The Ministry of Commerce (MoC) Friday organised a meeting to strengthen business interaction between the cashew enterprises and representatives of supermarkets and marts to showcase the processed cashew nuts in the local markets nationwide.
Tor Pila, Secretary of State of MoC chaired a meeting theme ‘Selling Processed Cashew Nuts to Supermarkets and Marts’ aimed at providing opportunities for Cambodian cashew enterprises and companies to promote their products across the country.
The meeting was attended by representatives from the State Secretariate of Civil Aviation (SSCA), Aeon Mall Cambodia, Makro Cambodia, Lucky Supermarket, Chip Mong Malls, Thai Hout Market, Bayon Market, Big C Cambodia, Tela Marts and Supermarkets, 7-Eleven Cambodia and Cambodian Superstore held in Phnom Penh on July 12.
During the discussion, the MoC Secretary emphasised the purpose of the discussion, inspection and connection between producers and distributors to achieve the acceptance of cashew nuts products into the local supermarkets and marts.
“These activities aim to push the promotion, distribution and consumption of Cambodian cashew nuts products more widely,” Pila added.
After the representatives of the supermarkets and malls had checked and tasted the products’ quality, they evinced interest in collaborating with several enterprises and committed to reaching for the sale contract shortly, said an MoC press release.
Uon Silot, President of the Cashew Nut Association in Cambodia (CAC) said, “The country produced 810,000 tonnes of raw cashew nuts (RCN) in the first six months and 744,300 tonnes were export exported to Vietnam, accounting for about 91.8 percent of the total RCN produced.”
“The revenue from RCN has reached $956 million and the average price of dried seeds is $1,730 per tonne or about 7,200 riels to 7,500 riels per kilogram, approximately $1.9 a kilogram, Silot told Khmer Times.
According to the export report of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery (MAFF), Cambodia’s exported cashew kernel or processed nuts reached only 88 tonnes by June this year, a huge decrease compared to 682.53 tonnes in 2023.
Im Rachna, Spokesperson of MAFF said, “The dramatic decrease of cashew kernel exports was caused by the increasing of processing factories in Cambodia and the local processors preferred to distribute the products locally in the early stage, leading to the lack of extra products for exports.”
“Cashew nuts that went through the process of roasting, streaming and peeling will become the cashew kernels and it creates huge value add-on compared to RCN hence local producers rather invest in processing factories to reserve those benefits,” she said.
