pillar Strategy for “Phase 2”
Recognizing that the world market is shifting toward sustainable and processed products, H.E. Cham Nimul and the working group have proposed a new three-pronged strategy for the 2026-2030 period:
- Production (Efficiency & Resilience): Moving beyond just “growing more,” the new phase focuses on high-yield varieties and climate-smart agriculture. This ensures that farmers can maintain profits even in the face of unpredictable weather patterns.
- Processing (Value Addition): The most critical shift in the upcoming policy is the focus on local processing. By incentivizing the construction of large-scale starch, ethanol, and animal feed factories within Cambodia, the government aims to keep the “added value” within the country rather than exporting raw roots to neighboring nations.
- Export (Market Diversification): With the support of the Cambodia-China Cassava Alliance Association, the Ministry aims to expand direct export routes to China and the European Union, utilizing Cambodia’s Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) to secure better prices for local producers.
A Unified Vision for Peace and Prosperity
The meeting underscored the importance of the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. By including the Cambodian Cassava Federation in the decision-making process, the government ensures that the new policy addresses the real-world challenges faced by traders and exporters, such as high logistics costs and electricity prices.
“Our goal is to ensure that the peace and stability we enjoy today are translated into economic opportunities for every farmer,” H.E. Cham Nimul noted. “A strong cassava sector means a strong Cambodia.”