就柬埔寨稻農記憶所及，他們的產品聲譽一向不好：粗硬、不乾淨，而且未經碾製，無法均勻蒸熟。連稻農都把它當成豬食出售，或交換品質較佳的越南、泰國米。

Even as other areas of agriculture flourished, rice production languished, a national embarrassment in a country where 80 percent of the population works in paddies. In 2009, Cambodia exported just 11,442 metric tons of milled rice, putting it at the bottom of the global heap.

柬埔寨農業其他區塊欣欣向榮，稻米生產卻萎縮不振；對一個八成人口在稻田勞動的國家而言，相當難堪。2009年，柬埔寨僅出口1萬1,442公噸碾米，在全球殿後。

But as Thailand, one of the world’s largest rice exporters, struggles with instability, Cambodian exports have improved along with their quality. Last year, Cambodia was the world’s fifth-largest exporter of rice and the second-biggest exporter of premium jasmine rice. Sales of milled rice abroad reached 343,692 metric tons.

然而在舉世最主要稻米出口國之一泰國政局動盪之際，柬埔寨的稻米出口量及品質均已提高，去年是全球稻米第五大，頂級香米第二大出口國，碾米出口量達34萬3,692公噸。

Few know this transformation better than Bun Chan Tony. His six hectares earn him $6,000 a year, substantially more than in the past.

這種轉變，很少人比邦坎更清楚。他的六公頃稻田每年為他賺進6,000美元，遠比以往多。

“When the rains come and there is a lot of water, we plant rice. When it’s drier, we plant corn, but rice is a staple and people must have it,” Mr. Tony said.

邦坎說：「下雨，水多時我們種稻。雨量減少時，我們改種玉米。然而米是主食，人們少不了它。」

Modern milling systems adopted in the last few years have helped elevate Cambodian rice to the international market. And locally milled rice has also received an unexpected lift from Thailand, where rice hoarding and huge government subsidies threatened to produce a shortfall of rice on global markets.

近年引進的現代化碾米系統使柬埔寨稻米得以進軍國際。在地碾製的米也因為泰國而意外得到助力。泰國大量囤積稻米，政府並大手筆補貼稻農，使國際市場稻米有短缺之虞。

Cambodia has set a target of 907,185 metric tons of milled rice for export by the end of 2015.

柬埔寨已設定至2015年底，輸出90萬7,185公噸碾米的目標。

In a bid to reach that ambitious target, the rice federation was formed in May. It merged three industry bodies into one and elected Sok Puthyvuth as president. Mr. Puthyvuth, the son of Cambodia’s deputy prime minister, Sok An, said the move had eliminated some costly competition and defined the industry’s goals more clearly.

為了達成此一頗具企圖心的目標，柬埔寨五月把三個業界組織整併為稻米聯盟，並推舉副總理索安之子索波迪武出任主席。索波迪武表示，此舉消解部分高成本競爭，並使產業目標更明確。

But there are formidable obstacles to reaching the new target.

不過在達成新目標之前，尚須克服一些障礙。

The country must tap new markets, like the United States, China and Africa.

柬埔寨必須開發新市場，如美國、中國大陸與非洲。

Mr. Puthyvuth said further improvements were needed in quality and in relationships among growers, millers and exporters. The government has lamented that only 40 percent of Cambodia’s nine million farmers can produce rice suitable for export. Too many farmers still use chemical pesticides with cheap, poor-quality seeds.

索波迪武說，柬埔寨稻米的品質必須進一步提升，稻農、碾米廠與出口商之間的關係亦須改善。柬埔寨政府說，柬國900萬稻農約僅40%能種出適合出口的稻米。太多農民仍在使用化學殺蟲劑與品質很差的廉價種子。

“Trust within all sectors – from farmers to millers, and exporters – is not strong enough yet,” he said. “We have to figure out ways to make them trust each other. This is the main obstacle we are facing. When they have quality rice, they receive a good price.”

