Cambodia rejects rumor that it’s specialty rice “mixed” with Vietnamese rice

Cambodia officials also called on relevant agencies to pay great attention to this matter to ensure the situation won’t happen again.

The situation comes from the rumor that caused public confusion when some customers ordered Sen Kro Ob specialty rice. This rice was then alleged to be mixed with OM5451 rice of Vietnam by mill plants as these two types of rice are very similar in appearance.

General Director of Agriculture and Rural Development Bank of Cambodia Kao Thach also confirmed that some customers required quotation for this mixed rice, however, it is impossible to find local processors to provide this type of rice.

Mr. Heng Pheng, CEO of Thmor Korl Rice Import Export Co., Ltd. in Battambang province also rejected the rumor. “Currently, we process from 100 ton to 200 ton of specialty rice every day. At this time, our plant is purchasing Phka Ramduol seeds when farmers start to rush for harvest.

Mr. Thach further shared, we haven’t verified any particular cases yet. However, he confirmed that Cambodian farmers also plant OM5451 rice, mostly in Prey Veng province bordering with Vietnam.

According to Mr. Thach, the demand for OM5451 rice of Vietnam is very high and this rice variety shares same characteristics with Sen Kro Ob of Cambodia such as aroma and soft texture which is almost similar to Phka Malis rice.

According to Mekong Oryza Trading Co., Ltd, this is a specialty rice of Cambodia which is very popular with customers who like soft, chewy rice with favorite aroma. However, it can only be grown in irrigated areas and main harvests are in April and July.

Meanwhile, OM5451 rice of Vietnam is a long-grained aromatic rice which is bred by the combination of Jasmine 85 and OM 2490. This rice variety is grown mainly in the Mekong River Delta provinces, meeting export standards and having high productivity. The seeds of this variety are long, thin and milky white.

Mr. Thach also shared: “This is a technical issue and only a specialized inspection agency can determine the identity of the variety.”