Despite being one of the world’s leading rice exporters, Cambodia must import glutinous rice from neighbouring countries for religious or traditional festival seasons. Experts in the rice sector claim this importation is due to the current state of cultivation and market pricing.
Over the past several days, there has been widespread debate on social media regarding the seizure of vehicles transporting glutinous rice imported from Laos through the Kompong Sralao border checkpoint in Preah Vihear province. Allegations were made that the rice was originally from Thailand.
However, on September 2, Kun Nhim, director-general of the General Department of Customs and Excise (GDCE), confirmed that the more than 80 tonnes was indeed grown in Laos.
In 2022, glutinous rice was registered by the Cambodian government as a collective trademark under the name “Sbay Mongkul” or DSMK.
On September 3, Lay Chhun Hour, president of the Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF), told The Post that although Cambodian rice exports are steadily increasing, there are no official exports of glutinous rice. He added that even though glutinous rice has been registered as a collective rice brand, its cultivation in Cambodia remains limited.
The main reason, he explained, is because glutinous rice is a seasonal crop that can only be grown once a year — usually planted between May and June, with harvest occurring around October to November.
“The cultivation of glutinous rice in Cambodia at present is minimal — possibly under 1,000 hectares. Currently, there are no official exports of glutinous rice,” he said.
“It is not harvested during some key festivals such as Khmer New Year and Pchum Ben, which is a major reason behind the need to import it,” he added.
He noted that the CRF is actively encouraging farmers to increase glutinous rice cultivation. In the past, Cambodia has imported glutinous rice from Vietnam, Thailand and Laos.
Heng Sith, an official from the Battambang Provincial Department of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, stated that while Battambang is known as a major rice-producing area in Cambodia, glutinous rice cultivation remains limited.
In the 2025–2026 season, Battambang province has around 400,000 hectares of rice farmland, but only about 800 hectares are used for growing glutinous varieties. He added that they are mainly located within Moung Ruessei district.
“In general, farmers rarely grow it because the yields are lower than with regular rice, and the market price is mostly the same as paddy rice,” he explained.
