Cambodia's rice exports rise 67.6% to nearly 800,000 tonnes in first eight months of 2026

Cambodia exported close to 800,000 tonnes of milled rice in the first eight months of 2026, a 67.6% increase on the same period a year earlier, according to Cambodia Rice Federation figures reported by lepetitjournal.com. Export earnings over the period reached $464.2 million, up 34% year on year.

The gap between the two growth rates defines the year so far. Volume expanded roughly twice as fast as revenue, which puts the implied average export price at about $580 per tonne and points to a double-digit decline in the value of each tonne shipped. The movement reflects a shift in the country's export mix toward cheaper grades aimed at regional buyers.

Europe still leads by value

Europe remains Cambodia's most valuable outlet, absorbing $175.6 million worth of rice between January and August. It is followed by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations at $122.9 million and China at $105.3 million.

• Europe: $175.6 million
• ASEAN: $122.9 million
• China: $105.3 million

Because European buyers concentrate on higher-priced grades, the region keeps the top position in value terms even though the tonnage it takes is below the volumes moving into Southeast Asia. That makes Europe the main contributor to margin for Cambodian millers and exporters, rather than to throughput.

ASEAN becomes the largest destination by volume

Southeast Asia has moved into first place by volume, taking more than 315,000 tonnes. The regional market now represents roughly 40% of Cambodian rice exports after growth of 400% year on year, lepetitjournal.com reported.

The Philippines accounts for most of that expansion. The country imported 122,000 tonnes of Cambodian rice over the eight months, more than 34 times its 2025 purchases, as part of Manila's drive to strengthen food security. Trade has also been supported by the opening of a direct bulk shipping link between Sihanoukville and Cebu, which cuts logistics costs and simplifies delivery into the Philippine market.

Fragrant rice loses share to white and broken grades

The export surge has come with a reconfiguration of supply. Fragrant rice accounted for 58% of Cambodian exports in the first eight months of 2026, down from 64% in 2025 and 76% in 2024. The share lost by aromatic varieties has gone to white rice and broken rice, which are priced more competitively and correspond more closely to demand in Southeast Asian markets.

That composition change is the mechanical explanation for revenue lagging volume. A cargo mix weighted toward white and broken grades lowers the average realised price per tonne even when total shipments climb sharply, and it moves Cambodian exporters into direct competition with the established low- and mid-priced suppliers that dominate intra-ASEAN rice trade.

The next constraints for the sector

According to lepetitjournal.com, the task facing the Cambodian rice industry is now to continue scaling up milled rice output, diversify further across regional markets, and consolidate its most remunerative destinations — Europe above all, which remains the first market by value. Milling capacity and processing costs are the practical limits on that strategy: with average unit values falling, additional volume only translates into stable earnings if the cost of turning paddy into export-grade milled rice comes down in step. The Sihanoukville-Cebu route shows the same logic applied to freight, where a shorter, dedicated bulk service removes part of the cost disadvantage that previously kept Cambodian rice out of large regional tenders.

For importers and traders, the data set out by the Cambodia Rice Federation marks Cambodia's transition from a niche origin known mainly for premium aromatic rice into a volume supplier to Southeast Asia, while retaining a high-value European franchise built on a shrinking but still dominant fragrant segment.