Singapore intends to invest in cold storage in Cambodia as the agricultural sector faces a dire need to safely and adequately store quality products to boost exports.
The intent was expressed by a delegation of Singaporean investors led by foreign minister Vivian Balakrishnan at a meeting with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on February 16.
The delegation also sought to explore investment options available in the Cambodian transport sector, and to further expand bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Veng Sakhon told The Post that Singapore’s interest in investing in cold product storage is something his ministry has always desired, to facilitate the process of freezing fish and meat, and hence reduce health risks.
He said private businesses must have their own cold storage and packaging facilities that are up to standards in order to export processed fish products, but added that high electricity prices were a major deterrent.
“A private company called Mekong Express previously invested in the construction of such a cold storage facility that would have been kept at a temperature of minus 30 degrees Celsius – out in the Chaom Chao area of Phnom Penh – where it also had a warehouse to store agricultural products to export to Japan in the future.
“But then that plan was derailed by irregular electricity, and [the facility] was later turned into another warehouse,” Sakhon said.
Cold storage will be vital in maintaining the safety and quality of agricultural products for export, especially fish and meat, he said, stressing that Cambodia has the capacity to supply meat to ship abroad.
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Author: Hom Phanet
Source: The Phnom Penh Post
February 21, 2022
