Economy and commerce
Investment
Try Pheap given OK to harvest yellow vine
Logging baron Try Pheap’s MDS Import Export Co, Ltd has been granted a licence to collect and process the controversial plant known as yellow vine around the Stung Atay hydropower dam in the Cardamom Mountains, according to documents received by the Post yesterday. The vine has ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013060466045/National/try-pheap-given-ok-to-harvest-yellow-vine.html
Duty-Free Agreements Worry Minister
Duty-free agreements between regional competitors and foreign importers would put the Cambodian garment industry at risk, Commerce Minister Cham Prasidh said last week. Speaking to reporters after a meeting, Prasidh warned that the Kingdom’s garment sector would not be able to maintain its competitive edge over ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013060366010/Business/duty-free-agreements-worry-minister.html
Agreement to boost construction sector
An agreement was signed between Cambodia’s Constructors Association (CCA) and the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction two days ago, to tighten enforcement on construction companies here in making them meet industry standards. The ministry’s head, Im Chhun Lim, said that Cambodia’s construction and ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013060366007/Business/agreement-to-boost-construction-sector.html
Sugar firm under fire
Asia’s largest sugar company has been accused of torching hundreds of homes, orchestrating the imprisonment of a pregnant activist and using security forces to beat villagers – among a raft of other grave human rights abuses – by communities in Oddar Meanchey province. The allegations levelled ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013060366024/National/sugar-firm-under-fire.html
National silk board planned
A national silk board (NSB) under the Ministry of Commerce is being planned to weave tighter regulations into the Kingdom’s silk industry, the lack of which has deterred investors and hurt its export potential, according to industry representatives. Minister of Commerce Cham Prasidh said last week ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013060366008/Business/national-silk-board-planned.html
$1.3m SEZ Japanese Restaurant Opens Doors
In a $1.3 million investment, a new Japanese restaurant opened in the Phnom Penh Special Economic Zone (PPSEZ) last week amid the large presence of Japanese companies in the area. The 1,000-square-metre Tokyo Restaurant looks to “help to [showcase] the culture of Japanese food, and provide ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013060366009/Business/1-3m-sez-japanese-restaurant-opens-doors.html
Wing Star Widow in Limbo
Government officials have suggested the widow of the man crushed to death last month at the Wing Star Shoes factory, a supplier to Asics, will still be denied compensation from the National Social Security Fund (NSSF), a labour rights worker said yesterday. American Center for International ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013060366021/National/wing-star-widow-in-limbo.html
Angkor finds visible gold in Ratanakkiri
Canadian miner Angkor Gold has found “visible gold in the soil samples” in the Otray prospect in Ratanakkiri province, which hints at possibly larger reserves, said CEO and chairman Mike Weeks in a press release published on Wednesday. ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013053165964/Business/angkor-finds-visible-gold-in-ratanakkiri.html
Airports operator looks to expand
While Cambodia Airports, of which France-based Vinci Group is major stakeholder, sees tourist numbers taking off, eviction issues are gnawing at the company’s image. Emmanuel Menanteau, chief executive of Cambodia Airports, talked to the Post’s Sarah Thust about the expansion plans. How many tourist arrivals do ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013053165965/CEO-Talk/airports-operator-looks-to-expand.html
Sea tourism along coast needs infrastructure, investors
Plans to create a tourist circuit encompassing coastal areas of Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand could be delayed as infrastructure is not yet in place and authorities cannot find investors. The sea route from the Mekong River Delta province of Kien Giang to Sihanoukville in Cambodia and ...
http://www.thecambodiaherald.com/cambodia/detail/1?page=13&token=OTEzNTNmYzMyZDI
Gym membership gets a lift
Two or three times per week Hong Chandara finds the time to unwind from work, family and social responsibilities by exercising at his gym. Meanwhile, entrepreneurs see potential in the fitness service sector, as gyms gain popularity in Cambodia. Meas Sok Dany, owner of the ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013052965900/Business/gym-membership-gets-a-lift.html
Underage, Overworked
Child labour is being used at a footwear factory owned by the same Taiwan-based company as Wing Star Shoes – where two workers were killed in a ceiling collapse this month – numerous employees have told the Post. A former Ying Dong employee said the ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013052965915/National/underage-overworked.html
Thai border SEZs set for discussion next month
In an effort to boost trade activity between Thailand and Cambodia, both countries will discuss plans for two special economic zones along the Thai-Cambodian border next month, according to the secretary of state at the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday. “It will provide us ...
