Background
The tourism sector in Cambodia consumes a range of food products sourced from both domestic and foreign suppliers, creating an opportunity to develop local agricultural supply chains that serve hotels, restaurants and other tourist-facing businesses.
The Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries signed a Memorandum of Understanding to promote “green belts” in tourism areas and to enhance agricultural production chains. The MoU sets out four strategic objectives focused on inter-ministerial cooperation, demand–supply information exchange, action plans to prioritize locally produced food in tourism establishments, and promotion of agri-tourism and ecotourism zones.
Key Developments
On 1 August 2026, the two ministries held a signing ceremony at the ASEAN–Korea Garden (Rosewood Garden) in Siem Reap Province. The event was presided over by H.E. Huot Hak, Minister of Tourism, and H.E. Dith Tina, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and was attended by H.E. Prak Sophoan, Governor of Siem Reap, and about 60 leaders and officials from both ministries.
The cooperation was framed in line with recommendations from the 19th Government–Private Sector Forum and explicitly targets a reduction in “economic leakage” by increasing domestic capture of tourism-related food expenditure.
Institutional Role
The MoU assigns coordinating functions to both ministries to implement Royal Government measures that establish green belts and strengthen agricultural production chains linked to tourism. Under the agreement, ministries are expected to exchange information on demand and supply between farmers, agricultural communities and tourism operators to improve market matching.
Market Impact
The agreement aims to reduce imports of vegetables, fish, meat and processed food products by improving the use of domestically produced agricultural goods within tourism businesses. The MoU explicitly prioritizes concrete action plans to increase the share of local products purchased by hotels, restaurants and other tourism establishments.
Operational Implications
Planned operational measures referenced in the MoU include timely information exchange mechanisms between producers and tourism operators, the design of activity plans at local level to maximize use of local produce, and promotion of agri-tourism and ecotourism development within the Ministry of Agriculture’s jurisdiction. Implementation details and timelines were not specified in the public summary provided by the ministries.
Source
Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries — joint MoU signing, ASEAN–Korea Garden, Siem Reap, 1 August 2026. Source: Ministry of Tourism Facebook post (link in metadata).
