KAMPONG THOM, Cambodia, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Va Sokchea, a 39-year-old worker at a Chinese-invested Kampu Nuts Agro Product Co. Ltd. here in central Cambodia, has no longer migrated to work at a garment factory in the capital Phnom Penh since the cashew nut processing plant launched in early 2024.
The mother of four children said the factory, which processes cashew nuts for the Chinese market, has provided her with a stable job and a decent income, and more importantly, she can live together with her family members as the plant is just a few kilometers away from her home.
"My job at this factory is to collect and sort cashew nuts based on their sizes as well as remove the outer shells of the cashew nuts," she told Xinhua on Tuesday.
Sokchea said she liked the job very much because it gave her a steady income of 300 U.S. dollars a month, which was higher than the monthly wage of more than 200 dollars at the garment factory in Phnom Penh.
"Currently, my livelihood is better than before because here I do not spend a lot, no spending on water and no separate spending on food for family members," she said. "Unlike there (in Phnom Penh), I had to spend a lot on utility fees and rental costs, so it was difficult for me."
Sokchea showed her gratitude to Chinese consumers for buying Cambodian agricultural products, especially processed cashew nuts.
"Your purchase has provided great benefits to Cambodian farmers and has created a lot of jobs for Cambodian people," she said.
So Suos, another 38-year-old worker, said previously he was a rice farmer and found it hard to make a living, but his livelihood had improved after getting a job at the plant a year ago.
"I really like to work here because first, it is near my house, so it's easy to travel to and from, and second, the income is also decent," he told Xinhua. "I earn 300 dollars per month."
Suos said China's purchase of Cambodian cashew nuts has not only helped improve the livelihoods of local workers and farmers, but also contributed to boosting the economy.
Hout Hyhhaikeang, managing director of the nuts processing plant, said the factory exports processed cashew nuts totaling between 3,000 tons and 4,000 tons per year and that the plant has generated about 200 jobs.
"Currently, our key export market is China," he told Xinhua. "About 95 percent of our products have been sold to China."
He said Cambodian cashew nuts were delicious and popular among Chinese consumers because they have big kernels, and taste sweet with a little creamy.
Hyhhaikeang said the factory purchases raw cashew nuts from farmers and brokers, with the commodity's quality being tested properly by skilled staff.
"We have provided our staff with technical skill training in cashew nut production and processing, and we have also provided an opportunity for farmers to earn an income from their production," he said.
Cambodia is the world's second-largest producer of raw cashew nuts, with a total production of 850,000 tons in 2024, according to the Cashew Nut Association of Cambodia (CAC).
Due to processing factory shortage, the Southeast Asian country exported 815,000 tons of raw cashew nuts last year, or 95.8 percent of the total production, particularly neighboring Vietnam, according to the CAC.
The CAC said the kingdom has roughly 700,000 hectares of cashew plantations in some 11 provinces. ■
