Cambodia's continuing postharvest quest

In Cambodia, the Postproduction Work Group has joined resources with the Asian Development Bank and the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction in an International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) project called Improving Poor Farmers’ Livelihoods through Improved Rice Postharvest Technology. The project aims to demonstrate in eight villages, four in Battambang and another four in Prey Veng, that improved harvesting, drying, storage, and milling can help farmers increase incomes from their rice harvests and improve the quality of grain and seeds throughout the postharvest chain.

Activities started in February 2006 with establishing baseline data and identifying the needs of 382 farmers and 27 rice millers. In 2006, project counterparts and staff from the provincial agricultural extension services were trained on improved postharvest management options (training of trainers). In the second half of 2006 and 2007, farmers in the eight villages received training and advice on grain and seed quality, and safe storage options, including hermetic storage, drying, and milling. All farmers who participated in training activities received hermetic Super Bags, and farmers’ groups in each village are also field-testing the low-cost moisture meter and were provided with scales to check with the scales owned by some traders.

Some highlights and indicators of impact follow.
Farmers can now safely store their seeds without losing germination for 6–9 months by using the Super Bags. This means that they can sell more grain in the market since they can reduce the seed rate. Many are now asking where to buy the bags. The project also helps farmers to improve their traditional granaries for grain storage.

In Battambang, the project has helped a farmers’ group set up a farmer processing center that includes a dryer, a village rice mill, and a commercial hermetic storage system with 5-ton capacity for safe storage. Farmers benefit from higher milling yields. The bran, a by-product from milling that usually stays with the miller as payment now stays with the group, and some rice from the mill is sold as under-milled rice at a higher price to health-conscious consumers.

The project imported a mini combine harvester from Vietnam and conducted a series of training and demonstration activities in both provinces. Private contractors are starting to import combine harvesters from Vietnam, Thailand, and China, which will help farmers to lower harvesting costs and reduce losses.

In each village, farmers now receive up-to-date market information about rice prices in village, provincial, and Phnom Penh markets. This information is posted on village price boards that are accessible to all villagers. The information is collected every 3 days and sent to mobile phones of the bulletin board managers. Farmers increasingly base their marketing decisions on the market information and believe that they are in a better negotiating position because they are better informed.

Martin Gummert (m.gummert@cgiar.org)

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