Senior energy official tapped as new agriculture minister
Nov Sivutha and Ry Sochan | Publication date 10 October 2022 | 20:32 ICT

Ministry of Mines and Energy secretary of state Dith Tina has been tapped as the next Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. FB

Dith Tina, secretary of state at the Ministry of Mines and Energy, has been nominated to succeed Veng Sakhon as Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

Sakhon was sacked by a royal decree dated October 8. Later that day, Prime Minister HE temporarily put Minister of Economy and Finance Aun Pornmonirath at the helm of the agriculture ministry on top of his post.

In his letter addressed to National Assembly (NA) president Heng Samrin and seen by The Post on October 10, HE requested that the NA hold a vote of confidence for Tina at its earliest convenience.

Now in his 40s, Tina previously served as secretary of state at the Ministry of Commerce before his transfer to the energy ministry.
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/ ... e-minister

BREAKING NEWS: Veng Sakhon Appointed as Delegate Minister
Created: 11 October 2022

Phnom Penh (FN), Oct. 11 – Former agriculture minister Veng Sakhon has been appointed as delegate minister, according to the royal decree seen by Fresh News on Tuesday.

=FRESH NEWS

Published earlier today (11 October 2022):

Phnom Penh (FN), Oct. 11 – Cambodian prime minister HE said that he has sent a request to appoint Veng Sakhon as a delegate minister.

The premier spoke in the graduation ceremony of over 2,000 students of PPIU, held on Tuesday (Oct 11) at OCIC, Phnom Penh’s Chroy Chongvar district.

“The problem was not too serious. His achievements do not reach my target. Today, I wrote a letter to the Royal Palace requesting to appoint Veng Sakhon as a delegate minister. He has served the government for a long time. We can not leave him behind, but we just want to advance the agricultural sector,” the premier underscored.
=FRESH NEWS

Did he just get a better paying job? What?

Let's just hope that any changes do not lead to the laws making nitrogen based fertilizers illegal. It killed Sri Lankas economy super quickly...

Sometimes people have to stand up for the little guy.

It's all related...SEE


https://www.brighteon.com/7f2c3416-c641 ... ccedb7a1f7

A possible reason for the sacking given here:

Cambodia sacks agriculture minister amid floods
Veng Sakhon was ‘out of touch’ with realities on the ground and failed to adequately respond to the situation
Cambodia sacks agriculture minister amid floods
By UCA News reporter
Published: October 11, 2022 11:18 AM GMT
[excerpts]
Cambodian Prime Minister HE has sacked his agriculture minister after complaints from farmers’ groups the government had failed to adequately respond to torrential floods which have inundated the country in recent months.

Veng Sakhon was fired by a royal decree which was signed by King Norodom Sihamoni, and is expected to be replaced by the Secretary of State of the Ministry of Mines and Energy, Dith Tyna, as agriculture minister once a hastily arranged vote of confidence is arranged.

HE said in a public address that urgent cooperation was required to assess the scale of the damage caused by the floods and to prepare the distribution of rice and other plant seeds in time for the next harvests.

He also ordered the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and sub-national authorities such as the National Disaster Management Committee to make an assessment.

Cambodian farmers were struggling with a four-year drought which the Mekong River Commission said has ended with this year’s monsoon delivering heavy rains, which long-range weather forecasters say will extend into December due to the La Nina weather phenomena.

According to the National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM), 22 of Cambodia’s 25 provinces have been affected by floods with six in the north badly impacted, and almost 30,000 hectares of rice fields had been destroyed across the country.

Theng Savoeun, president of the Coalition of Cambodian Farmer Community, said HE had warned Veng Sakhon about his inaction on several occasions and that his sacking could relate to several issues that farmers are facing.

This includes “lacking access to market, while others have been affected by the floods without proper intervention, or the failure to help provide seeds to farmers in times of need,” he told Radio Free Asia. “It shows the lack of responsibility during his term.”

