Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday urged Malaysian investors to buy into Cambodia’s rice-milling sector to enable more exports and contribute to the country’s economic growth.

Speaking at the Peace Palace during a meeting with Tun Datuk Sari Utana Mohd Khalil bin Yaakob, governor of the Malaysian state of Melaka, he said Cambodia has already been making progress in building more roads and other infrastructure in order to promote its economic growth.

But he said of this year’s 7.6 per cent growth projection, the agricultural sector is playing a crucial role.

“Cambodia is trying to attract more Malaysian investors to invest in rice processing for export. [This] is what Cambodia wants,” Hun Sen said.

Khalil said he will inform Malaysian companies to conduct feasibility studies about the sector in Cambodia.

From 1994 until the end of 2012, Malaysian investment in Cambodia reached $2.6 billion, according to official government statistics.