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Unofficial Translation
Selected Comments at the
Groundbreaking of Fertilizer Factory at Kien Svai District of Kandal Province
24 December 2009
I would like first of all
covey my heartfelt welcome to our Vietnamese guests – Mr Nguyen Sun Phuc,
Minister in charge of the Council of Minister, HE Ambassador of the Socialist
Republic of Vietnam to Cambodia and dear Vietnamese guests. Today I have a great
pleasure to have returned once again to the district of Kien Svai in Kandal
province for the groundbreaking of a factory that is to produce fertilizer in
Cambodia, making it number seven of its kind only that this factory is the
biggest and spending bigger capital for the first time in Cambodia, by the
Five-Star International Agro-Fertilizer company from the Socialist Republic of
Vietnam.
Please allow me in the name
of Samdech Chea Sim, Samdech Heng Saamrin and the Cambodian People’s Party as
well as the whole people of Cambodia take this opportune moment to express my
sincere thank to the people in Kien Svai as well as our people in the whole
country who have cast their votes in support of the Cambodian People’s Party to
go on with existing capability to set up its own Government without having to
wait for a settlement of political impasse like in the previous terms in 1998
and 2003. With your support CPP have the ability to get things done with its
two-third majority, and hence I have the possibility to shoulder with other
leaders of the Cambodian People’s Party to continue to lead our nation and be
here with you today.
Despite objective and
subjective economic difficulties, CPP has striven to get the country going along
in an atmosphere of peace and political stability, in absence of separation for
all reasons and concerns of war destruction. This is a very important point.
Take for instance, without peace and political stability this factory would not
be able to take place here. Also, after the coup by Lon Nol against Samdech
Preah Norodom Sihanouk, changing the country’s management system, war broke
throughout the country.
Pol Pot toppled the Lon Nol
regime and brought into power the regime of genocide. We have traveled together
all along and changes have taken places in our country as well as in others.
Loom at our neighboring countries, they do not have peace after a ruling party
was overthrown by the other. Hence I would like to thank our people for voting
the Cambodian People’s Party, whose campaign has been voting for CPP is voting
for Hun Sen to be Prime Minister and vice versa.
HE Suy Sem, Minister for
Industry, Mines and Energy and Mr Tran Van Moi of the Governing Board of the
Five Star International Agro-Fertilizer company have already reported to you
about this investment of agro-fertilizer and I have been impressed by the term
they used “smart fertilizer” which means that the fertilize agent can adapt to
soil requirement and condition, and I called that knowledge economy that is
trend of the world progress.
The factory, after
completion of the construction, would be putting out half a million tons per
annum of fertilizer with the help of 500 workers after its initial stage of
35,000 tons per annum with about 300 workers. However, the impact we have would
be far beyond that because its product is going to be of benefit to agricultural
activities. Take for instance, Kien Svay district, which supplies various kind
of agricultural produce to Phnom Penh city, would indeed consume a huge amount
of fertilizer per year.
I have worked hard with HE
Nguyen Tan Dung, Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), so
as to bring about fruit of investment from SRV to Cambodia. We have processed
over four months so to achieve an agreement between the two sides.
The Vietnamese investment
projects need to have endorsement from HE Nguyen Tan Dung, whereas Cambodia
needs to prepare necessary measures and study their impacts on environment and
populated area as well. Among all, CDC, the final actor, approves the project
that has been studied and proposed by the Ministry of Industry, Mines and
Energy.
During my visit to
Vientiane for SEA Games (South East Asian Games) opening, I had the chance to
talk with HE Nguyen Tan Dung on the various Vietnamese investment projects in
Cambodia, this project of fertilizer production is also included. We have
reached various deals. For instance, the joint venture on national aviation,
taking only two months to start business, with our prediction that the project
would operate at loss for the initial two years. However, it has proven now that
the venture is making profit already. We also have projects on banking and
various others.
Tomorrow, accompanying by
HE Cham Prasidh, HE Suy Sem and HE Chan Sarun as well as concerned persons, I
will travel to Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City to take part in a seminar on
Dissemination of Information about (Vietnamese) Investment together with those
companies from Vietnam and Cambodia. The two Prime Ministers will give speeches
and sign some agreements as well as permissions for more investments.
Dues to financial crisis
and economic downturn countries in the world have had to bear serious impacts
whereas investments have been reduced. In the case of Cambodia, I could give my
remark here that three countries have proven not only that their investments are
not going down to smaller size but even up bigger – they are SRV, the People’s
Republic of China, who have urged for bigger projects to take place, and the
Republic of Korea, who have continued their projected investments.
Our people used to complain
about cost of fertilizer and in some parts of our country, take for instance
Banteay Mean Chey, use of fake or disqualified fertilizer has resulted in crop
and soil damages. As is said by HE Suy Sem, in the whole country we have had,
before this 65 million dollars to-be factory that produces 500,000 tons per
year, only 10,000 ton product from 6 fertilizer producing places combined. So
this factory has a high capacity in putting out fertilizer for local use. I hope
that the factory will contribute to holding back use of foreign currency to
purchase it from foreign countries, and also to prevent fake and/or disqualified
products.
