PM Hun Sen: Cambodia Aims to Be the World’s Largest Cashew Nuts Exporter

• 11 March 2023
• Local News
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Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has expressed his support for the domestic cashew production industry to drive Cambodia to become the world’s largest producer of cashew nuts.  

During his speech at the 7th River Festival in Kampong Thom province, PM Hun Sen emphasised the potential of Cambodia’s cashew products, stating that they are of good quality and can supply the domestic market as well as the export market. He also mentioned that Cambodia has already exported 1.18 million tons of cashew nuts, surpassing Ivory Coast’s 1.1 million tons. 

“To support the growth of the cashew sector, the Cambodian government recently approved a cashew policy, paving the way for further promotion of the industry. The policy will be implemented with the help of a National Forum on Cashews, which will bring together relevant stakeholders to contribute to its success.” HE Yang Saing Koma, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, wrote on social media on 10 March. 

While Cambodia has the potential to export around 1 million tons of cashew nuts per year with an increase in cultivation area to approximately 700k hectares, the country still faces challenges in processing raw cashew nuts into finished products for export, according to Vice President of the Cambodian Cashew Association Suy Kok Teang. 

According to the World Population Review, Ivory Coast is expected to be the world’s largest cashew producer in 2023 with 792,678 tons, followed by India with 743,000 tons and Vietnam with 283,328 tons. 

To boost the cashew industry, Japanese company Top Planning Japan Co., Ltd has expressed interest in establishing a factory to process cashew nuts and shells into fuel in Cambodia.

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Cambodia’s push to become the world’s largest cashew nut exporter is a significant step towards its goal of becoming a high-income country by 2050. The government’s support for the sector is expected to create more job opportunities and drive economic growth in the country. 

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