Phnom Penh - A bilateral agricultural venture between
Cambodia and Kuwait proposed during an official visit by Kuwait's
prime minister left Cambodia very positive about future cooperation,
Agriculture Minister Chan Sarun said Tuesday.
Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser al-Mohammed al-Ahmed al-Jaber
al-Sabah left Cambodia Tuesday after a three-day official visit which
covered a range of subjects, including technical assistance in oil
exploration, proposed direct flights and even football friendlies.
But the most interesting topic for Cambodia was a proposal to
exchange agricultural technology for a large area of land to grow
food - probably rice - for export to the Gulf state, Chan Sarun said.
'Foreign Minister Hor Namhong has asked me to join in discussions
Wednesday to review the results of meetings with Kuwait regarding
agriculture and examine the options,' Chan Sarun said by telephone.
'It is very interesting but I will know more after the meeting.'
Kuwait is oil-rich but largely covered in desert, making it
difficult to grow enough food for its 2 million-plus residents.
Another Gulf state, Qatar, also made overtures along the same
lines when its Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor
al-Thani visited in March, and there are rumours that others in that
region may follow suit.
Cambodia recently announced that drastic overhauls of its rice
production techniques and improvements in infrastructure such as
better irrigation and mills could boost it to become one of the
biggest rice exporters in the region.
USA
Your Talkback on this Story