Crops in Cambodia displayed slightly above average condition over the reporting period, which coincides with the planting season of main paddy crop. Overall, persistent rainfall in the period has been above average (26%) over much of the country,benefiting sowing activities and crop development. Climatic indicators and biomass monitoring by CropWatch indicate that the country enjoyed favorable PAR with values about 4% higher than the five-year average, as well as an 8%increase of biomass accumulation. Crop condition, which was worse than average during mid-August, soon recovered in the following two months. The maximum VCI reached 0.87 in the recent period. NDVI profiles show that crop condition was much below average in August in 6.3% of the cropped area (mainly Kandal,Kampong Chhnang, and Phnom Penh)—possibly a result of drought. Generally, the presence of favorable conditions during the early stages of rice suggests a good production of main wet season rice, which accounts for about 80 percent of annual production in Cambodia.

Figure3.19. Cambodia crop condition, July-October2014