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**By APD writer Kin Ratha **
**PHNOM PENH, Aug. 23 (APD) ** - Cambodian Rice Federation (CRF) on Thursday appealed to the European Union (EU) to save the livelihoods of half a million families, as the bloc is considering to possibility withdraw the Everything But Arms scheme from Cambodia.
In the statement issued on August 22, the CRF said the EBA withdrawing will be a painful added to the existing duties that the EU imposed on Cambodia rice since earlier this year to protect domestic producers.
In the first six months of 2019, Cambodia’s milled rice export to the European Union (EU) felt affect from the imposed duties, seeing the amount of rice export decreased, almost half the amount that was exported during the same period in 2018.
As of the first of this year, the EU imposed duties on Cambodian rice in order to protect domestic producers. This has been acutely felt by most of the 500,000 families in Cambodia who eke out living farming jasmine and fragrant long-grain rice, in spite of the fact that these varieties are geographically specific and do not compete directly with products grown in the EU,” CRF said in the statement.
As if this weren't painful enough, the EU is now considering the withdrawal of its "Everything But Arms" (EBA) program. This trade arrangement allows goods from Cambodia and other developing nations to enter the EU free of duties and tariffs. EU legislators are threatening to end the arrangement to press for policy reforms in Cambodia. A political thrashing could lead to virtual threshing of an industry and a way of life,” the rice body said.
Cambodian rice is produced in keeping with all international standards and CRF supports producers with programs that are designed to encourage ethical, responsible and sustainable farming practices.
“Without the EBA, these efforts will come to naught. The CRF appeals to the EU to save the livelihoods of half a million families and to save the work that we have done to earn your respect, that of consumers and that of those we serve,” CRF said.
On February this year, the EU launched an investigation into alleged human and labor rights violations by the Cambodian government. The investigation could lead to the removal of Cambodia from the EBA tariff preference program.
EU is Cambodia’s biggest market for textile and garment products, bicycles and agricultural products under the duty-free scheme –EBA.
Cambodia exported more than 93,000 tons of rice in the first half of 2019, down from over 130,000 tons in the same period last year.
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
