Pilot program taps agronomy grads

A Commercial Horticulture Agent works to enhance agricultural input sales and services

Agricultural input dealers play a major role in the horticulture sector of Cambodia. In addition to managing their day-to-day operations, they must stay up to date with agricultural trends, provide technical support and advice to farmers, understand market needs and prepare for the next season. Due to limited time and many responsibilities, dealers often find it challenging to develop and strategically grow their businesses.

Kimsong, an agricultural input dealer in Battambang, is an example of a dedicated input dealer who saw the need for change. He was committed to providing his customers the best service and support, but that was impeding his business development. Spending most of his time in the field, maintaining relationships and assisting farmers prevented him from taking the necessary steps to expand his business. 

Feed the Future Cambodia Harvest II (Harvest II) worked closely with Kimsong to assess his needs and identify a solution that would benefit both his business and farmers. This led to the creation of a new position called Commercial Horticulture Agent (CHA). A CHA is a recent agronomy graduate who earns a modest salary and commission. In this role, he works closely with retailers, forges relationships with farmers and provides customized support to all parties, allowing dealers to focus on growth and advancement.

Teng Tin, the Commercial Horticulture Agent, at Depot Song Mouy, Kimsong's agricultural input shop. 

Kimsong hired the first CHA, Teng Tin, in October 2019. Tin spends most of his day visiting farms and fostering relationships with retailers and farmers, attending trainings, and sharing the best practices for the Battambang area. In the last three months, he has connected with over 100 farmers and five new retailers that are now regular customers of the dealership. “Retailers are happy to meet because I am not only there to promote products, but also to create a close relationship and discuss their challenges.” Tin reports. “Now that I do their job in promoting their products at the farm, they can also spend more time in the shop and sell new products.”   

This unique role strengthens the sector by facilitating business growth, expanding its knowledge base and providing personalized support to dealers and farmers. “Tin not only provides sales support to me, but also technical information, and now we also exchange ideas,” shares an agricultural input retailer from Battambang. “Tin also goes to many technical training sessions, and if I cannot attend, he shares the information with me the next time I see him.”

An agricultural input dealer, Kimsong (left) shared, "In my mind, Tin is equal to five employees from other companies. He is always happy to do the work and supports me in many ways.Add caption

The CHA has provided Kimsong a way to provide better support and services while addressing his business needs and the needs of the community. Since the addition of the CHA, his first quarter has seen a 5-10% increase in sales and he has been able to open a temperature-controlled store that offers a large selection of seeds and instructional advice. As the industry observes the resounding impact from this new role, other businesses are seeking to include CHAs in their business models. One example is the agricultural cooperative in Battambang, which is planning to hire a CHA to help with sales, administration and communication tasks.

As the horticulture market continues to develop, collaborating with motivated actors to try new strategies that respond to system-level constraints can create mutually beneficial solutions and foster inclusive growth. The CHA program is showing promise as a way to meet the needs of businesses and cooperatives, bring new knowledge to farmers, and help young agronomy graduates find meaningful work in the sector.