A woman sells fruits in Prek Pnov district, Phnom Penh, on January 9. Hong Menea
Haoruidar (Cambodia) Co Ltd plans to invest over $12 million in a fruit processing plant aimed at export markets, sourcing fruits directly from local farmers in Preah Sihanouk province, according to a senior provincial official.
Preah Sihanouk provincial deputy governor Long Dimanche told The Post that the government has approved the company’s project which will focus on establishing a factory specialising in mango, pineapple, jackfruit and durian processing in the province’s Kampong Seila district.
"The company's investment in Preah Sihanouk is crucial as it focuses on purchasing solely Cambodian products. The company will source [the fruit] exclusively from local farmers, rather than relying on imports," he stated.
"This [venture] not only contributes to our province's economic development by adding value, introducing modern technology and creating jobs, particularly for farmers, but it also supports the enhancement of domestic production in the processing sector, aligning with the government's direction," he added.
Lim Heng, vice-president of the Cambodia Chamber of Commerce (CCC), underscored the importance of investment in the industry.
He noted that it offers considerable opportunities for the private sector to establish processing plants catering to both domestic and international markets, particularly given the country’s favourable conditions for agriculture.
“We welcome any investment in the food and fruit processing industry. Our country is agriculturally oriented, but our processing capacity is somewhat limited. Investment in this sector is crucial as it adds domestic value, balances the agricultural market and enhances the sector's capacity,” he stated.
In 2023, Cambodia exported over 8.449 million tonnes of agricultural goods, a slight decrease of 1.9% from 2022.
The exports generated over $4.306 billion, including over $567 million from milled rice, $939 million from unmilled paddy rice and more than $2.799 billion from other agricultural products, as reported by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
The ministry’s report detailed a wide range of agricultural products classified under the “other” category.
This included 1.2 million tonnes of dried cassava chips, 1.9 million of fresh cassava, over 36,000 of cassava flour, more than 74,000 of cassava waste and upwards of 420,000 of cashew nuts.
The report also highlighted exports of over 71,000 tonnes of corn, more than 28,000 of catjang seeds and over 54,000 of soybean seeds.
Fruit exports encompassed nearly 290,000 tonnes of fresh bananas, over 160,000 of fresh mangoes, more than 27,000 of dried mango and over 17,000 of fresh longans.
The country also exported over 79,000 tonnes of palm oil, in excess of 6,000 of pepper and over 220 of assorted vegetables, as well as nearly 540,000 tonnes across 100 other agricultural products.
“In 2023, farmers cultivated 554,210ha of dry-season rice, approximately 111.25% of the planned 498,170ha. To support this, we implemented emergency rescue measures to encourage production, cultivation and animal rearing, which were actively embraced by farmers,” said the ministry.
