After a spree of promotions, Cambodia’s CHM01 corn hybrid looks set to increase national production and reduce cost.
The most recent promotion occurred on June 28, 2024 in Phnom Penh courtesy the Korea Program for International Cooperation in Agriculture (KOPIA).
KOPIA’s Cambodia director, Song Young Ju said that the variety will boost local production and cut $30 million in annual corn seed imports.
Song said that though corn is Cambodia’s third most farmed crop after rice and cassava, Cambodia seasonally relies on imports.
But with this downy mildew-resistant strain that produces up to 640 kernels to the ear, the country could soon be self-dependent.
For one, the orange-coloured CHM01 has a fast maturity period of between 3 months and 10 days, and 31/2 months. This is a saving feature against extended growth periods which often coincide with destructive floods for other maize varieties.
CHM01
With a test-development period going back to 2013, the variety boasts parent stocks from Mexico, Vietnam and Korea.
Before its launch in January 2021, the hybrid had undergone 200 field performance trials spanning between 2014 and 2020.
Since then, CHM01 has expanded to 750 hectares and proven a hit with an output of 8.7 tonnes per hectare. Comparably, the national average for conventional maize varieties is 4 tonnes a hectare.
The same advantage informs the cost of seed kernels, which will average $4 to $5 a kg in 2024. During the 2021 launch, a farmer said that imported Thai corn seeds cost over 1,000 baht ($33.50) per 10 kg.
Finally, the new hybrid could satiate Cambodia’s animal feed industry, which gobbles up more than half of local corn.
In a word, Cambodia’s CHM01 will improve production even if the end 2023 national corn acreage stays put at 154,598 hectares. A look at the following statistics says as much.
Cambodia Corn Statistics
Cambodia had 154,598 hectares of corn in 2023, with a production capacity for 735,551 tonnes, and a yield rate of 4 tonnes/hectare. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the country had a domestic production capacity of 80% in the 2022-23 season. Imports filled in the gap. While Thailand ($3.69 million) and Vietnam ($11 million) supplied Cambodia regionally, most imports in 2022 originated from far-flung sources. These included Argentina with $24.4 million worth of imports, Brazil and South Africa.
Which are the production bastions of corn in Cambodia?
Corn production in Cambodia is centered in Batdâmbbâng which produced 52% of all corn in 2022. Runners up include Kândal at 12% of the national production and Tbong Khmum at 8%. Prey Véng, Kámpong Cham and Krâchéh each represents 5% of the production share while Krong Pailin accounts for 4%.
What are the uses of corn in Cambodia?
56% of the national maize output makes animal feed while the rest processes human food including grilled street corn. Animal feed production from corn reached over 1.2 million tonnes per year in 2023.