Japanese firm Nippon Koei recently announced its interest to invest in Cambodia’s silk industry. The plan was unveiled during a meeting between company General Manager Tamura Tsutomu and Cambodia’s Agriculture Minister Veng Sakhon. Tsutomu feels the Cambodian industry has not been properly developed in terms of the value chain and market access.
The Khmer Silk Center, an institution dedicated to research in the silk industry and to revitalising the weaving sector, was launched in June this year inside the Royal University of Phnom Penh. The facility was initiated by RUPP with contributions from the Japanese Government and United Nations Development Program, according to a report.
The university is now working with three silk community leaders in Kampong Speu, Kampong Chhnang, and Mondulkiri whose total production area amounts to 21 hectares. It aims to raise the production area to 200 hectares by the end of this year as more farmers are encouraged to participate in the industry. Raw silk in Cambodia is mostly imported from Vietnam and China.
