Agriculture may be Cambodia’s saving grace as the country struggles to recover from the economic impact of the Coronavirus. The economy contracted by 3.1 percent last year and, from a very low base, the government says it will only grow by 2.5 percent this year. Agriculture contributed to nearly 23 percent of the country’s economy last year and this year some products are seeing soaring sales overseas. Cambodia’s pepper exports surged by 551 percent in the first eight months of the year, compared with January to August 2020. Cashew nut growers shipped 340 percent more nuts to foreign markets over the same period. Vietnam is the biggest buyer of Cambodian pepper, taking 24,476 tonnes of the total 24,847 tonnes of exports in the first eight months of the year. The other markets were Europe, India, Taiwan, , Japan, South Korea, Russia, Singapore, the US, Sweden, , Australia, Switzerland, Canada, Kazakhstan, and the United Arab Emirates. Pepper is grown in many areas in Cambodia, including Kampong Cham, Tboung Khmum, Kampot and Kep provinces. Cambodia’s Kampot pepper has been registered for international protection in 32 countries under the Geneva Act of the Lisbon Agreement on Appellations of Origin and Geographical Indications. Agriculture Ministry figures show that Cambodia exported about 876,521 tonnes of cashew products to foreign markets in the first eight months of the year. Major markets for Cambodia’s cashew nuts are Vietnam, China, Thailand, Japan, India, South Korea, the Netherlands, Bangladesh, Laos, Togo and the United Arab Emirates. Cashew trees are easy to grow in Cambodia because they thrive even in harsh conditions and droughts. Cashew nuts are high in iron and good for diabetics because they can help balance sugar in the blood. They also contain phosphorus and other substances that can boost strength, prevent inflammation and help fight off influenza. Overall, Cambodia’s agricultural exports rose by 89.7 percent in the first eight months of the year. It shipped 5.54 million tonnes of various crops, meats and fish from 2.92 million tonnes over the same period last year, according to Agriculture Minister Veng Sakhon. The main export crops, apart from pepper and cashews were rice, rubber, cassava, mangoes, fresh bananas, corn, palm oil and tobacco. Cambodia exported 343,447 tonnes of milled rice during the first eight months of this year, generating $292 million in revenue. China remains the top buyer of Cambodia’s milled rice, accounting for 48 percent of the Kingdom’s total rice exports. The country shipped 165,612 tonnes of rice to China during the period, up 4 percent year-on-year.