Government allocates US$100 million for rural infrastructure development

• 12 June 2020
• Local News
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The Royal Government of Cambodia has allocated 451 billion riels (approximately US$109 million) for building physical infrastructure in rural areas and promoting agriculture, and in particular providing jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic crisis.

According to a press release from the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the ‘Labour Cash Program Phase II’ fund will be implemented for three years from 2020 to 2022 to restore and conserve natural resources. To be implemented in 18 provinces, projects will include preserving natural lakes and water basins and water storage ponds for agriculture crops.

The project is capable of employing 890,000 labourers who lost their jobs in the virus pandemic, building 2,255 km of road, 2,384km of irrigation canals, and connecting installation of 45 power lines to agricultural pumping stations, according to the MEF press release on 11 June 2020.

The project will also expect to benefit 957,000 families from the physical infrastructure development.

H.E. Aun Porn Moniroth, Deputy Minister and  Minister of Economy and Finance, said in the press release that the program is important for Cambodia’s current socio-economic development by not only providing jobs for local people but also helping to build infrastructure such as roads and canals to support and promote a “community-based local economy”.

The ‘Labor Cash Program Phase I’ 1 was implemented over a three-year period from 2017 to 2019, with a total budget of 215.4 billion riels, or approximately US$52 million and benefited 937,334 people in 12 target provinces by building 688 km of roads and 1,140 km of canals in rural areas.

• Economy and Finance
• Policy and Strategy