PM wants to end Cambodian dependence on agriculture
Prime Minister Hun Sen has publicly announced that the economic goal of the Cambodian government is to seek all possible ways to change Cambodia from an agriculture-dependent country into a “services” nation.
“Take a look at the markets where Cambodians have started their services and businesses. A developed country is a country which has strong trade and services. The participation of the agricultural sector in a developed nation accounts for only one or two percent of their GDP, or even less. Industry and especially the service sector is the main characteristic [of a developed nation],” Hun Sen said during a graduation ceremony in Phnom Penh.
Last year the service sector in Cambodia accounted for 36 percent of the GDP, the agriculture sector for 32.2 percent, and industry 25 percent, the premier noted.
Both national and international economists have repeatedly claimed that agriculture is a key sector needing attention from the Cambodian government because 80 percent of all Cambodians earn their living by farming.
According to reports from the World Bank and Oxfam, the Cambodian government needs to focus its poverty reduction strategies especially on the development of rural areas.
[Corruption watchdog] Transparency International recently reported that most corruption takes place in urban areas, where businessmen often can evade taxes imposed by the government, due to the corrupt civil servants.
(Source: Corruption Monitor Bulletin, Issue 1, December 2007)