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Phnong petition over Mondulkiri land

Khouth Sophak Chakrya | Publication date 31 August 2018 | 09:42 ICT

 

One hundred Phnong ethnic people in Mondulkiri province’s Busra commune have thumbprinted a petition to reject Thieng Try Company’s request for an economic land concession to grow coffee in the area.

In the letter seen by The Post on Thursday, villagers claim the companies representatives visited the commune to introduce the project’. But landowners claimed they needed the land to live and work on and pass down to their children.

Kros Sok, a representative of the villagers, said two international companies had already gotten concessions in the area, but the local community hadn’t seen any benefits from them.

Villager Kroeung Tola, 28, said most members of the Phnong and Kroeung ethnic groups didn’t have the skills to work in offices or factories, so they relied on the land for their livelihood.

“The areas hosting investments from local and foreign companies face serious problems in terms of livelihood, emigration, losses of farmland and forests,” Tola said.

Pichreada district governor, Merl Soeun, told The Post on Thursday that he had not received information about the case. “Villagers should be happy if the company buys land from landowners in order to develop,” he said.

Sre Ampoul commune police chief To Meng said on Thursday that recently, one private company showed villagers how to grow coffee and sell their yield at market price.

“I do not know the name of that company, but a group of people came and said they were from a coffee company in our country and urged us to grow and sell it to their company.

“If we do not have enough capital or if we do not want to plant coffee, they asked us to sell or rent the land to them to set up coffee plantations,” Meng said.

He said some villagers had sold their farmland located near Busra commune, but the company has yet to clear them for coffee plantations.

 

Phnom Penh Post

 
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andy

This one goes back a little.

 

 

Koh Kong villagers file petition against Chinese development company

Chhay Channyda | Publication date 06 April 2018 | 16:59 ICT

 

 

About 30 villagers embroiled in a land dispute with Union Development Group (UDG) in Koh Kong plan to file a petition asking the provincial governor to intervene after the Chinese company bulldozed crops last week.

Villager Peurng Loun, 45, said two UDG excavators destroyed hundreds of coconuts, mangoes and cashews on her 2.5 hectares of land in Koh Sdach commune in Kiri Sakor district on April 3. Villagers in neighbouring Prek Khsach commune have joined the petition, fearing similar losses.

The company is building a massive $3.8 billion tourism complex along the coast, sparking a series of land disputes.

Ouch Thouch, director of the provincial hall, on Sunday said some villagers had come on Friday with individual documents in hand to seek intervention, though “they did not have a joint petition”. Thouch said he was unaware if any action had already been taken on this case.

Loun said that the company tried to offer her $30,000 and 2 hectares of land elsewhere in November, but she did not accept the deal.

“I never agreed to receive the offer,” she said. “I only visited the new area they wanted to offer us, but I never signed an agreement.”

In the past, Loun demanded $100,000 to leave her village and crops, but now she says she wants to get her land cut out of UDG’s development area so she can stay.

Provincial Governor Mithona Phouthorng said that as of Friday afternoon she had not received the petition, but would find a way to resolve the dispute.

“Villagers at that area, most of them already received compensation,” she said.

Sreng Hong, deputy provincial governor, said that he would look into this case on Monday.

According to provincial officials with rights groups Adhoc and Licadho, UDG representative Chieng Lan, also known as Vireak, on April 3 led 20 personnel armed with batons and guns, as well as two excavators, to destroy crops on the land Loun claims to own, although she has no land title. Lan could not be reached on Friday.

After bulldozing on Tuesday, the company gave villagers three days to negotiate. Seven families living in Koh Sdach commune so far have refused to accept compensation.

Kiri Sakor district authorities confirmed they cleared the property, but did so only on the land of families who had already accepted compensation, which the villagers disputed.

According to Hour In, provincial coordinator for rights group Licadho, the villagers affected by the crop destruction also intend to file a criminal lawsuit against the development company.

He said that UDG was granted about 45,000 hectares from the government to develop land spanning Kiri Sakor and Botum Sakor districts, affecting thousands of families. While some have relocated, others are fighting against what they characterised as unfair compensation.

“So far, the solution for villagers offered by the government’s inter-ministerial committee, led by the Environment Ministry, is not transparent at all,” In said.

“The negotiations with villagers [has involved] threats [and] intimidation,” he said. “Some families who are relatives to the authorities have received high compensation, some up to $100,000.”

 

Phnom Penh Post

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andy

 

China to aid farming sector

Sorn Sarath and Cheng Sokhorng | Publication date 31 August 2018 | 11:32 ICT

 

 

A delegation representing China’s Ministry of Agriculture recently met with counterparts in the Kingdom to discuss bringing in Chinese experts to overhaul the sector.

Minister of Agriculture Veng Sokhon said the move would surely be a boon to the local industry.

“It is time for us to transform our agriculture sector. China will support us with technical and human resources."

“We will be able to increase production and harvests to many times a year rather than just once a year,” he said, adding that Chinese officials were already studying crops and husbandry in some regions.

