Cambodia is pushing to expand exports to Saudi Arabia and is seeking to attract Saudi investment in halal production facilities.
Cambodia is pushing to expand exports to Saudi Arabia and is seeking to attract Saudi investment in halal production facilities. The two Kingdoms are expected to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) soon to promote bilateral trade.
According to the Ministry of Commerce, discussions about the draft MoU were concluded in 2024.
During an official visit to Saudi Arabia, Cambodian Minister of Commerce Cham Nimul met with Bader Alrebdi, vice-president of the Saudi Export Environment and Committees Secretariat, and then with Hisham bin Saad Aljadhey, CEO of the Saudi Food and Drug Authority, on February 5.
In both meetings, the minister emphasised Cambodia’s investment potential and encouraged Saudi investors to increase their investments in Cambodia, especially in the production of halal goods for export.
Hong Vanak, an economic researcher at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, told The Post that while current trade relations between the two countries are limited, Cambodia must actively expand its market to Saudi Arabia and the broader Arab region.
The Arab region is rich in energy resources but has weak agriculture, making Cambodia, with its thriving agriculture and agro-industrial sectors, a potential key partner for expanding market access and attracting Arab investors to Cambodia. The halal food and agriculture sectors present a significant investment opportunity for Saudi Arabia in Cambodia.
“I have seen strong efforts by both the Cambodian government and the private sector to expand into markets in Arab countries, especially the UAE,” he noted.
During a December 2024 visit to Saudi Arabia, Senate president Hun Sen urged Saudi Arabia to purchase rice from Cambodia and called for investment in rice mills.
In a meeting with Saudi parliament speaker Abdullah Mohammed Ibrahim Al-Sheikh in Riyadh on December 9, he suggested that Cambodia and Saudi Arabia should begin direct cooperation by exporting Cambodian rice to Saudi Arabia, as Cambodia has better irrigation systems and higher rice yields.
He also requested that Saudi investors be encouraged to invest in establishing rice milling, storage and packaging machinery in Cambodia for the export of rice to Saudi Arabia and other countries in the region.
Hun Sen highlighted that while Saudi Arabia has energy security, Cambodia has rice security, so the two Kingdoms should complement each other.
According to the Ministry of Tourism, in 2024, 400 Saudi nationals visited Cambodia, representing a 13.6% increase compared to 2023.
