Synopsis: The move marks an important step in translating Cambodia’s methane reduction roadmap into actionable strategies that support sustainable, resilient, and low-emission rice production.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries Tuesday drafted a strategic roadmap to drastically reduce methane emissions in the rice sector, a move designed to harmonise national climate goals with the economic resilience of millions of smallholder farmers.
Addressing the Consultation Workshop on Advancing a National Methane Reduction Roadmap for the Rice Sector, MAFF’s Secretary of State Yang Saing Koma expressed appreciation to the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and other development partners for co-developing this roadmap, describing it as the most important strategic tool for Cambodia’s rice sector.
The workshop was organised by the IRRI under the ASEAN-Korea Cooperation for Methane Mitigation Project. It was convened by representatives from government, research institutions, development partners, and the private sector to offer technical insights and practical perspectives toward advancing Cambodia’s methane reduction efforts in the rice sector.
“The ministry has shown a strong commitment to promoting sustainable rice production through the development of a roadmap to reduce methane gas emissions, which is an important step in bringing Cambodia to the low-carbon rice market on the international stage,” Saing Koma said.
Discussion and input from stakeholders are needed to make the methane reduction roadmap comprehensive, effective, sustainable, and responsive to current global market demands, he added.
With rice cultivation playing a central role in both livelihoods and emissions, discussions focused on developing evidence-based mitigation scenarios, strengthening monitoring, reporting and verification systems, and identifying scalable, cost-effective solutions aligned with national climate commitments.
This consultation marks an important step in translating Cambodia’s methane reduction roadmap into actionable strategies that support sustainable, resilient, and low-emission rice production.
Nathalie Andre, Cambodia Country Representative of the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), highlighted the necessity of a methane reduction roadmap, which is important for obtaining specific data and technology for implementation.
“Cooperation with ministries and institutions is a testament to a sustainable and robust strategic plan for reducing methane in the rice sector,” she said.
The workshop also commemorated the success of Cambodia, which has transformed from a country that used to be food-scarce to a country with surplus rice for massive exports.
Figures from the Cambodia Rice Federation showed that the Kingdom exported 469,909 tonnes of milled rice in the first four months of 2026, up 66 percent from 282,315 tonnes over the same period last year.
The country made $266.3 million in revenue from the exports of the commodity during the January-April period this year, up 27 percent from $209 million over the same period last year, stated the report.
Regarding the sustainable rice sector development, Dith Tina, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, chaired a meeting on Tuesday with the Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF), state-run ARDB Bank, and representatives of modern agricultural cooperatives to discuss support for the implementation of the government’s priority policy programs.
The discussions focused on promoting the connection of agricultural value chains between modern agricultural communities, buyers, and all stakeholders through coordination mechanisms such as financial support, the use of technology to ensure quality, and the organisation of contract production to ensure confidence and price stability.
The meeting noted that in the context of the current global crisis, connecting such package value chains provides clarity and certainty for farmers’ production and private sector processing, aiming to enhance economic efficiency and food security.
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