Apr 10, 2008, 10:01 GMT
Phnom Penh - Cambodia's Agriculture Ministry Thursday urged people to abstain from indulging in the local delicacy of fried frogs because the amphibians eat insect pests, saving the rice crop.
The price of rice, the national staple, has almost tripled in recent months as inflation surged to around 10 per cent and the government has introduced subsidies in a move to quell public discontent ahead of national elections in July.
Last year the rice crop suffered badly from a plague of brown hoppers, a type of insect which decimates rice fields.
'Frogs eat insects, so by eating frogs we are helping the insects,' secretary of state for the Agriculture Ministry Chan Tong Yves said by telephone.
'The insects come to eat healthy rice because it is delicious. We should stop eating frogs, at least briefly, so the rice can grow.'
Frogs are widely eaten in rural Cambodia, stir fried or stuffed with lemongrass and herbs, and usually served with rice.
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