Cambodia's rice export to China up 82% in first quarter

PHNOM PENH - Cambodia exported 67,482 tons of milled rice to China in the first quarter of 2017, an increase of 82 percent compared to the same period last year, according to a government report on Tuesday.

China is the top buyer of Cambodian rice, followed by France, Poland, Britain and the Netherlands, said the report compiled by the Secretariat of One Window Service for Rice Export.

The Southeast Asian nation is expected to sell some 200,000 tons of its milled rice to China this year, said Agriculture Ministry undersecretary of state Hean Vanhan.

According to the report, Cambodia exported a total of 166,678 tons of milled rice to 53 countries and regions during the January-March period this year, up 3 percent over the same period last year.

The country produced over 9 million tons of paddy rice a year. With this amount, it has more than 3 million tons of milled rice left over for annual export, according to the Agriculture Ministry.