Use of fertilizer is for
augmenting production. At the same time that we have campaigned that our people
use composts and/or compost-based natural fertilizer in their production, it is
true that use of natural or organic fertilizer alone at this time would not be
sufficient for our vast need. That is why every year we have to import
fertilizer from outside. The factory would solve this puzzle of fertilizer
demand and also work for our people – those who work in the factory and those
farmers who will be benefiting from the products in the course of performing
their farming practices, which stay as core job provision not only for our
country but most countries in the world.
Financial crises and
economic downturn have had impacts on our young and recent industrial
activities. This has indeed had impacts on workers, who have just come from
agricultural sectors in the farming households. Because of a vast number of our
population are farmers who provide major part of labor forces into newly
developed industrial sector, in crisis that factories are closing down and/or
suspending their productions, the Royal Government have provide key trainings
that those who were suspended from or lost their jobs could use while returning
to their families and go on with agricultural activities.
Potentially, agriculture
provides opportunity for jobs for a vast number of population while, because of
investment in and progress made in the previous years, development has been
noticed from one stage to another. According to the report by the Ministry of
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, our production figure, despite harm caused
by Ketsana typhoon, could have recorded a surplus of three million tons or about
two million tons of milled rice for export. In time of crises, last year I
ordered all state institutions and ministries concerned to pay attention to
dealing with food situation, in which we all did what we can to guarantee that
our people did not go starving. I even said, we would not die from consuming
less oil/gas but from hunger.
Gold is spreading on our
land now. The price of rice has improved somewhat. This has made our farmers,
about 80% of the whole population, happy, whereas a smaller fraction of our
population who are government officials, traders would be less so as they would
have to spend more on rice. This indeed puts the Royal Government in an awkward
position as it has to play well for both sides’ benefit and favor.
Having said so, you may
agree with me that Cambodia has got a bright future as a rice/food crops
exporting country. On this front, take for instance, Vietnam exports an average
five to six million tons per annum. Cambodia could potentially compete with
Vietnam on this. Why? At the rate of two to three tons per hectare and only one
time cultivation per annum, we have got the potential to export up to two or
three million tons milled rice already. If we were to better provide irrigation,
apply intensive farming techniques and double, income case triple, fold of
cultivations, we would easily match with Vietnam’s.
Today we are here to talk
about our achievement in fertilizer production, but in agriculture, we need to
set as prime water for irrigation. You must agree with me that good seed and/or
fertilizer would do us a great deal without water in the field. So in
combination with good seed, growing technique and fertilizer, we need to settle
first and foremost issue of water need for irrigation for our farmers. As far as
cultivation area is concerned, we have enlarged it to about one million hectares
already after another 70,000 hectares new rice field has been developed.
The question remained here
is equipping the field with irrigation system with water. Currently we have
expanded our irrigation capacity to about 43% or 44% of total land of
cultivation. In this effort, the Royal Government of Cambodia continues to focus
on infrastructural investment. For instance, during the visit of HE Xi Jinping,
Vice President of the People’s Republic of China to Cambodia, we have signed a
project on irrigation for farmers in Prey Veng and Battambang provinces. Let me
have your attention that no matter how smart the fertilizer can be, the key
issue is the provision of water.
The company is called
Five-Star International Agro-Fertilizer – Cambodia. Having had similar sound I
would like to share with you the news that yesterday HM the King has bestowed
upon Samdech Akka Moha Dhmama Pothisal Chea Sim, Samdech Akka Moha Punnhea
Chakrei Heng Samrin and me, the top rank in the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces –
Five (Gold) Star General, for which I am so grateful to.
I do not have anymore
serious political message but just a confirmation to our neighbors that in fact
the “secret paper” has fallen into our hands a long time ago. The plan also
includes that of 1.4 billion Baht loan to Cambodia and because we have learned
that that we have decided to turn it back. It is up to them to decide what else
they wanted to do and Cambodia will follow them always. They want to be good,
Cambodia would do so and if they want to be bad, Cambodia has not other choice.
However, bad is not what we want. We want good thing. But how could we stand
idle when our neighbor is being smug with and plans destructive scenarios on
Cambodia? I wish to affirm here that I have four more years in my mandate, which
means quite a long time to serve my nation.
Within next years, we will
have many sites of construction inaugurated – roads, bridges, etc. With rice
production gives us a chance to maintain and increase exports, though in time of
crises, our economy is advancing together with peace and political stability. We
do not have red-shirted or yell-shirted issues at all. I would say you have made
wrong study of the situation and despite there has a hint in that secret paper
that a coup is not a possibility, getting rid of Hun Sen is not as easy as you
think. I just want you to know I have the clue as to who would do that. Perhaps
it is best to bother with only your internal affairs and leave Cambodia alone.
I have presented the secret
paper we have received, especially the plan to have their opponents assassinated
by end of 2009 or before April 2010, to HM the King so as HM could learn and be
informed of nature and characters of leaders of our neighboring countries. Why
can’t they forgive and reunite each others. I doubt if there has any Government
in this world with such a treacherous plan like that?
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