Yang Saing Koma, chairman of the board of directors of the Grassroots Democracy Party, said the ousted minister was out of touch and had trouble working with civil society and political parties.
https://www.ucanews.com/news/cambodia-s ... oods/99054

H.E. Dith Tina Becomes New Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
AKP Phnom Penh, October 14, 2022 --

H.E. Dith Tina received a unanimous vote of confidence from the National Assembly (NA) to become the new Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in replacement of H.E. Veng Sakhon who was appointed Minister Attached to the Prime Minister.

The vote of confidence took place during the 8th session of the NA’s 6th legislature held here at the NA Palace this morning under the chairmanship of its President Samdech Akka Moha Ponhea Chakrei Heng Samrin.

A total of 111 lawmakers, including Prime Minister Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo HE, who were present at the parliamentary session, voted for the appointment of H.E. Dith Tina, at the request of the Royal Government.

H.E. Dith Tina was born on Jan. 7, 1979 in Phnom Penh. He is married with three daughters. He holds a degree in mining engineering from the Ecole nationale supérieure des mines de Paris, and got a master’s degree in physics from the Paris-Sud University.

He was an Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Commerce from 2009 to 2013 and then Secretary of State at the same ministry from 2013 to 2014, before becoming Secretary of State at the Ministry of Mines and Energy since 2014.
C. Nika - AKP

October 18, 2022
Newly-minted minister vows reforms
The recently-appointed Minister of Agriculture Dith Tina has expressed his determination to embrace real reform to improve the country’s agriculture sector.

Tina made the remarks yesterday in a press release after his inauguration to head the ministry responsible for 70% of the Cambodian population who make their living off the land.

Prime Minister HE nominated Tina the same day the Premier sacked the previous Minister of Agriculture Veng Sakhon for failing to deal with the ongoing flood crisis in the farming sector.

During the National Assembly plenary session on Friday, all 111 lawmakers voted in favour of Tina to replace Sakhon, and later in the day received a royal decree on his appointment from King Norodom Sihamoni.

Tina said that as minister he will work hard with all leaders and officials at all levels in his ministry to serve and solve the problems for the people, with a priority on assisting the farmers dealing with floods.

He added that he will also work hard to ensure increased crop yields and higher prices on the market to reach and preserve sustainability in the sector. He also promised to improve irrigation nationwide as well as access to farming technologies for all.
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501169887/ ... s-reforms/

The new minister waved a big stick of warning during his first ministerial press conference:

New Agriculture Minister Warns Critics May Face Defamation Charges
18 October 2022 3:15 PM
Sorn Sarath
[excerpts]
Newly appointed Minister of Agriculture Dith Tina acknowledged the difficulty of addressing the agriculture sector’s long-standing challenges and warned potential critics of his ministry he was willing to take legal action against them, in a press conference on Monday.

While informing the assembled press that he was open to receiving constructive feedback, Tina noted public criticism against him could be met with legal action if he believed it was defamatory of him or his ministry.
“I would accept criticisms based on…fact, and I will respond with an explanation,” he said. “However, I reserve the right [to file a] defamation case, even if it was not directly insulting me. If it damages the institution’s dignity, we will consider [legal action].”

Tina also highlighted what he saw as the biggest issues within the agriculture sector, such as expanding markets for oversaturated products like mango and cassava, reducing farmers’ production costs and mitigating the impacts of deforestation and flooding.

“These are the difficult issues because if the issues were easy to address, they might not have continued so long,” Tina said. “These are deeply rooted issues for which we have no quick solution, so we need to have a clear plan to do so in the future.”

Tina, who holds degrees in mining engineering and physics from French universities, admitted he had no prior background in the agriculture sector but said he would do his best to learn on the job.

“I always work in various sectors which do not involve my [skill],” Tina said. “That’s why I can work with all kinds of people and even though this sector is new for me, I think that I can learn it.”

The well-connected Tina is the son of Supreme Court president Dith Munty and brother of Cambodia Microfinance Association vice chairperson Dith Nita, whose husband is Environment Minister Sam Sam Al, the son of Senate president Say Chum.
https://cambojanews.com/new-agriculture ... hallenges/