他說：「農民、碾米廠與出口商之間的互信還不夠。我們必須想出讓他們相互信任的辦法。這是我們面臨的主要障礙。如果他們能供應品質好的米，自然會拿到好價錢。」

The rice industry also faces opposition in crucial markets. Italy wants the European Union to impose an import tariff on Cambodian rice, arguing that Italian-produced rice cannot compete on price.

柬埔寨的稻米產業在重要市場還遭遇阻力。義大利希望歐盟對柬埔寨稻米課徵進口關稅，因為義大利生產的稻米不具價格競爭力。

Mr. Tony said he was trying to improve the quality of his rice, avoiding chemicals and paying top dollar for high-end seeds, up to $3.50 a kilogram.

邦坎表示，他努力提升自種稻米的品質，除了不使用殺蟲劑，還購買每公斤要價3.5美元的高品質種子。

But he also stressed that many of his problems stemmed from a government that had yet to deliver on creating greater access to markets and higher prices. Many farmers cannot read, live in remote areas and rely on middlemen, often strangers, who buy the rice for milling and export, dictating terms and prices.

不過他強調，他面臨的許多問題與柬埔寨政府有關，因為金邊當局仍未兌現為稻米開拓市場並提高稻價的承諾。許多農民不識字，住在偏鄉，只能依賴往往不認識的中間商。這些中間商以他們自訂的條件及價格向農民收購稻米，碾製後出口。

He said, “They won’t tell us how much of our rice they sell, or how much they make.”

他說：「他們不會透露究竟以什麼價格賣出向我們收購的稻米，更不會透露他們賺了多少。」

艾莉絲．馬洛塞克騎著微微作響的電單車，穿梭在舊東柏林市區公寓大樓之間，每天為1500人遞送郵件。

Her bicycle is a nod to both past and future. It is decorated with an image of a curving black horn, harking back to earlier centuries when German postal workers trumpeted their arrival. But the twin battery packs under her seat also reveal it is more than the average bike.

她的單車結合過去與未來：配備曲線黑色喇叭，使人想前幾個世紀德國郵差宣告自己到來的歲月。座位下雙電池包則說明它不是一般單車。

Ms. Marossek rides one of the 6,200 e-bikes in service for Deutsche Post, the German mail service. E-bikes use electric motors to make them easier to pedal and have been gaining popularity in bike-loving countries like Germany, appealing to older people, delivery businesses and commuters who don’t want to sweat.

德國郵政總局有6200輛電單車，馬洛塞克騎的是其中之一。它使用電動馬達，騎起來更輕鬆，在德國等瘋單車的國家日益普及，吸引老人、快遞業者與不想流汗的通勤族。

“They are really nice and they are only getting better,” Ms. Marossek said. “You’re not as exhausted as you would be with a regular bike.”

她說：「它真的很好，而且只會越來越好。不像騎一般單車那麼累人。」

With the market evolving quickly, a plethora of manufacturers are competing. Daimler’s Smart brand is offering zero percent financing on its $3,000 e-bike in Britain, while BMW introduced its own e-bike for about $3,600 this year.

市場演化快速，已經有過多廠商展開競爭。戴姆勒汽車公司旗下的Smart品牌在英國推出售價3000美元的電單車，提供零利率貸款。BMW汽車公司今年則推出售價約3600美元的電單車。

In Germany, the postal service tends to use them for steeper or longer routes. They also ease the burden for an aging work force. “We noticed that our employees weren’t getting any younger, and we wondered how we could relieve them,” said Frank Kolaczinsky, Ms. Marossek’s boss.

在德國，郵局傾向於針對比較陡峭或比較長的路線使用電單車。它還可以減輕逐漸老化的員工的工作負擔。馬洛塞克的上司柯拉辛斯基說：「我們注意到員工年事日長，開始思索如何減輕他們的工作負荷。」

With tens of millions of e-bikes already on the road in China, e-bike sales are now surging in Europe, especially in northern countries with long cycling traditions. There are 250,000 on the road in Switzerland, according to the European Cyclists’ Federation. In Germany, bike sales were down 5.5 percent last year, but sales of e-bikes were up almost 8 percent and now command about 11 percent of the market. In the Netherlands, which has Europe’s highest per capita bicycle usage, the overall bike market fell slightly last year, but e-bike sales rose more than 9 percent.

