Virak S and Family – Rice threshing business (Roung Village, Chengmeanchey Commune, Cambodia)
Virak is 32 years old and married to Mrs. Chanthy (shown in the photograph). They have two children, who are aged 8 and 13 and both at school. Virak and his family live in Banon district, which is in Battambang province. They farm three hectares of land on which they grow wet season rice. To earn extra income for their family they have started another business threshing rice for local farmers. Offering rice threshing services provides them with a more stable income and they charge $25 per three tonnes of rice. To help with this business they hire two villagers and pay them around $250 for three months. Their threshing machine has recently broken and since their working capital is currently limited they have applied for a loan in order to purchase a new threshing machine to continue their business.
The loan is for 10 months and is being provided through the Cambodian Community Savings Federation (CCSF), which offers loans to microentrepreneurs engaged in small-scale commerce and trade as well as agricultural and livestock production.
