Pigs illegally imported into Cambodia from Thailand via Oddar Meanchey province last year. FN
A pig feed mill invested by local agricultural conglomerate Mong Reththy Group to the tune of $54 million is expected to go online by end-February 2023, with annual production capacity of “about 360,000 tonnes”, company chairman Mong Reththy revealed.
The update was greeted with optimism from industry insiders that the uptick in domestic livestock feed production would greatly boost household incomes and stimulate the national economy.
The new plant sits on a 24ha plot in Preah Sihanouk province’s Prey Nop district, and the investment capital is broken into three components: $24 million in land-related costs, $15 million in construction and infrastructure, and $15 in raw materials.
Reththy told The Post on September 5 that the project aims to cover the growing domestic demand for pig feed, encourage farmers to raise more livestock, spur local market competition, and curb the import of animals.
“At this stage, the company has no plans to export to international markets as long as there is unmet domestic demand,” he affirmed. “The increase in feed production capacity will also enable Cambodia to ensure its own food security and not rely on imports.”
Cambodia Livestock Raisers Association president Srun Pov stressed that increasing domestic livestock feed production is not only crucial to ensuring self-sufficiency, but also helps reduce costs for the fodder and stimulate the production of foodstuffs used in the making thereof.
The “more than 20 livestock feed mills” nationwide are unable to fulfil local demand, and imports – mostly from Vietnam – account for about 20 per cent of domestic supply, he said, adding that prices for pig feed have risen by 10-20 per cent over last year.
Cambodian Aquaculturist Association president Sok Raden believes that the new plant will cut reliance on animal feed imports to some extent and generally improve performance in local animal husbandry and even aquaculture.
“I hope that the locally-made animal feed will be of good quality and priced competitively with imported products,” he said.
Mong Reththy Group owns another pig feed mill in Prey Nop district, on a 10ha plot. The facility went online in 2017 and can churn out 20 tonnes of product per hour.
According to the company, Cambodia spends about $180 million a year importing animal feed to meet domestic demand.