中國大陸使用中的電單車已達數千萬輛。電單車在歐洲的銷路也已大幅增加，尤其是擁有悠久騎單車傳統的北歐國家。歐洲單車騎士聯盟說，瑞士有25萬輛。在德國，去年的單車銷量減少5.5%，電單車卻增加近8%，目前在單車市場的占有率約11%。荷蘭的人均單車使用率是全歐洲之冠，去年單車市場微幅衰退，電單車銷量卻增加逾9%。

Noel Regan, 35, bought a Velo de Ville e-bike about a year ago. He is an Irishman who works for an energy industry association in Brussels. “I have a regular bike,” he said. “But I wanted something I could commute to work in so I wasn’t hot and sweaty when I arrived.”

35歲的芮根約一年前以4000美元左右買了一輛Velo de Ville電單車。他是愛爾蘭人，在布魯塞爾為某能源產業協會工作。他說：「我有輛普通單車。然而我希望能另有一輛通勤單車，讓我到辦公室時不會熱得難受又汗流浹背。」

Others see e-bikes as a way to avoid car traffic. David Stellini recently bought one. He works at the European People’s Party in Brussels, and has been commuting to work by car. A recent traffic snarl during a visit by President Obama pushed Mr. Stellini, 37, to act. Getting to work “took me two hours or more, two-and-a-half hours, and I live 20 minutes from the Parliament,” he said.

另有些人把電單車當成避開塞車的工具。史迪里尼最近買了一輛。他在布魯塞爾的歐洲人民黨黨部工作，此前開車通勤。美國總統歐巴馬最近訪問布魯塞爾，市區交通為之打結，促使37歲的史迪里尼決定採取行動。他說，通勤上班「花了我至少2個小時或2個半小時。我的住處離國會只有20分鐘車程」。

Hotels like the Hotel New York in Rotterdam rent out small fleets of e-bikes. At Au Guidon Vert, a small bike shop in Brussels, the owner, Nicolas De Keghel, said e-bikes account for one in four sales and half of his income.

包括紐約飯店在內的鹿特丹飯店業者備有一些電單車出租。在布魯塞爾經營奧吉登福特單車店的迪科吉爾說，電單車占店內單車銷量1/4，收入的一半。

In Europe, e-bikes are the latest sign of divergence between north and south. The industry has not taken off in countries like Italy and Spain, while in France, e-bike sales rose more than 17 percent last year, but off a low base; sales totaled 56,000 e-bikes, compared with 410,000 sold in Germany.

在歐洲，電單車是南北分歧的最新象徵。這個行業並未在義大利、西班牙等地起飛，法國去年銷量則增加逾17%，然而市場相對仍小，總共只賣出5.6萬輛，遠不及德國的41萬輛。

“To imagine going into Italy and establishing an e-bike sector, apart from one or two wealthy cities like Milan, you’re really going to struggle,” said Kevin Mayne of the cyclists’ federation. “In the Netherlands, in Germany, people are used to paying 600, 700, 800 euros for a daily bicycle. In a lot of other countries a daily bicycle might be a ?100 bicycle from a supermarket,” he said.

歐洲單車騎士聯盟的梅尼說：「試想前往義大利建立電動單車產業，除了在米蘭這樣的一兩個富裕城市外，都會陷入困境。在荷蘭與德國，人們習慣以六百、七百或八百歐元買單車。在其他國家，超市單車可能只賣一百歐元。」

The e-bike Ms. Marossek uses for the postal service has a throttle, unlike most e-bikes that are sold at the retail level, but its top speed is capped at about 21 kilometers an hour.

有別於多數零售款，馬洛塞克的單車配備油門，最高時速則設定在21公里。

Not that there aren’t drawbacks to e-bikes. She smiled broadly while astride hers. “This bike isn’t as good for my figure.”

電動單車也不是沒有缺點。她坐在單車上笑著說：「它對我維持身材，可就沒那麼好了。」