Neang Om Rice Heritage
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Neang Om Rice Heritage
Neang Om Rice Heritage
Neang Om Rice is an ancient Cambodian rice variety believed to have originated from volunteer rice plants that grew after the harvest of upland rice fields. The seeds were collected and preserved by an elderly woman named Om during the 1980s in Kratie Province.
Neang Om rice is known for its distinctive fragrance, delicious and naturally rich taste, and heavier grain weight compared to other rice varieties.
(Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, 2018)
According to Ms. Chheun Sophasy, owner of Srey Mom99 Rice Shop, who directly cultivates this rice variety on more than 200 hectares of farmland, Neang Om rice can be cultivated only once a year during the rainy season, with harvesting taking place around mid-November.
Following the promotion and distribution of the Neang Om rice variety over the decade after its discovery, the variety gradually became cultivated by farmers across the province and was subsequently distributed to and grown in other provinces as well.
Neang Om rice has also received attention from the Cambodian government. In 2019, the variety was brought for research, testing, and seed purification at the Prey Phtao Agricultural Research Station, under the General Directorate of Agriculture, as documented in the First-Semester 2019 Work Implementation Activity Report*.
Furthermore, Neang Om rice has been recommended by Oknha Song Saran, President of the Federation of Rice Millers and Exporters of Cambodia and a well-known figure in Cambodia’s rice industry. He described Neang Om as a premium rice variety with strong market potential, relatively easy cultivation and care, and high yield potential.
Currently, Neang Om rice is widely cultivated in Preah Vihear Province, where farmers practice contract farming to produce organic rice, including Neang Om and Neang Ok varieties.
The rice is supplied to three companies: AMRU RICE, SIGNATURE OF ASIA, and GOLDEN RICE, with a total production volume of 6,753,190 kilograms. The price of wet paddy ranges from 960 to 1,100 Cambodian Riel per kilogram.
