A leading Chinese state-owned enterprise — Guangxi State Farms Mingyang Starch Development Co., Ltd. — has expressed its intention to increase cassava purchases from Cambodia to one million tonnes per annum. The company is also studying the feasibility of establishing a value-added processing factory directly in Cambodia.
Chen Mingyu, chairman of the Guangxi State Farms board, shared the welcome news during a March 26 meeting with Sun Chanthol, first vice-chairman of the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC), at the CDC headquarters.
During the meeting, Chen reportedly highlighted Cambodia’s political stability and strong economic growth. He explained that these factors attracted him and his colleagues to explore business and direct investment opportunities in Cambodia.
“The purpose of this visit by the company’s leadership to Cambodia focuses on three key strategic objectives: 1. Increasing the purchase of approximately 1 million tons of Cambodian cassava to supply international production chains, facilitated by the Ministry of Commerce,” he said,
“2. Exploring opportunities and possibilities for establishing a value-added processing factory directly in Cambodia, and 3. Investigating potential cooperation with the Royal Academy of Cambodia to share advanced cultivation techniques and high-level processing technologies with Cambodian farmers,” he added.
Chanthol expressed his strong support for the establishment of a domestic processing plant, which could serve as the backbone of the current strategy to provide added value to Cambodian agricultural produce and create job opportunities.
He described Cambodia as a strategic actor situated at the heart of the Greater Mekong Subregion and the ASEAN-China economic zone, and one which offers highly favourable conditions for investors.
Chanthol provided key recommendations regarding the selection of factory locations and briefed the delegation on Cambodia’s “Comprehensive Intermodal Transport and Logistics Master Plan”. This plan aims to facilitate faster transportation and reduce production costs, thereby ensuring that Cambodian products maintain high competitiveness in the global market.
“The CDC, as the staff of the Royal Government, will provide all necessary coordination and support to the company. This will ensure the success of the investment project, which will become yet another achievement under the spirit of Cambodia-China inter-governmental cooperation,” he said.
He also highlighted the progress of the “Diamond Hexagon Cooperation” between the two nations, particularly the mechanism of the “Cambodia-China Inter-Governmental Coordination Committee”.
This high-level mechanism is co-chaired by Wang Yi, a Member of the Political Bureau and Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs of the Communist Party of China, and Chanthol.
Guangxi State Farms Mingyang Starch Development is a large-scale, leading Chinese state-owned enterprise in cassava processing, with quality standards recognized by the US.
According to the General Directorate of Agriculture under the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, during the first nine months of 2025, Cambodia exported over 3.4 million tonnes of cassava. Of this, fresh cassava accounted for 2.05 million tonnes, a decline of 16.57%, while dried cassava chips reached 1.35 million tonnes, an increase of 57.62%.
Ngin Chhay, director-general of the directorate, previously noted that fresh cassava exports declined because farmers have shifted from selling fresh produce to dried chips and starch, which can be stored longer and command higher prices.