Lotus farming is a big and important business for people in Phnom Krom. Some families only depend on the income from lotus farming because in Siem Reap, lotuses have high economic value and high demand from hotels, restaurants, temple, shops and lotus workshops that produce lotus flower fabric. On the other hand, water conditions and soil conditions in Phnom Krom are favorable conditions by nature for lotus growth. Water from Tonle Sap Lake and from Siem Reap River allows people to p­lant lotuses in both seasons.

Sary, a 50-year-old woman, has 5 children in her family that she needs to take care of and feed every day. Before she came to live in Phnom Krom, she lived and worked in Damdek, the mainland that is close to the mountain and has forest where she can collect firewood. However, she had moved her whole family to live in Phnom Krom because she can work much easier and earn much more than before. She rents the land from her relative to do lotus farming in Phnom Krom. So lotus farming is an essential source of earning to support the whole family. After planting lotuses for three months, she can harvest all parts of the lotus plant every day for one month and halt to sell to the buyers.

Generally, the lotus flower is valued because it is a common flower to use for offering and decoration in Cambodia. In religion, the lotus flower symbolizes the purity and harmony of mind and spirit. People use a lot of lotus flowers each day to pray and show their belief in God. Therefore, normally, Sary gets orders for 300 to 400 flowers every day, but on the Buddhist day she gets up to 2000 flowers from the middleman. For the price, it is 100 riel per flower on the normal day and it is 150 riels on Buddhist day. For the middleman, they add up 50 riels when they sell to the end buyer such as hotels, restaurants, shops and sellers at the market.

Beside flowers, Sary can sell young and old seeds, leaves, roots (rhizome), and stems to different buyers who use them for many purposes. Young and old seeds, young leaves and roots are edible and have good vitamins for the human body to grow and to avoid some diseases as well. Moreover, lotus fiber from lotus stems recently has a market in Siem Reap because there is a lotus workshop in Phnom Krom that produces lotus flower fabric to make cloth. Lotus plants have many advantages for the economy and livelihood of Cambodia’s people because all parts of this plant can be eaten and used in daily life.