Both nations signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in January on modernising the Kingdom’s agriculture sector.

The MoU provides for Chinese teams to conduct studies in 12 Cambodian provinces with the support of local agriculture officials.

Our main challenges are the high costs of production, electricity, transportation, and a shortage of finances, Sakhon said.

“Even though we have the Chinese [experts] to help us, we have to be ready to help ourselves too. We cannot rely on them for everything,” he said, adding that local irrigation systems were still limited.

Many in the sector have decried the Kingdom’s reliance on neighbouring countries as markets for its raw materials.

Sam Vitou, the adviser to agriculture NGO Cedac, said Cambodian products have trouble securing stable prices, because of a lack of planting techniques and strategy to reach the markets.

“Most smallholders just follow each other and do not know how to plant their crops based on proper agricultural techniques,” he said.

Both of the Kingdom’s main crops – cassava and rice – have suffered declining prices of late.

“In order to transform our agriculture products to be valuable in the market, we need the Ministry of Agriculture to provide farmers training on planting techniques and conduct market studies to bring supply closer to demand,” Vitou said.

The state-owned Rural Development Bank provided loans of more than $30 million for four warehouse projects which launched in July. Industry insiders have said the facilities will serve to stabilise the price of paddy, and boost exports.

The Kingdom recorded 635,700 tonnes of rice exports last year, with over 40 per cent going to the EU.

The amount is far behind neighbouring countries like Thailand and Vietnam, which exported a record 11.48 million tonnes and 5.9 million tonnes of rice respectively last year.

The Kingdom produced more than 10 million tonnes of paddy during the 2017-2018 growing season, beyond the government’s target of 9.44 million tonnes. Next year, sights have been set on producing at least 9.73 million tonnes.

Song Saran, the CEO of rice exporter Amru Rice said it is time investors in the sector diversified.

“We still have a lot of space for agricultural cultivation if we compare ourselves to neighbouring countries. We need technicians and human resources to promote the sector, in order to reach our main market destinations such as China and the EU,” he said.

The World Bank said Cambodia’s agricultural growth during the 2013-2014 season had slowed to one per cent. It was previously averaging 5.3 per cent from 2004 to 2012.

Assuming favourable weather conditions, the sector’s growth is expected to be at 1.8 per cent this year, said a forecast from the Asia Development Bank.

Cambodia Rice Federation vice-president Hun Lak said there is a lot of potential for development in the agricultural sector.

“What we have achieved now is solid rice production, but other agricultural products are ripe for growth, especially cassava, corn, cashew nuts, and bananas,” he said.

 

Phnom Penh Post

 

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dicey eye
19 minutes ago, andy said:

“Even though we have the Chinese [experts] to help us, we have to be ready to help ourselves too. We cannot rely on them for everything,” he said, adding that local irrigation systems were still limited.

Best line in the report.

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dicey eye

"The negotiations with villagers [has involved] threats [and] intimidation,” he said. “Some families who are relatives to the authorities have received high compensation, some up to $100,000.” 

So it all boils down to who you know and nepotism.

 

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andy

Samlot rife with land grabs

 

Authorities are facing mounting pressure to safeguard the Samlot Protected Area, where villagers and wealthy land-grabbers continue to trespass to start orchards and claim ownership of the plots.

The area, which straddles Battambang and Pailin provinces, is jointly protected by the Ministry of Environment and the Maddox Jolie-Pitt Foundation (MJP), which was set up by Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie.

She had established the foundation in 2003 to conserve the Kingdom’s endangered Cardamom Mountains’ northern territory.

Samlot Protected Area head You Socheat said yesterday that villagers and traders had recently logged and cleared land in the area, while some fenced it to claim ownership.

“Environment ministry rangers managed to intercept in time to solve the issues. They are patrolling regularly to prevent such violations,” he said.

Socheat said a senior official grabbed about 30 hectares of land, built a house and started a fruit farm planting rambutan, mangosteen and durian trees. He declined to reveal further details on the trespasser.

Tycoon implicated

Meanwhile, Cambodia-Thailand border police told The Post that a tycoon, Por Kimpheng, discreetly cleared land at the O’Trabek Chou waterfall, while in O’Roka, near the Thai border, villagers colluded with land dealers to clear an area to start an orchard.

However, officials who patrolled the area put a stop to the activities.

Yesterday, Kimpheng denied that his company was involved in developing the area and claimed he did not send any vehicles into the forest.

“I don’t dare to use my vehicles to clear land in the protected area and wildlife sanctuary. If I enter, the rangers will intercept my people and vehicles immediately. My company also does not have land or development projects near the area,” he said.

However, Battambang provincial Environment Department Director Koeut Noran said villagers and land grabbers continue to clear the forest and carry out logging at the Samlot Protected Area.

“At the moment our environment team is deploying more forces to prevent these illegal activities,” he said.

 

Phnom Penh Post

 

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