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Koh Krabey, The Jasmine Village
01-Jul-2008

As a fragrant scent wafts across the Mekong River, people sprinkle water into a flowering jasmine orchard. The flower not only grants the village a remarkable beauty but it also providea the livelihoods for the inhabitants.

About 25km south of Phnom Penh, in Kandal province, is Koh Krabey village. Snow white flowers shroud the village in a white cloud, creating a city of jasmine. The cool air of the village is filled with the sweet aroma of newly opened buds. The villagers move through the crops with a deftness, collecting the delicate blossoms before the heat dissipates the concentrated fragrance.

While many provincial people leave their villages to find more lucrative jobs in the city, the villagers of Koh Krabey do not need to. “Most of the people in my village have been doing business [in] jasmine since ancient times.” said Mrs. Chackrya, a jasmine planter. While picking the sweet smelling crop in her farm, Mrs. Chackrya explains whenever Khmer people talk about jasmine, they immediately think of this village.

Jasmine is an auspicious plant. Known as the “Queen of Flowers”, its name is derived from the Persian word ‘Yasmin,’ meaning fragrant flower. An intoxicating perfume released at night, Jasmine is a symbol of feminine sweetness and beauty. Jasmine can also symbolize deep affection, happiness and elegance. Jasmine has been used in Ayurvedic (ancient hindu) treatment for thousands of years and in the time of the Buddha, its oil was used to anoint Kings and other important, wealthy people. The jasmine flowers are typically sold to women who make offering arrangements used in traditional Buddhist ceremonies. It is also used for tea and rice.

Jasmine doesn’t have a limit to its season; it can be harvested the whole year round. The best time, however, is during the rainy season. It is at this time that the plants bear the most flowers. During the rainy season, a lot of jasmine can be harvested but the price is not high, only 5,000 Riel a kilo. The dry season is the best time for jasmine farmers as it fetches the highest price. It can be sold for over 100, 000 riel per kilo. Jasmine sells well in the dry months because there are more traditional ceremonies. But it is also more problematic. There are many insects that can destroy the crop so extra special care has to be taken, watering the flowers regularly to keep the pests at bay.

In Preak Thmey, the sweet scent flows from house to house. There are 1010 families there and 60 % of them earn a living through Jasmine. “Here, the villagers do not go to find a job as [a] garment worker in [the] city because a family with one son or daughter farms jasmine,” says Mr. Pe Pak, chief of the commune. The wages are equal to the wages two garment factory workers can earn, he points out. The village started jasmine farming in 1991. There is a big market for it, and it offers good jobs and money for people. “Jasmine not only has a nice beauty and a good smell, it is also can be used as tea or [as a] garland,” Mr. Pak says.

Big houses are surrounded by a variety of trees, mango, papaya, guava and longan, and they provide a beautiful natural view. Sitting under his house cutting wood, Mr. Pak explains that they also plant fruit trees because it can help make a profit and improve their standard of living.

The jasmine trade in Cambodia is not exported but is still very profitable. “I changed from planting longan trees to jasmine in 1993,” villager Mr. Thy says, “because of I saw my neighbors can easily earn [money] from this kind of flower.” With a folded Krama (distinctive checked Cambodian scarf) on his head and a cheeky smile, Mr. Thy adds that they don’t have to find a market. A man comes to collect it every morning at their homes.

Mr Thy describes how to plant jasmine: First, the quality of the land needs to be checked. If it’s good quality, then clumps of jasmine can be planted within one meter of each other. If the land is not so fertile, the distance between each clump has to be enlarged to 2m. Jasmine can live for up to 20 years. The plants start flowering six months after planting. However the commercial yields are taken from the third year onwards. During the height of the season one plant can yield as much as 350 grams of flowers per day. A yield of 2000 kilos of flowers per year can be gathered from an acre of land if it is well tended. One person can gather 1 kilo of flowers in a 2 hour period. It means that an experienced collector is able to pick over 80 individual flowers per minute or 5,000 per hour.

The delicate Jasmine flower opens only at night and is plucked in the morning when the tiny petals are tightly closed. They are then stored in a cool place until night. Between six and eight in the evening, as the temperature cools, the petals begin to open. For fresh flowers, fully developed, unopened flower buds are hand-picked early in the morning. The flowers should be handled carefully during harvest and transport.

The villagers don’t need to go to agricultural school to learn how to plant the jasmine, the knowledge is passed down and around by the village elders to the youngsters says Mr Thy. Jasmine helps the villagers get enough money to support their lives. It provides a lot of work for them “so they do not need to leave from the village to find job in the city.” Mr. Thy adds; “I will not change this business.....because its benefits [are] enough for my family’s living.” The jasmine trade enables him to send his son and daughter to school.

The Jasmine trade is so beneficial to the community, Mr. Pak states “If they [the villagers] say they are poor and they have no money and no job, it’s because they are lazy.”

Words by Mr. May Titthara
Photos by Mr. Heng Chivoan

Koh Krabey, The Jasmine Village01-Jul-2008

As a fragrant scent wafts across the Mekong River, people sprinkle water into a flowering jasmine orchard. The flower not only grants the village a remarkable beauty but it also providea the livelihoods for the inhabitants.

Koh Krabey, The Jasmine Village
01-Jul-2008