In Koh Kong, recent petrol-price increases have affected some fishing households in Khemara Phoumin city. Some fishers have stopped going to sea, while others continue to earn income.
A Khmer Muslim resident of Village 4, Dang Tong commune, said in mid-March that fishing costs had been manageable when petrol was a little over 4,000 riel per litre. Continued increases linked to global markets had made trips more difficult.
He said this year’s catches were reasonable, but prices paid by middlemen were low and high fuel costs sometimes produced losses. He had therefore stopped going to sea for more than half a month.
Another crab fisher in Dang Tong said higher petrol costs had seriously affected her household income. Low crab prices could not cover fuel expenses.
She asked the government and relevant ministries to consider help to keep fuel prices reasonable. If conditions continued, she said, small fishing households would face greater hardship, while larger, better-resourced boats could travel farther and catch more.
Koh Kong Fisheries Administration cantonment chief Seng Bunna acknowledged the effect of fuel prices on fishing. He said fishery-product prices might also rise slightly according to market conditions.
Following Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry guidance, provincial fisheries officials were monitoring fuel supply and prices to ensure sales followed the price schedules set by the Mines and Energy and Commerce ministries.
Officials also advised fishers to use and store petrol in containers meeting safety standards to reduce fire risks to property and lives. Supply problems or unusual price increases would be reported promptly to the Agriculture Ministry’s General Secretariat for national-level action. Article: Lay Kol
