Is it Thursday or Friday?
I don’t know if our bodies have quite adjusted yet but today was our first full day of our International travel experience in Cambodia. Our morning started with a quick leadership debriefing in our hotel where we were reminded of our EQI self-awareness and how important it was going to be during this trip. After loading up the vans we headed to Central Government Office where we were privileged to meet with the Deputy Prime Minister H.E. Dr. Yim Chhay Ly and several other high-level cabinet members for the Cambodia Government. We had the privilege of having an open dialogue with these high level members. This was an incredible opportunity to hear about Cambodia and its agricultural industry. After this meeting we had a little taste of home by eating lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe Phenom Phen. After lunch we travel back home briefly by visiting the US Embassy. Although it was only for 90 minutes it was great to be back home. We had the opportunity to visit with David Sequeira, Economic and Commercial Officer, and several other employees of the US Embassy. We learned about the role of the embassy plays in Cambodia. What was most interesting was how the embassy promotes the the Corporate Social responsibility of the American companies that have invested in Cambodia. Specifically how Coca-Cola had brought clean water to over 100,000 people in rural Cambodia. We finished up the day by traveling to the Ministry of Agricultural, Forestry and Fisheries where we met with H.E Veng Sokhonm and his staff. This was the equivalent of meeting with Secretary Perdue. Once again we had the opportunity to have an open conversation with this group and ask several questions to learn more about Cambodian agriculture. We learned that Cambodia produced approximately 11 million tons of rice last year and 14 million tons of cassava, which is a root vegetable further processed into tapioca. It was also interesting to learn that Cambodia produced 50,000 tons of soybeans last year where Minnesota produced approximately 12 million tons. We wrapped up our day by being treated to a wonderful dinner by our host Noy on the 20th floor of our hotel.
Ben Mussehl
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