Agriculture currently accounts for 16.6% of GDP and employs more than a third of Cambodia's workforce. The sector plays an important role in ensuring national food security and has been growing steadily in recent years thanks to the kingdom's focus on exports. However, more active expansion of Cambodia's agriculture is hampered by natural constraints. The country is located in a subtropical monsoon climate zone with pronounced dry and rainy periods, and the local soils are not very fertile. As a result, a good harvest in Cambodia is actually possible only during the seasonal high water of the region's largest river, the Mekong, which provides sufficient water and silt for growing rice, a key product of Cambodian agriculture.
In 2023, the country harvested 12.9 million tons of rice and nearly 1.5 million tons of corn. Between 2019 and 2024, local production of these grains increased by 18.5% and 65.4%, respectively. In addition, Cambodia grows more than 13.5 million tons of cassava annually, and gross yields of sugar cane (800,200 tons in 2024) and oil palm fruits (613,600 tons) are steadily increasing. The most common fruits in the kingdom are bananas (378,400 tons), mangoes, and oranges (more than 65,000 tons). Overall, the country is almost completely self-sufficient in these crops and actively exports them abroad.
Livestock farming in Cambodia is relatively underdeveloped due to high costs, a lack of pastures and nutritious feed, and the fact that livestock is mainly used as draft animals (due to the lack of machinery). The country produces pork (more than 100,000 tons annually), beef (50,000 tons), and poultry (17,000 tons).
At the same time, the kingdom traditionally produces large volumes of fish and seafood, which is explained by Cambodia's access to the Gulf of Thailand and the characteristics of the local water system. During the flood season, water from the Mekong River reaches the country's largest body of water, Tonle Sap Lake, from where it flows back into the rivers during the dry season. This process creates favorable conditions for the reproduction of freshwater fish, which accounts for half of all aquatic biological resources caught in the country (aquaculture accounts for about a third, and another 15% is caught in the Pacific Ocean basin). The total production of fish and seafood in Cambodia exceeds 850,000 tons annually.
In 2024, Cambodia's imports of agricultural products reached a record high of US$2.2 billion, which is 7.2% (or US$145.2 million) higher than in 2023 and 35.2% (US$560.9 million) higher than in 2020. During 2020–2024, the country's purchases of agricultural goods increased by an average of 7.8% annually. The largest increase (+15.2% or +$245.7 million) was recorded in 2022 against the backdrop of the entry into force of the Comprehensive Regional Economic Partnership agreement, which created the world's largest free trade area between 15 countries in East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Oceania.
Cambodia's imports of agricultural products are quite diversified. In 2024, non-alcoholic beverages, excluding water and juices, accounted for the largest share of the country's purchases, at 12.0% of the total volume or US$259.4 million. The most popular foreign-made agricultural products on the local market at the end of the year also included cigars and cigarettes (10.9%) and animal feed, except for dog and cat food (5.8%). The 10 key commodity items accounted for 54.9% of total national imports of agricultural products in value terms in 2024.
In 2024, the most notable increases were in Cambodian imports of sugar (+53.8% or +$37.7 million), corn (+29.9% or +$19.2 million), and pasta (+20.1% or +$12.6 million). At the same time, the country's purchases of legume processing waste (-18.5% or -$13.9 million), animal feed products other than dog and cat food (-15.2% or -$22.3 million), baby food made from flour, cereals, starch, and milk (-7.2% or -$4.7 million), cigars and cigarettes (-6.6% or -$16.5 million), and malt (-5.3% or -$6.5 million).
The largest exporter of agricultural products to Cambodia in 2024 is neighboring Thailand, with a share of 26.1% (US$561.6 million) in 2024. The top three exporters of agricultural goods to the local market at the end of the year also included Vietnam (13.9% or US$299.7 million) and Indonesia (12.7% or US$272.7 million). In total, these three countries accounted for 52.6% of all Cambodian imports of agricultural products in 2024, with the top 10 countries accounting for 82.0%.
The most notable increases in agricultural exports to Cambodia in 2024 were recorded by Australia (+54.4% or +$30.0 million), Argentina (+43.6% or +$27.8 million), and China (+40.9% or +$56.5 million). Australia increased exports of live cattle (+US$29.8 million), Argentina increased exports of corn (2.3 times), and China increased exports of malt (+49.2%) and sausages (6.1 times). At the same time, at the end of the year, Brazil (-US$18.9 million or -27.5%) and Indonesia (-US$10.5 million or -3.7%) reduced their supplies of agricultural products to the Cambodian market. In particular, Brazil significantly reduced exports of legume processing waste (-54.8%), while Indonesia reduced exports of baby food made from flour, cereals, starch, and milk (-66.4%).
In 2024, the volume of exports of Cambodian agricultural products exceeded US$4 billion for the first time, which is 4.7% higher than in 2023 and 5.0 times higher than in 2020. Cambodian exports of agricultural products have steadily increased over the past 20 years thanks to the development of domestic production and the liberalization of trade with neighboring countries. The most notable increase (3.9 times) was observed in 2023 against the backdrop of the entry into force of the Comprehensive Regional Economic Partnership Agreement and the strengthening of trade and economic relations with key partners, primarily Vietnam.
The main export commodity of the Cambodian agriculture is rice, which in 2024 accounted for 46.2% of all agricultural exports from the kingdom (or about US$1.9 billion). The country also supplies significant volumes of root and tuber crops with a high starch or inulin content (16.9% or US$690.3 million at the end of the year) and cashew nuts (12.3% or US$502.6 million) to the world market. In total, the 10 most popular Cambodian agricultural products abroad in 2024 accounted for 93.8% of the country's total agricultural exports in value terms.
In 2024, the most notable increases were in Cambodian exports of corn (+80.1%), vegetables, fruits, nuts, and edible parts of plants in sugar (+59.2%), cashews (+44.5%), and dog and cat food (+35.6%). At the same time, during the same period, the country reduced its exports of beet and cane sugar (-16.9%), bananas (-9.3%), root and tuber crops with a high starch or inulin content (-7.4%), and palm oil (-5.1%).
The main buyer of agricultural products from Cambodia is Vietnam, which in 2024 accounted for 63.3% of the kingdom's total agricultural exports in value terms (about US$2.6 billion). The volume of Cambodian supplies to the Vietnamese market has been steadily increasing over the past few years, with a sharp increase in exports (29.8 times) in 2023 due to the implementation of 11 bilateral agreements signed in November 2022, including a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in Agriculture and an Agreement on Border Trade between the countries.
In 2024, Cambodia increased its agricultural exports to Thailand by 3.6 times (or by US$267.5 million), mainly due to an increase in exports of corn (by 10.1 times or US$45.9 million), root and tuber crops (3.9 times or US$151.8 million), as well as guavas, mangoes, and mangosteens (3.0 times or US$2.1 million).
Cambodian exports to the United Kingdom increased by 59.0% (+US$10.5 million) over the year, to Malaysia by 47.5% (+US$20.6 million), to the US by 44.2% (+$36.9 million), and to the Netherlands by 43.4% (+$14.1 million). All of these countries increased their purchases of rice, and the US also significantly increased its imports of dog and cat food.
At the same time, in 2024, agricultural product deliveries from Cambodia to Spain decreased (-50.4% or -$27.8 million), which reduced its purchases of cane sugar by 3.0 times. At the end of the year, there was also a decline in exports of Cambodian agricultural products to India (-10.1% or -$5.9 million), Vietnam (-5.2% or -$143.3 million), and China (-4.7% or -$20.4 million).
