The Minister of Industry visits the Chom Chao production site

The Minister of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation, Hem Vandy, on Thursday 19 February 2026 praised the Confirel‑PPM model as an example of industrial modernization rooted in Khmer agricultural know‑how, during a visit to the company’s production lines and the Labiocert laboratory in Chom Chao, Phnom Penh.

Accompanied by technical officials from the ministry – industry, science and innovation, national laboratory, SMEs and crafts, methodology and productivity centre – the minister came to gauge the progress made by the private sector and listen to its needs in order to better support the development of local products.
The delegation was welcomed in Confirel’s showroom by Dr Hay Ly Eang, chairman of the PPM‑Confirel group, before a corporate presentation film was screened.

In his presentation, Dr Hay recalled that Confirel’s mission is to turn ancestral products into the driving force of a modern national industry, starting with Thnot palm sugar.“We started with Thnot, the symbolic tree of our country. Once considered the tree of the poor, it can become the tree of the rich,” he stressed, recalling that Confirel’s Thnot sugar won the gold medal at Nat‑Expo 2005 in Paris and was distinguished by the Great Taste Awards and the Michelin Guide.
According to him, the potential value of Thnot raw material is 600 million dollars, but to date only 5 million is actually captured, due to an insufficient number of producers and the difficulty and risks of this trade.

To make the work of palm tappers safer and easier, Confirel is developing a “Thnot motorbike” designed to increase productivity and safety, a project for which Dr Hay has requested support from the ministry, as the market is already in a situation where demand exceeds supply.

He also stressed the need to improve pepper production, particularly in Kampot, Mondulkiri, Kampong Cham and Kampong Thom, in order to meet strong international demand, calling for technical support from the state to integrate new technologies more rapidly.

Initially created to meet PPM and Confirel’s internal needs, the Labiocert laboratory has been structured to comply with international standards and ensure the quality and safety of the group’s products, while building confidence among foreign consumers.

With the modernization of its equipment and human resources, Labiocert is now preparing an application to obtain ISO certification, a first step towards opening its quality‑control services widely to the rest of the Cambodian market.

Minister Hem Vandy encouraged the laboratory also to apply for an “Accreditation Body” certificate recognized by the ministry, with a view to becoming an official reference laboratory for food analysis.

“We need an official reference laboratory. If Labiocert obtains ISO certification, let us submit a joint application for it to become an official laboratory,” he said, stressing that all companies could then have their products analysed within this state‑recognized framework.

Confirel already exports to high‑purchasing‑power markets such as Japan, South Korea, France and Vietnam, representing a potential of more than 500 million consumers, with products benefiting from international patents, notably on Confirel‑brand Prahok.

Monitored by Japanese partners since 2022, the company saw in 2025 the signing of a distribution agreement in 70 points of sale in Japan, with a target of 400 outlets this year, including 50 in AEON shopping centres.

 Dr Hay illustrated this potential by citing the global pizza market, estimated at 2,400 million units, on which there is still no “Prahok pizza”: capturing even 0.001 of this market would generate substantial and sustainable income for Cambodia, while encouraging protection of the Tonlé Sap ecosystem, described as a “vast green factory”.

However, he denounced administrative barriers that slow down exports, comparing the situation to people’s travel: “A person with a passport and visa can travel, but for a medicine you still have to apply for authorizations, even when there are orders.”

 Faced with increasingly sophisticated requirements, he called on the ministry for greater flexibility to adapt to the rapid evolution of global markets, believing that “the state and the private sector must better understand each other”.

At the end of the presentation, Hem Vandy paid tribute to Confirel’s vision, which combines ancestral heritage, the country’s reputation and high quality standards.

He recalled that the government’s roadmap for the 7th mandate places industrial modernization at the heart of its strategy, not only through machinery, but also via vocational training, technology and increased productivity to ease the burden on agriculture.

“Industrial modernization is a major mission of our ministry, and I am pleased to see a Khmer company contributing to this sector’s economic growth,” he said, encouraging PPM‑Confirel in its investment projects.​
For him, scaling up PPM‑Confirel requires support for small businesses along the value chain, so as to structure a network of suppliers and strengthen value creation.

 Regarding the “Thnot motorbike”, he considered the idea promising and indicated that the State Secretariat for Industry is ready to support the project in terms of technical aspects, safety and innovation.

The minister finally invited Labiocert and the ministry to work hand in hand, pooling equipment and skills to build a national food quality‑control system without additional investment.
Dr Hay warmly welcomed these converging views, believing that “after 30 years of effort, this path has proven to be the right one” and that it must now be pursued together.