"Researchers say ELC distribution should favour more farmers", 18 July 2019

Academics are urging the government to reform economic land concession procedures and provide additional support to villagers in need of enough land for farming.

The call was made during the launching of “State of Land in the Mekong Region”, a book... According to the book, researchers have argued that in the midst of urbanisation and industrialisation in Cambodia, smallholders need land because their profession does not keep up with the increase of the population in rural areas...

It noted that the government has made efforts to evaluate economic land concessions across the country. As a result, some major ELC areas have either been titled to smallholders or simply cancelled, the book said...

Mr Diepart said the amount went from two million hectares to one million hectares, as the government acknowledged that granting ELCs caused land disputes between companies and residents. He also said land disputes cause the decline of social stability.

“In order to respond to this issue, we have to evaluate more on ELCs across the country […] because they cause land disputes,” he said.

Mr Diepart said a way of distributing land for smallholders must be reformed, and that they must be granted their own land...

Mak Mony, director of the Agriculture Ministry’s planning and statistics department, yesterday said the ministry has been managing the ELCs of investment companies that totaled 229 projects on 1,168,430 hectares of land.

He said these companies are cultivating rubber, sugar cane, cashew nuts, fruits, and other agricultural crops...