Cambodia exported 536,305 metric tons of milled rice in the first 10 months of 2020, up 17 percent over the same period last year, Agriculture Minister Veng Sakhon told Xinhua on Monday.

China remained the top buyer, he said, adding that the kingdom shipped 194,451 tons of milled rice to China during the January-October period this year, up 5 percent over the same period last year, and China accounted for 36 percent of the country's total rice export.

The country also exported 174,391 tons to the European market during the period, up 12 percent, he said, adding that European market represented 32.5 percent of the kingdom's total rice export.

"Overall, our rice exports to all destinations during the first 10 months of this year were on the rise," the minister said, adding that the Southeast Asian nation has sold rice to 60 countries and regions.

Lun Yeng, secretary general of the Cambodia Rice Federation, told Xinhua that China is a huge market for Cambodian rice and the kingdom is expected to export around 250,000 tons to China by the end of this year.

Ngin Chhay, director general of agriculture at the Ministry of Agriculture, said recently that the COVID-19 pandemic had driven high demand for Cambodian rice, projecting that the country's rice export to the international market is expected to reach 800,000 tons in 2020.