Cambodia Pledges to Support Vietnam Boost Rubber Planting

Cambodia will allocate 100,000 hectares of land soon for Vietnam to implement its rubber planting projects, the state-run Vietnam News Agency said, citing Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen. Hun Sen made the pledge at a meeting with Vietnamese Deputy PM Nguyen Gia Khiem in Phnom Penh on Aug 3. Cambodian government gave approval to the Vietnam Rubber Group to grow 100,000 hectares of rubber trees by 2012. The group grew more than 10,500 hectares over the past three years, of which 8,000 hectares were planted in 2008. VRG plans to invest $55 million in growing 20,000 hectares of rubber trees more in five Cambodian provinces this year.