Credit: Asia News Network

A recent import ban and border closure with Thailand has unexpectedly opened new opportunities for farmers in Cambodia, as local supermarkets step in to support the country’s struggling agricultural sector.

With cross-border trade halted, Cambodian pumpkins that once would have been exported are now finding a new market at home. Supermarket chains such as Chip Mong, Aeon, Bayon, and Makro have stepped up to purchase tons of unsold pumpkins directly from farmers, bringing them to retail shelves across Phnom Penh and other cities.

Credit: CHIP MONG SUPERMARKET

Local officials say the move has provided a lifeline for growers facing significant losses. “In the current situation, where exporting to Thailand is not possible, some supermarkets have stepped in to help by purchasing pumpkins from farmers to resell in Phnom Penh,” said Peung Trida, director of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries in Preah Vihear province.

Credit: CHIP MONG SUPERMARKET

Though prices remain lower than farmers had hoped for, the support has helped stabilize the market and prevent crops from going to waste.

_Credit: Fresh News _

Agricultural experts see this shift as a small but important step toward rebuilding Cambodia’s domestic agricultural economy, one that has long been overshadowed by reliance on export markets.
“This is one point where the Cambodian agricultural sector is recovering,” Trida said

Support local. Track the fresh stories of Cambodia’s farming revival with The Mekong Times.