Hor Kimsay and Anne Renzenbrink
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013052965902/Business/thai-border-sezs-set-for-discussion-next-month.html
Geopacific extends its copper zone
Geopacific Resources, an Australian mineral exploration company, said it has extended the zone of copper found in Preah Vihear province’s Kou Sa district to 18 kilometres, the company announced yesterday. ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013052965899/Business/geopacific-extends-its-copper-zone.html
Spending in NagaCorp casino drops
Spending in NagaCorp’s casino has dropped by about 4.4 per cent in the first quarter of the year compared with the same period last year. Some $1.17 billion was gambled in the casino from January to March this year, said a company quarterly report released last ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013052865866/Business/spending-in-nagacorp-casino-drops.html
Samsung pushes for 30 stores in Kingdom
Samsung plans to more than quadruple its number of stores – currently seven – in the Kingdom, aiming to have 30 branches by the end of this year. The move will extend its lead as the electronic brand with the most stores here, and comes as ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013052865864/Business/samsung-pushes-for-30-stores-in-kingdom.html
Vietnam invests in largest sugar project in Cambodia
The largest complex of sugarcane, ethanol and thermal power plants in Cambodia was inaugurated in Okrieng commune, Sombour district, Kratie province on May 26. Addressing the ceremony, Cambodia’s Deputy Prime Minister Yim Chay Ly emphasized that the complex inauguration in Kratie was the outcome of the ...
Insurance premiums on the rise
The Kingdom’s total insurance premiums rose sharply in the first quarter of the year, compared with the same period the previous year, thanks largely to the growth of the economy and an influx of foreign direct investment, industry insiders said. Official data from the General Insurance ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013052765846/Business/insurance-premiums-on-the-rise.html
Local banks gain trust: survey
Nearly nine out of 10 Cambodians have confidence in local financial institutions, a trend that stands in sharp contrast to Europe and the US, a poll published last week found. However, industry insiders question the results, as the Kingdom’s financial services are still under-developed. The poll ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013052765847/Business/local-banks-gain-trust-survey.html
Regional pharma producers eye Kingdom
International pharmaceutical companies are increasingly looking to sell their products to Cambodia, although the market is full of obstacles, according to experts. After several big international players announced sales expansion plans, two companies from Indonesia, a major manufacturing hub in Southeast Asia, are planning to follow. Kalbe ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013052465819/Business/regional-pharma-producers-eye-kingdom.html
ACLEDA capitalises for growth
ACLEDA Bank, the largest locally owned commercial bank in Cambodia, said it has raised its current registered capital by $72.5 million, to $185.6 million, for business expansion domestically and internationally. It is the tenth time the bank has done so. ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013052365788/Business/acleda-capitalises-for-growth.html
AEON widens HP to farmers
AEON Microfinance (Cambodia) Co Ltd says it has expanded its installment payment services into the agricultural sector, a new business type industry insiders say could be successful, but will still not be enough to strengthen one of Cambodia’s most crucial economic sectors. “We will co-operate with ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013052365789/Business/aeon-widens-hp-to-farmers.html
Rice exports to region rising
Cambodian milled rice exports are gradually lessening their dependency on a single market by expanding their shipping destination in Asia, a sign insiders say is good news for the industry. Kim Savuth, president of the Federation of Cambodian Rice Exporters, told the Post yesterday that milled ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013052365791/Business/rice-exports-to-region-rising.html
Officials in ‘contract’ farms drive
Officials are seeking expert firms to implement projects on so-called contract farming and the enhancement of the involvement of farmers’ organisations in paddy collecting and processing, officials said. Contract farming is an agreement on agricultural production carried out between a farmer and buyers, which establishes conditions ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013052265766/Business/officials-in-contract-farms-drive.html