August 2026, Takeo Province, Cambodia, in the humid rainy season.
In rain-washed paddy fields, rice leaves are fresh green and ears hang heavy with plump grains. Nearby control fields using conventional pesticides show withered, curled, disease-spotted leaves — the same land, worlds apart, because of two ’Chinese medicines’.
Rice is Cambodia’s agricultural lifeline, contributing about 16.1% of GDP, with annual agricultural exports near $6.5 billion. In 2025 Cambodian rice output exceeded 15 million tons, milled rice exports topped 940,000 tons for the first time, and the country won ’World’s Best Rice’ for the seventh time. More than 3.1 million hectares of paddy and about 1.7 million farming households depend on it.
Yet bacterial leaf blight and bacterial leaf streak loom like a sword overhead — outbreaks can cut yields or wipe out harvests, directly threatening livelihoods.
Field trials: Chinese green bactericides deliver impressive results. Since June, scientists from the State Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide made three trips to Takeo and Battambang provinces, surveying farming areas and bringing two self-developed green bactericides: pleuromutilin and zinc thiazole (penthozate zinc).
This was no lab test but a field ’exam’ facing wind and rain. On August 16, 2026, Chinese and Cambodian experts jointly evaluated demonstration fields in Takeo. Fourteen days after spraying, the new agents achieved average control efficacy of 85.64%, 64.45% and 89.18% against bacterial leaf blight, and 87.43%, 78.64% and 89.39% against bacterial leaf streak; the commonly used local agent zinc thiazole managed only 58.01% and 71.90%.
Beyond the data, the difference is visible: treated leaves are tender green with full ears, no withering or curling.
During the experts’ inspection, several local farmers came over and gave a big thumbs-up. No translation needed — the gesture said everything. They had seen the difference between their own plots and the demonstration fields, and felt the hope of better harvests. For families living off the land, a good pesticide means food security and steady happiness.
From ’selling products’ to ’providing solutions’. The Chinese team did not stop at demonstrations. They established a long-term cooperation mechanism with the Royal Academy of Cambodia, with Professor Mam Sarith as daily coordinator; three field surveys and five online seminars were held during the project, and multiple training sessions on scientific pesticide application were organized for farmers.
’Tailoring a green precision prevention-and-control solution for Cambodia’ — that is how Chinese researchers define this cooperation.
China-Cambodia agricultural science cooperation has deep roots: mutual visits began in 2024, formal alignment came in June this year, and fieldwork started within just over a month. Professor Mam Sarith commented: ’Crop growth improved markedly after two applications; both bactericides showed significant, excellent performance.’ Yang Peou, Secretary of State at the Academy, said: ’We hope this cooperation will deepen agricultural cooperation between the two countries and raise the yield and quality of Cambodian crops.’
Technology going global, taking root along the Belt and Road. The 20% pleuromutilin suspension and 20% zinc penthozate suspension registered in Cambodia and demonstrated at scale are core achievements of China’s green pesticide sector — Cambodia being the first overseas registration country for both products.
’We hope, based on this practice, to bring Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions to more Belt and Road countries and contribute to high-quality global agricultural development,’ the project leader said.
From Chinese laboratories to Cambodia’s vast rice paddies, Chinese agricultural technology is taking root along the Belt and Road. Where rice waves roll, those thumbs-up gestures are silent — but louder than any words.
