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Royal Ploughing portends high yields

The Royal Plowing Ceremony was held with great fanfare in Kampong Thom province yesterday. The ceremony augured auspicious portents for this year’s agricultural production.

The oxen chose to eat three of seven different types of foods at the ceremony. The oxen’s choice of food portend that this year rice, corn and soybeans will yield up to 95% of their total potential crop.

King Norodom Sihamoni along with senators, ministry dignitaries as well as the public witnessed the Royal Ploughing Ceremony at the stadium in Rong village, Trapaing Russei commune, Kampong Svay district of Kampong Thom province.

This year’s edition of the Royal Ploughing Ceremony was the first time the annual event took place after a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ceremony is an ancient custom practiced in Cambodia for more than a thousand years. The rite symbolises the opening of the new growing season for all farmers.

The oxen were led through a field, which they ploughed for more than 20 minutes. Afterwards, a pair of the oxen were taken to a feeding place with different types of food, including rice, corn, beans, sesame seeds, grass, water and wine.

Of these seven foods, the oxen  ate rice, corn and soybeans most.

Because the oxen chose to eat more of the three staple foods, Brahman Priest Kang Ken announced, “This year’s agricultural yield of rice, corn and soybeans will be as high as 95% of their full potential yield.”

“This is the prediction of the Royal Ploughing Ceremony, which has existed since ancient times, and is a sign that the rainy season has arrived,” he said.

Then, Ken prayed for an abundant rainy season to bring peace and prosperity to Cambodia, and for the nation to avoid experiencing any natural disasters.

The Coalition of Cambodian Farmers’ Community (CCFC) president Theng Saroeun believes that the omens from the Royal Ploughing Ceremony are only part of an ancient tradition, and therefore may or may not be correct.

He said that in order to respond to the predictions, the government should formulate a policy by providing seeds to farmers and setting up irrigation systems because spring rainfall is low this year.

Nhel Pheap, a representative of a farmers’ network in Kampong Speu province, said he would be happy if the ploughing prophecy came true, but as far as he knows, this year’s forecast from Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology is for a low level of precipitation.

He requested that the government create adequate irrigation systems for farmers.

“For the past year, farmers in Kampong Speu have got only average rice yields. Farmers are losing money due to the high cost of imported fertilisers. Their revenues are low. I call on the government to help us solve all these problems.”

In modern times, the Royal Ploughing Ceremony was held traditionally at Mount Meru Square, next to the Royal Palace in May each year. Nowadays, the ceremony is rotated between different provinces. Takeo was the last province to hold the ceremony in 2019 before being interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

At this year’s Royal Ploughing Ceremony, agriculture officials set up several booths showing produce like rice, potatoes, rubber, and fruit.

The displays also featured various agricultural implements traditionally used in the vicinity of Kampong Thom.

In Cambodia, the history of

the Ploughing Ceremony can be traced back to the ‘Funan period’, which dates to the 1st to the 6th century CE.

The ceremony was introduced from ancient India to various southeast nations, including Myanmar, Thailand and Cambodia.

Source: https://www.khmertimeskh.com