The government has provided financing packages to ARDB to offer loans to the agriculture sector to boost production and export of agricultural products.

The state-run Agricultural and Rural Development Bank (ARDB) has injected approximately $440 million in loans into Cambodia’s agricultural sector as of the first half of 2025.

The disclosure was made by Kao Thach, Director General of ARDB, during the bank’s first-half 2025 staff meeting held on Friday.

This significant financial support aims to empower producers and farmers, enabling them to boost production and increase agricultural exports, he said.

Thach highlighted the Royal Government’s commitment to the agricultural sector.

“The Royal Government, through the Ministry of Economy and Finance, has provided a series of financing packages to the Agricultural and Rural Development Bank to provide loans to this sector to help boost production and export of agricultural products to international markets,” he said.

Thach expressed the ARDB’s ambition to substantially increase its loan capital, with a target of expanding loans to meet the growing financial needs of the agricultural sector.

As a state-owned bank committed to supporting the policies of the Royal Government of Cambodia, ARDB’s primary goal is to provide loans to citizens who wish to establish real businesses.

He asked farmers, both within and outside the community, that ARDB would offer them affordable loans.

This push for increased agricultural output builds on a strong performance in 2024, when Cambodia generated over $5.3 billion from exporting approximately 12 million tons of agricultural products to 95 countries.

This represented a substantial increase of more than 3 million tons compared to 2023.

According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture, the crop sub-sector was the primary driver of the overall agricultural sector in 2024, contributing 61 percent.

This crop sub-sector achieved a production volume of 39.4 million tons, marking an increase of 2.59 million tonnes from the previous year.

Agriculture is one of the four pillars supporting Cambodia’s economy.

The Royal Government has announced the implementation of a new strategic policy for agricultural development, aiming to upgrade agriculture from household farming to commercial farming and enhance farmers’ income through value-added products.

Source - https://www.khmertimeskh.com