PNOV

23 February 2002

LOCATION
Commune of Pnov, district of Santuk, province of Kompong Thom, located 145 km North-West of Phnom Penh on National Road # 6 (about 2.30 hour-drive). A cluster of 3 villages: Pnov, Kang Meas, Traeuy O, the commune covers an area of 56 km2 of flat land bordered to the north by the Chineth river (see Map in Appendix 1).

DEMOGRAPHICS

The number of people living in the commune amounts to 2,218 (see Table in Appendix 2).

PRESENT ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES
Agriculture:
1 - Rice cultivation from April to July until fields are flooded from July-August to December-January. During the dry season (December-January to April-May), the soil is too dry to allow cultivation.
2 - Production of palm juice and palm sugar during the dry season.

Fishing and fish-processing:
Fishing in the Chineth river and in the flooded areas during rainy season. Smoking and salting of fish.

Mat weaving using local plants.

STRENGTHS
1 - Rich, unpolluted soil for fruit trees, vegetables, rice
2 - Source of water (Chineth river)
3 - Natural flora: mat plants, bamboo, palm trees
4 - Skills of the population: rice cultivation and other agricultural expertise, fishing and fish preservation techniques, mat weaving, palm sugar production,
5 - Proximity to the capital city of Phnom Penh (2.30 hours by car)

WEAKNESSES
1 – No maintenance of the old network of canals built in 1976 that used to irrigate paddy fields, allowing rice cultivation during the dry season (two crops a year). Now farmers content themselves with one crop a year, cultivated during the rainy season. In the dry season, land remain idle.
2 – 3km of bad road connect the commune to the National Road.
3 – No packaging expertise for the main productions of the commune either for domestic consumption or for export: preserved fish, palm sugar.

POSSIBLE BUSINESS DEVELOPMENTS
1 - Fish farming for export of live fish.
2 – Fish processing (canning, salting, smoking) for domestic consumption and export.
3 – Palm sugar for export.
4 – Organic agriculture: rice and other produce. Manually processed rice to produce wholemeal rice for export.
5 - Use bamboo as a raw material (bathroom accessories, insulation of buildings,…).
5 - Growing of plants for extraction of essential oil (lemongrass, jasmine, …) and/or production of natural dyes.
6 – Tourist resort by the Chineth river, especially during the flooding season where all kinds of water sports can be practiced, for people leaving in Phnom Penh and for overseas tourists.

IMMEDIATE ASSISTANCE REQUESTED BY NEWLY-ELECTED OFFICIALS

1 – Dragging of a 2,500 meter-long canal to bring the river water closer to the villages (approximate cost: US$ 3,000 on the basis of food for work)
2 – Building of the commune office with library and health center (approximate cost: US$ 25,000)
3 – Repairing the road crossing the village of Pnov. Length: 1,050 m.