Cambodia: Rooftop organic garden sprouting dividends for Israel agri-alumnus
On Seyha began growing his vegetables in a 7m x 7m mesh greenhouse, high atop his house, in Chrang Chamres 2 commune of Phnom Penh’s Russey Keo district. His rooftop garden now supplies many of the capital’s leading restaurants and supermarkets.
By Kim Sarom
Phnom Penh Post
Feb 6, 2023
Excerpt:
Seyha now grows sunflower sprouts, bean sprouts, rocket lettuce, cabbage sprouts, collard greens, and pink and Rambo beets, among others. His seeds are all imported.
He claims that his vegetables are more nutritious than local varieties, and that they have special health properties. For example, beets are rich in the type of anti-oxidants that some scientists believe fight cancer, and “hor lang tao” beans are high in fiber, which keeps the gut regular.
He said most of the sprout varieties he grows can be harvested just five to seven days after they are planted. Each day, he picks the mature vegetables and packages them neatly for the supermarkets. Each 100gm package sells for 5,800riel.
His produce is now stocked in supermarkets in Siem Reap, Battambang, Kampot and Pursat, as well as the capital. Cambodians are gradually beginning to recognise his vegetables, and the more affluent among them are purchasing them regularly, perhaps because of their health benefits.
Seyha noted that the vegetables he grows are not the same varieties grown by Cambodian farmers, so he is not in direct competition with them.
His brand, City of Sprouts, has begun to earn wider recognition, and he has expanded his farm to include several terraced trays of sprouts on the ground level of his property – more than 200sqm of them. His vegetables are all grown in mesh greenhouses, with normal ventilation. He does not use fertilisers.
