(Phnom Penh): The supervision mission for the Agriculture Services Programme for an Inclusive Rural Economy and Agricultural Trade (ASPIRE-AT) concluded on Friday (Sep. 4) at Hotel Cambodiana, in Phnom Penh.

The mission was jointly opened and closed by Meas Pyseth, ASPIRE-AT Project Director and Secretary of State at MAFF, together with Frew Behabtu, IFAD Representative and Country Director for Cambodia, Bryan Fornari, Head of Cooperation at the European Union Delegation to Cambodia, and representatives of the European Investment Bank.

Conducted jointly by the Royal Government of Cambodia, IFAD, the EU Delegation and the EIB, the mission assessed implementation progress, financing and delivery issues, and priority actions as ASPIRE-AT moves towards its Mid-Term Review.

This comes as the programme has potential to support Cambodia’s response to economic shocks by strengthening smallholder resilience, rural enterprise development and market participation.

Reflecting on these national prioroties, Meas Pyseth emphasised the programme’s role in advancing the Royal Government’s agricultural transformation agenda, “Our agricultural transformation must help farmers move from fragmented production towards greater scale, better quality and higher value. This is central to the Royal Government’s vision for a modern and competitive agriculture sector. ASPIRE-AT is helping turn that vision into practical results for farmers.”

This national priority is now being backed by expanded investment; Following IFAD additional financing, ASPIRE-AT now targets 140,000 households, including 15,000 through 50 Modern Agricultural Cooperatives (MACs), 40 non-rice and 10 rice, supporting the Royal Government’s flagship MAC agenda through institutional strengthening, productive investment, market infrastructure and structured access to finance through ARDB and CGCC.

The programme is also advancing the SSTC-financed Support to the Export-Led Agricultural Sector in Cambodia (SELAS), alongside trade-facilitation work that has opened new market opportunities with China through export protocols for durian, dried longan and fresh jackfruit.

IFAD Representative and Country Director, Frew Behabtu emphasized that as IFAD, “We are looking ahead with a clear focus on accelerating implementation and ensuring that ASPIRE-AT investments, including support to Modern Agricultural Cooperatives, translate into stronger access to finance, commercially viable rural enterprises and better access to reliable and profitable markets for Cambodia’s smallholder farmers.”

The mission visited Kampong Cham, Kampong Thom, Kampong Chhnang, Pursat, Battambang, Preah Vihear and Siem Reap, reviewing chicken, durian, cashew, vegetable and longan value chains. Discussions with cooperatives, MACs, farmers, buyers, SMEs and financial partners, including ARDB, CGCC, Wing Bank, Chamroeun MFI and SME Bank, focused on finance, business development and market linkages.

The mission also reviewed the structured assessment and support process helping agricultural cooperatives progress from organisational strengthening to market participation and investment readiness, aiming to improve income and business benefits for 34,342 farmers, including women, youth, Indigenous Peoples and vulnerable groups.

As IFAD marks 30 years of partnership in Cambodia, ASPIRE-AT highlights IFAD’s role as a financing partner supporting the Royal Government of Cambodia to translate agricultural investment into improved access to finance, climate-resilient production and better links between rural smallholder farmers and markets.
=FRESH NEWS