Champei Sar 70 (CPS 70) was born of close collaboration between CARDI and the Australian government. Hong Menea
The Cambodian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) plans to harvest some 600 tonnes of Champei Sar 70 (CPS 70) rice seed in 2024. It will be distributed to agricultural departments, farming cooperatives and private companies across the Kingdom.
CARDI director Lor Bunna explained on October 17 that there are five essential stages to guaranteeing a high quality new variety of seed.
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The first step is the selection of a plant for trial. Once this is done, the institute begins to develop the genetically pure variety, the stage it is currently at. It has so far produced 20 tonnes of seed. This will be registered and then authorised for distribution – the third and fourth stages.
Finally, they will be distributed to selected stakeholders for production, resulting in the final stage, a totally pure variety which will be ready for more widespread distribution.
“The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries’ policy is to promote three varieties next year. Aside from CPS 70, they aim to increase the distribution of luxury Phka Rumduol seed, along with the Sen Kra’ob 01 (SKO 01) fragrant variety. CPS 70 is a new variety, which was originally bred from Phka Rumduol.
“Unlike its parent variety, it is a light rice, and is therefore not as seasonal. As long as farmers have enough water, they can produce more than one crop per year,” said Bunna.
He added that farmers will be able to produce it in less time, saving on the cost of both labour and materials.
“It is a high quality fragrant rice variety, so according to our research, it will be easy to find a market for it. And being weather resistant, we can grow it anywhere, in all seasons,” he said.
Lun Yeng, secretary-general of the Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) – the Kingdom’s apex rice industry body – explained that while he did not yet know the exact market demand for the CPS 70 variety – as at present most of the market demand is for Phka Rumduol and SKO 01 – the development of new varieties provided more options for farmers.
“It would be nice to have more new varieties, but let’s see how good this new type is, because it may take time for the market to accept it,” he said.
Sem Bunly, chief of the Stoeung Slakour Agricultural Cooperative in Takeo province’s Samrong district, said the farmers of the cooperative were looking forward to experimenting with the new variety. He hoped the new type would find a market.
He added that most farmers in Samrong district grow traditional rice varieties but are struggling to find a market. The cooperative was encouraging them to grow new types, in order to meet future market demand.
“Today, our cooperative produces only Phka Rumduol. It is a heavy rice that can only be harvested once a year because our area lacks water sources.
“ We will request that the agriculture ministry strengthen our irrigation systems, so we can switch to CPS 70, as it is lighter, and does not depend upon the season,” Bunly said.
