Cambodia is committed to process land title deeds for farmers and poverty reduction

By: Ek Tha

Ta O Commune, Cambodia, Oct. 22, 2012 (PRU) – Speaking to more than 1,000 villagers who turned up at a meeting on Monday in a remote Ta O commune, His Excellency Dr. Sok An, Deputy Prime Minister, said that the Royal Government of Cambodia is strongly committed to issue more than 1 million land title deeds for people nationwide which would motivate farmers to produce more crops which in turn would contribute towards poverty reduction.

His Excellency Dr. Sok An said that land titles have been playing a crucial role in social and  economic development, meaning that after farmers receiving their land title deeds, they will have peace of mind and seek ways on  how to boost  production on the land they owned.

His Excellency Dr. Sok An, when addressing the people at the land title delivering ceremony, assured them: “this shows the strong commitment of the Royal Government in ensuring that the people own their land legally.”

“No one would take risk to invest a great deal with the land that they are unsure if they don’t own them” said the Deputy Prime Minister, raising a human value in sense of private ownership. 

“Once farmers are assured that they officially own the land, they will diversify their farming for more productions that will contribute to improve their living conditions,” the Deputy Prime Minister said to the crowd gathered at Dom Buddhist temple, where 301 families received the hard copy of land title deeds.

Cambodia’s poverty line is now said to be at 25 per cent, out of its total population of 14 million, a reduction from nearly 50 per cent recorded 20 years ago. It was 100 percent right after this Southeast Asian nation was liberated by the Cambodia’s People Party (CPP) in January, 1979, from the bloody and genocidal regime of Democratic Kampuchea (DK) ruled from 1975 to 1979.

His Excellency Dr. Sok An thanked the concerned officials, including the newly established Techo Hun Sen Heroic Youth Group assisting the land title process, for what they have been doing their “noble mission” relating to the issuance of land title deeds across the nation.

More than 470,000 families will benefit from more than 1 million hectares of land nationwide.

Cambodia’s land issue is a very complicated problem given the country has undergone four different stages in term of land reforms, including: first step from 1979 - 1989 (cooperative land), second from 1991- 1993 (distribution of land for Cambodian refugees who returned home), third from 1998- 1999 (the integration of the former Khmer Rouge group who defected to the Royal Government), and the last phase is the current land reform.

His Excellency Dr. Sok An has likened the landless farmers to the officials who have no office, and that is why the Royal Government, under the wise leadership of Samdech Prime Minister Hun Sen, has established a strong team known as ‘Techo Hun Sen Heroic Youth Teams of nearly 3,000 young men and women to work side by side with the Ministry of Land Management, Construction and Urbanization to implement the " Old Policy - New Activities  on land issue ".

This approach fully answers to the policy of the Royal Government in fighting poverty.

Farmers’ land will not be taxed as long as the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) continue to be elected, but the land which is operated by companies would be taxed, the Deputy Prime Minister assured.

His Excellency Dr. Sok An recalled that the pro-poor policy of the Royal Government led by Samdech Prime Minister Hun Sen, to continue to support farmers in different approaches legally so that they could improve their living conditions.

He also called on farmers in Kirivong district of Takeo province to increase their production, not just in rice, but other crops and vegetables to earn extra incomes, especially planting mulberry trees to support the silk worm micro-business. 

To Encourage the farmers to boost their crops, the Deputy Prime Minister had established since last year the Sok An Agro-Market One Village One Product in Kirivong District of Takeo province in order to create a shopping center which is free of charge for farmers to sell their crops.

“We even purchased their agricultural produce, if it does not sell well, to support the Cambodian Royal Armed Forces who are stationing at the front line,” said His Excellency Dr. Sok An. End