Agriculture minister Dith Tina (centre) inspected one of the rice fields affected by floods in Pursat province on October 1. MAFF
The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries is prepared to supply seeds for rice and other cash crops to farmers in the nine provinces which have been affected by recent floods, according to its spokesperson Im Rachna.
The exact quantity to be provided will be determined once an assessment of the damage is complete, she noted.
Soth Kimkolmony, deputy director-general of the National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM), reported that as of October 2, water levels in the affected provinces of Preah Vihear, Kampong Thom, Kratie, Tbong Khmum, Koh Kong, Preah Sihanouk, Pailin, Battambang and Pursat had slightly receded, although Kampong Thom and Pursat were subsiding more slowly.
He said initial reports from the nine provinces suggested that flooding had affected nearly 9,000 households, with 300 of them relocated to safe locations.
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Rachna said on October 2 that the government maintains a reserve food system for farmers, but the extent of aid distribution hinges on a comprehensive assessment, which cannot be completed as the floodwaters have yet to recede.
“We possess rice and various crop seeds – and will offer them to farmers – but not until our evaluations are complete,” she added.
Water level had receded marginally as of October 1, but not enough to complete the assessment.
“Officials from the ministry and the provincial agriculture departments in the affected regions are continuing to monitor the situation. They will evaluate the repercussions of the flooding and will ascertain the extent of our response, and whether our intervention is required,” added Rachna.
As of October 2, almost 5,000ha of crops in Battambang province had succumbed to flood damage in the previous two days. Ek Phnom emerged as the most severely affected district, with more than 2,500ha impacted, according to an official report.
It detailed that flash floods – which occurred from September 29 to 30 – led to a rise in the water levels of the Sangke and Bavel rivers, resulting in the inundation of nine of Battambang’s 14 town and districts.
It added that 3,000ha of rice fields and 1,700ha of mixed crops were flooded, along with more than 6,000 homes and 15 schools.
More than 200 households had been evacuated, including in Battambang town and Banan, Thma Koul, Bavel, Ek Phnom, Sangke, Rattanak, Samlot and Kamrieng districts.
Yang Saing Koma, secretary of state at the agriculture ministry, explained via social media on September 29 that he – along with officials from the Rice Crop Department at the General Directorate of Agriculture (GDA) – had inspected the harvesting, drying and stockpiling of rice seed varieties which were designated as reserves to aid those who were affected by the flood.
“We operate six rice seed production stations across the country, and cooperate with numerous seed producers. This constitutes a vital component of the government’s food reserve system,” he said.
