Confirel Welcomes the Chinese Minister of the General Administration of Customs

“If China officially authorizes us to export palm sugar to its market, our growth could be significantly strengthened,” declared Dr Hay Ly Eang, founder and chairman of Confirel, during the visit of Ms SUN Meijun, Minister of the General Administration of Customs of China, to the Chom Chao factory on 4 June.

During this visit, the Chinese official praised Confirel as a local company capable of transforming agricultural products into high‑quality export goods. She noted that some of the company’s products, such as Kampot pepper, are already being imported into China and encouraged Confirel to further increase its exports in order to help supply the vast Chinese market.

Ms SUN Meijun was accompanied by the Cambodian Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Mr Dith Tina. In this context, she also encouraged the Ministry of Agriculture and the relevant stakeholders to work directly with the Chinese side to ensure the import of new products into the Chinese market, in line with quality requirements, food safety rules and standards. The minister expressed the hope that Confirel products, particularly palm sugar and chocolate, could soon be available on the Chinese market.

Dr Hay recalled that Confirel palm sugar is already exported to Europe, the United States and Russia, but does not yet have official access to the Chinese market. The company currently ships around 300 tonnes per year and is targeting 600 tonnes in the medium term; with access to China, production could, he believes, exceed one million tonnes.

Addressing the delegation, Dr Hay stressed the need to further improve working conditions and safety for producers, as well as the management of Thnot communities, in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture. He also emphasized that strict compliance with specifications is essential, as exports are governed by demanding contracts with international clients.

Thanking Ms SUN Meijun and Minister Dith Tina for their visit, he expressed the hope that this meeting would help strengthen Sino‑Cambodian economic cooperation and support the development of the kingdom’s agrifood sector.