The price of cabbages (and frocks!)

4,000 riel is US$1.  But how much is a cabbage?  Or a kilo of rambutans?  Technology is helping farmers and traders in Cambodia provinces.  Today Bill and I had a lunch meeting with 2 gents from CAVAC, a development agency focussing on agriculture.  They have developed an online market information system  that facilitates agricultural trade. Data on  the market price for fruit and veg is distributed via the web ( used primarily by Govt agencies and NGOs) , via SMS ( the choice of traders) , and vis radio ( for farmers who do not have mobiles)   Cabbage is the vegetable traders are most interested in, followed by cucumbers, carrots and tomatoes.  Rambutans are the most enquired about fruit, followed by mangosteens, longans, apples and the smelly durian!  Poor old potatoes and bananas generate the least interest!!  Access to this information is empowering farmers and traders.

I’m at the meting to give Bill some advice on how CARE might work with a telco to set up a similar system for its rural programs.  The issues are on the data collection and management side, distribution is the easy part.  We decide it would be better to partner with another NGO like CAVAC rather than re-invent the wheel,

Most of the day was spent working on my presentation for tomorrow.  After work Anne-Maree and I check out the price of frocks at Ambre – Phnom Penh’s most beautiful dress shop.  More stimulating content than cabbages!  We analyse our purchases over a nice salad and a cold dry white wine at Anne-Maree’s dining table.