Confirel on the offensive in the Middle East and North African markets

At the initiative of the Cambodian Pepper and Spice Federation (CPSF) and in collaboration with the Feed the Future Cambodia Harvest II (Harvest II) project funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the “Export Mission to the Middle East and North Africa” program, in which Confirel is a partner, was launched in virtual mode on September 20.

The program aims to take advantage of digital technologies to improve the capabilities of national companies to produce healthy and quality food and assist them to expand their presence in this region of the world. Under the name Mena are grouped some 20 countries, namely: “Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, the Palestinian territories, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, Western Sahara, and Yemen. It is a densely populated and culturally diverse region that spans three continents. In 2018, the population was nearly 600 million.

The program, for which 25 companies have been selected, is taking place in two phases: a virtual exhibition on September 28 and 29 in the Middle East Organic and Natural Products Expo on December 6-8 in Dubai, the business center of the United Arab Emirates.

According to Mal Ny, president of CPSF, this event is a “first” big chance for Cambodia to showcase its products to the public in the Mena region, which will provide business networking opportunities with buyers, distributors, exporters, and other potential partners in the region.

Quoted by the Phnom Penh Post, Ms. Jhaveri, head of Harvest II, noted that “many Cambodian companies, are increasingly aware of the demands of the international market and have adopted new standards in product quality, packaging, and safety for customers and are thus strengthening their export capabilities.”.

While Confirel has been exporting its Ecocert International-certified PGI and organic Kampot pepper and its derivatives since it began producing them, it has yet to enter the MENA markets. “We really hope that through this program we will be able to introduce our company’s products to the countries in the Mena region and make them more aware of the Kingdom’s offerings,” said Ms. Hor Davy, export assistant at Confirel at the launch of the project.