khmer sources

Many families of the former Khmer Rouge are struggling to adapt to a new harvest - silkworm cultivation. For them, the silkworm industry is the new experience and the first new income stream to be introduced since the 1998 end of the catastrophic 30 year civil war

Sre Cheng is a community surrounded by mountains in the once strategically vital Phnom Wor region in Cambodia's southwest. The area was a principle stronghold of Khmer Rouge, one where three foreign visitors were kidnapped from a train in the early 90's and later murdered.
Silkworm farming was introduced here in 2006 by a Cambodian diplomat: H.E. Nim Chantara brought in Chinese experts from Chongqing, the largest and most populous autonomous region of China and one well know for Chinese silk-making. They brought with them their farming techniques, their silkworm breeding stock and a specific Mulberry tree species needed by silkworm as food.

H.E. Nim Chantara is the Deputy Secretary of State of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and the inspiration behind this project. "After the civil war, Sre Cheng was one of the poorest communities in the country: They were barely surviving on small incomes gained from low productions of paddy rice. That is why I decided to help them using the knowledge learned from my missions overseas".
"Today, at least 20 households are benefiting in Sre Cheng commune, Chum Kiri district, Kampot Province. There are now 16 hectares given over to growing thousands of Mulberry trees; six Chinese experts are here to teach the local people how to grow the Mulberry trees, to feed and taking care of the silkworms, and to demonstrate how to produce a quality silk thread".
"My plan is to encourage local people to grow Mulberry trees on a thousand hectares of land and breed more silkworm before I establish a silk factory here", H.E. Nim Chantara explained. "This is just the first step. I just want them to understand the techniques, to know how to feed and care the silkworm in order to produce a quality silk: The factory can then be established".
"Under this initiative, 20 model households were selected by Chinese experts to raise 25,000 silkworms; 20 days later, each household produced at least 40 kg of silk thread to sell to Chinese".
"We selected only 20 model households but I hope they will teach each other. In the future, I hope more households will joint the project, and the silk produce here will not just be one village one product, it will be one commune one product, then one district one product, and one province one product", H.E. Nim Chantara said.
"Besides growing paddy rice, the farmers can feed the silkworm 12 to 18 times annually. They can earn more money to support their family. The silk thread produced here is sold to the Chinese buyer for approximately $1.20 per kilogram".
The 45 years old Suon Pheap is one of the farmers on the initiative. "In the beginning, I produced approximately 40 kg of silk and sold it to Chinese experts for $48. I am so happy. I get this money for 20 days work. I will expand this work. The job is not so easy and we have to work hard".
"This is quite new in our village and we never tried this before: Sometimes we nearly stopped but when we saw the result, we decided to continue".
Other farmers, such as Sou Men, found the transition to the silk crop difficult.
"From the first day to the twentieth, the silkworm feeder has much to do. They must find the right mulberry leave to feed them, protect them from insects, prepare its net, and then collect the cocoons".
"Because I didn't apply the feeding technique correctly, I didn't harvest as much silk as some of the others. I started with the same number of 25,000 silkworms as the others, but I only produced 15 kg of silk thread: Nearly half of mine died", Sou Men said. "Next time, I will produce more because I've now mastered the technique".
H.E. Nim Chantara reflected on the project. "This is the first step. My vision is not like this. I want them to learn this industry until they can do everything by themselves, without any foreign assistance. I don't want them to waste their time or their land. That why I introduced this new harvest to them," he said.
"In the textile industry, I see silk is the most expensive product. When you compare the price of the cotton cloth to silk, which one is more expensive?" H.E. Nim Chantara said.
"Currently, China is the biggest silk producer. In the future, Cambodia can follow their lead. We have the favorable climate, the fertile land and cheaper labor: I think Cambodia can be a big silk producer", Chantara said.
H.E. Nim Chantara, is a well know Cambodian diplomat. He has experience in diplomacy for more than 22 years, starting from a simple officer at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he later became an Ambassador. He was later nominated as deputy secretary of state.
With his strong commitment and vision, this Cambodia diplomatic will turn Sre Cheng community into the Cambodia's largest silk producers.
Sre Cheng is a community surrounded by mountains in the once strategically vital Phnom Wor region in Cambodia's southwest. The area was a principle stronghold of Khmer Rouge, one where three foreign visitors were kidnapped from a train in the early 90's and later murdered.
Silkworm farming was introduced here in 2006 by a Cambodian diplomat: H.E. Nim Chantara brought in Chinese experts from Chongqing, the largest and most populous autonomous region of China and one well know for Chinese silk-making. They brought with them their farming techniques, their silkworm breeding stock and a specific Mulberry tree species needed by silkworm as food.
H.E. Nim Chantara is the Deputy Secretary of State of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and the inspiration behind this project. "After the civil war, Sre Cheng was one of the poorest communities in the country: They were barely surviving on small incomes gained from low productions of paddy rice. That is why I decided to help them using the knowledge learned from my missions overseas".

