Phnom penh: The Growing Transformative Horticulture (GROWTH) project, funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of New Zealand, has been launched to develop and modernise agricultural cooperatives in targeted provinces in Cambodia. The launching ceremony took place on February 5, with distinguished attendees including H.E. Hean Vanhan, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, and H.E. Jonathan Kings, Ambassador of New Zealand to Cambodia, alongside representatives from the private sector, development partners, provincial Departments of Agriculture, relevant departments, and farmer representatives from the project's target provinces.
According to Agence Kampuchea Presse, the GROWTH project is funded by New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and is implemented by Save the Children Cambodia in collaboration with iDE Cambodia. The initiative comes with a total budget of NZD12 million over five years, spanning from January 2026 to December 2030, focusing on four target provinces: Koh Kong, Siem Reap, and Banteay Meanchey provinces.
The project aims to enhance the economic security and livelihoods of 8,000 farming families, which translates to 40,000 people, and 700 institutions/enterprises, with 165,000 indirect beneficiaries and over 200 business owners. During the ceremony, H.E. Hean Vanhan emphasized the ministry's objective to modernise Cambodia's agricultural sector, ensuring a safe and inclusive environment.
H.E. Hean Vanhan stated, 'By working together to expand climate-smart agriculture technologies, strengthen market connectivity, and formalise value chains, we can ensure that smallholder farmers in Cambodia will benefit from their agricultural businesses and continue to be the backbone of our economic resilience.' He advised the project to collaborate with provincial Departments of Agriculture, target provinces, and relevant departments to address the project's scope, particularly focusing on nutrition, food security, and agricultural product markets, especially vegetable products.
Additionally, H.E. Secretary of State highlighted activities that received special intervention from the Royal Government, prioritizing crops such as corn, vegetables, and cassava, and underscoring the promotion of horticultural production as a priority for the Ministry of Agriculture. This is part of a broader strategy to diversify agriculture, shifting from rice to other crop types for increased profitability.