Tuesday, 19 January 2010

Belgian firm looks for local partners



via CAAI News Media

Monday, 18 January 2010 15:01 Chun Sophal

A BELGIAN company hopes to expand its business to bring 50,000 tonnes of Cambodian rice into the international market this year.

On Thursay, Schepens and Co NV announced that it is looking for local suppliers of grain they can export.

Cezary Zimniewski, an executive of the firm’s Central and East European office, told the Post that he wants to work with an “honest partner” able to supply around 5,000 tonnes of rice to Schepens each month.

This year, the company hopes to export 50,000 tonnes of rice from Cambodia as part of a test project. This would include 20,000 tonnes of jasmine and som malis rice, and 30,000 tonnes of basic rice, he added.

“We are interested in trading Cambodian rice to international markets, and we are looking out for a good local partner to cooperate with us,” said Cezary.

The offer has already drawn interest from within the domestic rice industry.

President of the Federation of Cambodian Rice Millers Associations (FCRMA) and director of Cambodia’s biggest paddy buyer, Baitang Kampuchea Plc, Phou Puy, said Sunday that he was keen to become the European company’s partner.

“I think it is very easy to export Cambodian rice in large quantities to international markets if the two companies can reach a trustworthy agreement,” he said.

According to FCRMA statistics, Baitang Kampuchea Plc would be able to supply about 200,000 tonnes of rice to its partners per year.

Any deal would mark an expansion for Schepens’ trade in the Kingdom. For six years, it has worked with small and medium-sized enterprises to export 2,000 tonnes of aromatic rice to Eastern Europe.

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