"Today, at least 20 households are benefiting in Sre Cheng commune, Chum Kiri district, Kampot Province. There are now 16 hectares given over to growing thousands of Mulberry trees; six Chinese experts are here to teach the local people how to grow the Mulberry trees, to feed and taking care of the silkworms, and to demonstrate how to produce a quality silk thread".
"My plan is to encourage local people to grow Mulberry trees on a thousand hectares of land and breed more silkworm before I establish a silk factory here", H.E. Nim Chantara explained. "This is just the first step. I just want them to understand the techniques, to know how to feed and care the silkworm in order to produce a quality silk: The factory can then be established".
"Under this initiative, 20 model households were selected by Chinese experts to raise 25,000 silkworms; 20 days later, each household produced at least 40 kg of silk thread to sell to Chinese".
"We selected only 20 model households but I hope they will teach each other. In the future, I hope more households will joint the project, and the silk produce here will not just be one village one product, it will be one commune one product, then one district one product, and one province one product", H.E. Nim Chantara said.

"Besides growing paddy rice, the farmers can feed the silkworm 12 to 18 times annually. They can earn more money to support their family. The silk thread produced here is sold to the Chinese buyer for approximately $1.20 per kilogram".
The 45 years old Suon Pheap is one of the farmers on the initiative. "In the beginning, I produced approximately 40 kg of silk and sold it to Chinese experts for $48. I am so happy. I get this money for 20 days work. I will expand this work. The job is not so easy and we have to work hard".
"This is quite new in our village and we never tried this before: Sometimes we nearly stopped but when we saw the result, we decided to continue".
Other farmers, such as Sou Men, found the transition to the silk crop difficult.
"From the first day to the twentieth, the silkworm feeder has much to do. They must find the right mulberry leave to feed them, protect them from insects, prepare its net, and then collect the cocoons".
"Because I didn't apply the feeding technique correctly, I didn't harvest as much silk as some of the others. I started with the same number of 25,000 silkworms as the others, but I only produced 15 kg of silk thread: Nearly half of mine died", Sou Men said. "Next time, I will produce more because I've now mastered the technique".
H.E. Nim Chantara reflected on the project. "This is the first step. My vision is not like this. I want them to learn this industry until they can do everything by themselves, without any foreign assistance. I don't want them to waste their time or their land. That why I introduced this new harvest to them," he said.
"In the textile industry, I see silk is the most expensive product. When you compare the price of the cotton cloth to silk, which one is more expensive?" H.E. Nim Chantara said.
"Currently, China is the biggest silk producer. In the future, Cambodia can follow their lead. We have the favorable climate, the fertile land and cheaper labor: I think Cambodia can be a big silk producer", Chantara said.
H.E. Nim Chantara, is a well know Cambodian diplomat. He has experience in diplomacy for more than 22 years, starting from a simple officer at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he later became an Ambassador. He was later nominated as deputy secretary of state.
With his strong commitment and vision, this Cambodia diplomatic will turn Sre Cheng community into the Cambodia's largest silk producers.

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# posted by FunMan @ 7:02 PM