In a bid to promote the made-in-Cambodia brand, the Ministry of Commerce is urging local businesses to exhibit their products in the upcoming Tonle Festival, which will be held in Kandal’s Takhmao city on March 8-10.
The Tonle Festival will give local businesses an opportunity to show the country the quality of their products, which are increasingly comparable to products imported from abroad in terms of production standards and packaging, said Seang Thay, spokesman for the ministry.
The event seeks to popularise Khmer products within the country, and support local producers, he said.
“The Ministry of Commerce will select high quality Khmer products from around the country that have good packaging and showcase them at the event.”
Events like the Tonle Festival are an effective tool to spread awareness of locally made products among the people, said Mr Thay, adding that support for Khmer products continues to increase as they reach higher standards of production and packaging.
“This is the third year the festival is organised, and with every new event we noticed that more and more people are buying and supporting products made in Cambodia,” he said.
Other festivals around the country seek to promote the made-in-Cambodia brand, such as the Sea Festival, said Mr Thay, adding that a similar fair will be taking place in Siem Reap during Khmer New Year celebrations in April.
The Sea Festival is celebrated every December on a rotation basis in Preah Sihanouk, Kep, Koh Kong or Kampot.
Keo Mom, CEO of Ly Ly Food Industry, agreed with Mr Thay in the importance of fairs to boost interest for locally made products.
“Trade fairs help spread awareness and reach new customers, but producers have to focus primarily on improving their products,” Ms Mom said, adding that some local producers have already managed to bring their products into line with foreign brands when it comes to standards of quality.
“The more people support Khmer products, the more producers are going to want to improve their standards. Soon, our products will have the same quality than foreign brands.”
This article was originally published in the Khmer Times.
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