Kirum Powdered Prahok Production Reaches a New Milestone

On September 8, 2025, Confirel unveiled Cambodia’s first workshop dedicated to the production of its Kirum powdered prahok, resulting from a combined approach of heritage and technology. This development offers new opportunities for local fisheries and enables prahok, a key condiment of Khmer cuisine, to cross borders, adapted to international tastes thanks to five new flavors and a formula designed to reduce its typical odors.

Covering 2,400 square meters and equipped with the capacity to process 1 ton of fresh prahok per day (5,000 jars), the workshop perfectly embodies Confirel’s mission: for 25 years, the company has worked to promote and modernize Khmer agricultural products, blending rural know-how with global market demands.

In the presence of numerous media representatives, the inauguration of this workshop was presided over by Mr. Has Sarett, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Agriculture, Mr. Igor Driesmans, Ambassador of the European Union to Cambodia, and Dr. Hay Ly Eang, Chairman and CEO of Confirel, along with UNIDO representatives, partners within the CAPFISH-Capture project. The technical assistance and equipment provided through this partnership have increased productivity and ensured the quality of powdered prahok, which is now HACCP certified and ready to conquer international markets.

This inauguration ceremony coincided with the launch of an awareness campaign about fishery products, jointly organized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the European Union, and UNIDO as part of the CAPFISH-Capture post-harvest development project.

Transforming ancestral prahok into a modern product fits into a clear vision: preserving the authentic flavor of the product, while ensuring ease of use, hygiene, and reduction of histamine and salt content. Registered for intellectual property protection in France since 2023, Confirel’s powdered prahok illustrates the company’s capacity to reconcile identity and innovation, whether for the local market or for integration in Western dishes such as pizza or spaghetti sauce.

Confirel now aims to meet the requirements of DG SANTE, the European authority for food safety, in order to open the door to exports to the EU and beyond. Mr. Igor Driesmans expressed the European Union’s “pride” in “supporting this effort, which promotes local transformation, creates decent jobs, and raises food safety standards.” “This is a major step for increasing exports. It seems like a small achievement at first glance, but it reveals a tremendous potential to meet local demand, contribute to national green growth, and help Cambodia position itself as a competitor in world markets,” he noted.

It should be highlighted that this project is a model in terms of inclusive development, having created 37 new jobs, mainly for women, while fostering partnerships with other players in the aquatic sector to strengthen the national supply chain.

With this inauguration, Confirel reaffirmed its commitment to valuing Angkorian heritage, with a spirit of sustainable rural development and added value creation for the national economy. As Dr. Hay recalled in his speech, “innovation is the foundation of our company,” whose ambition, with the rise of powdered prahok, is to bring Cambodia to the forefront of Asian agro-industry, transforming a symbol of identity into a vector for growth and worldwide recognition.

About the CAPFISH-Capture Project

The Capfish-Capture project is a flagship initiative co-financed by the European Union and the Cambodian government, implemented under the leadership of the Fisheries Administration and UNIDO.

The program aims to modernize Cambodia’s post-harvest fisheries sector in order to make it more competitive and suitable for export, while ensuring food safety and sustainable rural development. It supports more than 100 local companies (including many led by women) through funding, technical assistance and provision of innovative equipment to improve productivity, quality, and traceability of products.

Capfish-Capture deploys two main mechanisms:

Value Chain Investment Support (VCIS) for the acquisition of equipment and strengthening of technical capacity.

The Investment Support Facility (ISF), which provides loans and grants under advantageous conditions, supported by the Credit Guarantee Corporation of Cambodia, to stimulate investment in the Cambodian fishery value chain.

The project strongly focuses on supporting compliance with European and international standards, notably in terms of food safety, with the goal of opening export markets such as the European Union. It has also initiated the implementation of digital traceability systems that ensure the origin and quality of Cambodian products, making them easier to accept internationally.

Capfish-Capture promotes sustainable resource management, fish conservation, the fight against illegal fishing, and resilience to climate change, in direct alignment with the Royal Government’s priorities and FAO standards. The project also aims to promote the added value and economic competitiveness of fishery products and to improve the livelihoods of rural populations.