【聯合報╱By Luke Hunt╱陳世欽譯】
Cambodian Rice on the World’s Plate
柬埔寨稻米進軍國際
KBAL GOH, Cambodia – For as long as Cambodian rice farmers can remember, their product has had an unsavory reputation. Tough, dirty and unmilled, it was impossible to cook evenly, and even farmers traded it as pig feed in exchange for cash or better-quality rice from Vietnam or Thailand.
就柬埔寨稻農記憶所及，他們的產品聲譽一向不好：粗硬、不乾淨，而且未經碾製，無法均勻蒸熟。連稻農都把它當成豬食出售，或交換品質較佳的越南、泰國米。
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Even as other areas of agriculture flourished, rice production languished, a national embarrassment in a country where 80 percent of the population works in paddies. In 2009, Cambodia exported just 11,442 metric tons of milled rice, putting it at the bottom of the global heap.
柬埔寨農業其他區塊欣欣向榮，稻米生產卻萎縮不振；對一個八成人口在稻田勞動的國家而言，相當難堪。2009年，柬埔寨僅出口1萬1,442公噸碾米，在全球殿後。
But as Thailand, one of the world’s largest rice exporters, struggles with instability, Cambodian exports have improved along with their quality. Last year, Cambodia was the world’s fifth-largest exporter of rice and the second-biggest exporter of premium jasmine rice. Sales of milled rice abroad reached 343,692 metric tons.
然而在舉世最主要稻米出口國之一泰國政局動盪之際，柬埔寨的稻米出口量及品質均已提高，去年是全球稻米第五大，頂級香米第二大出口國，碾米出口量達34萬3,692公噸。
Few know this transformation better than Bun Chan Tony. His six hectares earn him $6,000 a year, substantially more than in the past.
這種轉變，很少人比邦坎更清楚。他的六公頃稻田每年為他賺進6,000美元，遠比以往多。
“When the rains come and there is a lot of water, we plant rice. When it’s drier, we plant corn, but rice is a staple and people must have it,” Mr. Tony said.
邦坎說：「下雨，水多時我們種稻。雨量減少時，我們改種玉米。然而米是主食，人們少不了它。」
Modern milling systems adopted in the last few years have helped elevate Cambodian rice to the international market. And locally milled rice has also received an unexpected lift from Thailand, where rice hoarding and huge government subsidies threatened to produce a shortfall of rice on global markets.
近年引進的現代化碾米系統使柬埔寨稻米得以進軍國際。在地碾製的米也因為泰國而意外得到助力。泰國大量囤積稻米，政府並大手筆補貼稻農，使國際市場稻米有短缺之虞。
Cambodia has set a target of 907,185 metric tons of milled rice for export by the end of 2015.
柬埔寨已設定至2015年底，輸出90萬7,185公噸碾米的目標。
In a bid to reach that ambitious target, the rice federation was formed in May. It merged three industry bodies into one and elected Sok Puthyvuth as president. Mr. Puthyvuth, the son of Cambodia’s deputy prime minister, Sok An, said the move had eliminated some costly competition and defined the industry’s goals more clearly.
為了達成此一頗具企圖心的目標，柬埔寨五月把三個業界組織整併為稻米聯盟，並推舉副總理索安之子索波迪武出任主席。索波迪武表示，此舉消解部分高成本競爭，並使產業目標更明確。
But there are formidable obstacles to reaching the new target.
不過在達成新目標之前，尚須克服一些障礙。
The country must tap new markets, like the United States, China and Africa.
柬埔寨必須開發新市場，如美國、中國大陸與非洲。
Mr. Puthyvuth said further improvements were needed in quality and in relationships among growers, millers and exporters. The government has lamented that only 40 percent of Cambodia’s nine million farmers can produce rice suitable for export. Too many farmers still use chemical pesticides with cheap, poor-quality seeds.
索波迪武說，柬埔寨稻米的品質必須進一步提升，稻農、碾米廠與出口商之間的關係亦須改善。柬埔寨政府說，柬國900萬稻農約僅40%能種出適合出口的稻米。太多農民仍在使用化學殺蟲劑與品質很差的廉價種子。
“Trust within all sectors – from farmers to millers, and exporters – is not strong enough yet,” he said. “We have to figure out ways to make them trust each other. This is the main obstacle we are facing. When they have quality rice, they receive a good price.”
他說：「農民、碾米廠與出口商之間的互信還不夠。我們必須想出讓他們相互信任的辦法。這是我們面臨的主要障礙。如果他們能供應品質好的米，自然會拿到好價錢。」
The rice industry also faces opposition in crucial markets. Italy wants the European Union to impose an import tariff on Cambodian rice, arguing that Italian-produced rice cannot compete on price.
柬埔寨的稻米產業在重要市場還遭遇阻力。義大利希望歐盟對柬埔寨稻米課徵進口關稅，因為義大利生產的稻米不具價格競爭力。
Mr. Tony said he was trying to improve the quality of his rice, avoiding chemicals and paying top dollar for high-end seeds, up to $3.50 a kilogram.
邦坎表示，他努力提升自種稻米的品質，除了不使用殺蟲劑，還購買每公斤要價3.5美元的高品質種子。
But he also stressed that many of his problems stemmed from a government that had yet to deliver on creating greater access to markets and higher prices. Many farmers cannot read, live in remote areas and rely on middlemen, often strangers, who buy the rice for milling and export, dictating terms and prices.
不過他強調，他面臨的許多問題與柬埔寨政府有關，因為金邊當局仍未兌現為稻米開拓市場並提高稻價的承諾。許多農民不識字，住在偏鄉，只能依賴往往不認識的中間商。這些中間商以他們自訂的條件及價格向農民收購稻米，碾製後出口。
He said, “They won’t tell us how much of our rice they sell, or how much they make.”
他說：「他們不會透露究竟以什麼價格賣出向我們收購的稻米，更不會透露他們賺了多少。」
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