App to connect farmers to millions
Two boys drown in Prey Veng province
THE Ministr y of Agriculture, Forest r y a nd Fisher ies has sof t-launched a mobile app t hat connects fa r mers wit h potent ia l buyers a nd g ives them access to critical market information.
The ministr y’s Agriculture Marketing Office chief Meach Yady sa id t he ‘Cam AgriMarket’ app gives farmers a platform to showcase their products to millions of potentia l buyers across t he countr y.
“The idea was to create a platform that allows farmers to advertise their products and that makes it easier for buyers to find what they need,” he said, adding that it has been designed to be easy to use.
The development of the app was supported by South Korea’s Ministry of Agriculture, Yady said. It will be fullylaunched in March 2021.
Cambodia Pig Farmers Association director Srun Poav said the app will be particularly useful for vegetable farmers and livestock raisers, who will enjoy instant access to information like the average selling price of a commodity and its demand.
“Many fa rmers f ind it difficult to reach new buyers and access crit ica l market information and I believe this app will help t hem,” he said.
Soeun Saing Ty, a tomato farmer in Kampong Speu province, said he will give the app a try. “There are not many people buying tomatoes around here now, so some of my production is going to waste. I think this app could help me,” he said.
Cambodian Centre for Study and Development in Agriculture executive director Thong Chantheang warned that the app may not be for everyone.
“I t h i n k it w i l l help t he fa r mers, but I a m a f ra id t hat for some, it w i l l be ha rd to use a s many do not have a sma r t phone or even i nternet,” she sa id.
TWO boys drowned and another survived when their boat sank in a river on Tuesday in Prey Veng province’s Sdao Korng commune.
Sdao Korng commune police chief Tes Sophat on Wednesday said Bo Reaksmey,12,andSengBunkheang, 14, died in the incident while villagers rescued Meng Ponlok, 15.
He noted that the three boys were cousins.
“They were too brave and did not follow their parents’ orders to not play in the river because they could not swim. They were told not to row the boat without the presence of an adult,” he said.
Reaksmey’s father Mean Sambok said he was attending his sister’s wedding in neighbouring Preah Sdach district across the river when the incident occurred.
“Before leaving for the wedding, I warned my kid not to play in the water or row the boat because it’s dangerous,” he said, adding he received a call over the incident upon arriving at the wedding.
He said Ponlok, the rescued boy who is his nephew, told him the boys were trying to use the boat to cross the river and join the wedding party after losing patience as they waited for a water taxi.
He said the boys spotted a small boat nearby and thought they could use it to make the journey, but it sank about 40 metres away from the shore on the other side of the river.
Sambok said his nephew was rescued by villagers bathing in the river nearby the capsized boat. The villagers also tried to rescue the other boys, but they disappeared underwater.
Villager Kong Sinan, who rescued Ponlok, said he heard the shouts of the boys, including their screaming: “Go back, it’s going to sink”.
“I yelled to other villagers for help, then I swam to help the oldest boy and took him to land,” he said. “I went back, but the two others had disappeared.”
He said other villagers then discovered their lifeless bodies.