Senate President Hun Sen on Wednesday urged Indonesia to consider investing directly by setting up a rice production system, storage and milling that can be packaged for export to Indonesia as well as other countries.
The proposal was raised as Mr Hun Sen received a courtesy call by Indonesian Ambassador to Cambodia Santo Darmosumarto at the Senate.
Mr Hun Sen hoped that the bilateral relations and cooperation between Cambodia and Indonesia will be further strengthened and expanded.
Regarding cooperation and investment, Mr Hun Sen asked Santo Darmosumarto to focus on agriculture in the near future, as Cambodia has food security with plenty of rice and Indonesia, which has a large population may need food.
“Cambodia could be a place where food could be supplied stably, and [I] urged Indonesia to consider investing directly in Cambodia, such as setting up a production system, storage, milling that could be packaged for export to Indonesia or other countries,” Mr Hun Sen wrote on the social media.
“This direct investment will be mutually beneficial, can help Cambodian farmers have a market and the Republic of Indonesia has the resources to ensure long-term food security,” he added.
In terms of trade, Mr Hun Sen observed that there was an increase in size, but not the potential that both countries have.
“Both sides,” he further wrote, “need to look at what could boost trade growth, which is complementary to each other, as we have agreements in the framework of AFTA and RCEP.”
The Ambassador of Indonesia also congratulated Mr Hun Sen on his election as President of the Senate. He hoped that as President of the Senate, Hun Sen would continue the good relations between the people and the Cambodian Senate and Indonesia to be more prosperous.
“Samdech Techo is a good friend, a true friend of Indonesia, who has contributed to the historic relationship, especially in cooperation within the ASEAN framework,” Santo Darmosumarto was quoted by Hun Sen’s Facebook post.
The Ambassador is committed to further strengthening the relationship and cooperation between Cambodia and Indonesia, in particular, people-to-people connections and promotion of services to Indonesians living in Cambodia.
Santo Darmosumarto also mentioned that Indonesia began to import rice from Cambodia in 2023, and expressed an interested in investing in rice production in Cambodia.
“Currently, the volume of Cambodia-Indonesia trade is about $1 billion and has not yet reached its full potential. Cambodia is a strong partner and has more potential to boost trade volume,” he added.
The Embassy of Indonesia will hold a health fair in Sihanoukville later this year to showcase health products to the Cambodian side. The Ambassador was also interested in cooperation in the transport sector, especially in the railway sector.
Lun Yeng, Secretary-General of Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF), while supporting Mr Hun Sen’s suggestion, told Khmer Times, “It is a good for Cambodia because our country produces 6 million tonnes of wet rice in extra of domestic consumption.”
Yeng added that Cambodia exported 22,500 tonnes of rice to Indonesia worth $14.54 million in the first five months of 2024.