Rice Crackers Bound for China

KHMER TIMES
SUM MANET

Photo supplied

Cambodian rice cracker manufacturer Ly Ly Food Industry Co. Ltd., has begun exporting its products to China, as part of a push to expand beyond Asean markets.

Four shipping containers of the crackers, made using Cambodian-grown Romduol rice, have so far been sent to China, the company’s CEO, Keo Mom, told Khmer Times.

“This is the first export to China and the number of orders from Chinese counterparts will increase over the next month,” she explained.

“We expect to ship 10 containers a month of our products to China,” Ms. Mom said, noting that the current four shipments to the southern Chinese port of Guangzhou were worth $50,000.

“Ly Ly’s product is made to precise standards of food management, including ISO, and is also halal,” she said.

The company’s website claims their crackers not only meet safety standards, but also have health benefits.

“The product contains vitamins and supplements that can help children grow healthier, faster, and smarter. Most importantly, it helps pregnant mothers reduce risks of birth defects [blindness],” the website claims.

Ms. Mom stressed that it was these benefits, as well as the price and tastiness of the crackers, that enables Ly Ly to compete internationally.

“Our supply for the local market is still low, and mostly we rely on exporting abroad, especially to Asean,” she said, highlighting Vietnam, Myanmar and Malaysia as large markets for the company, as well as the US, South Korea, Canada and Australia. Ms. Mom said that in addition to the Chinese expansion, the company would soon ship to Europe and Africa.

“Next month we will export to Italy and France and now Kenya and other foreign countries are contacting us to import our product,” she said.

Te Taing Por, president of the Federation of Associations for Small and Medium Enterprises of Cambodia praised Ly Ly’s export success, noting that Cambodian small and medium enterprises (SMEs) were successful in exporting food products.