Rubber sector boosting economy but not everyone benefits Investment in Cambodian rubber plantations has skyrocketed as the global demand for rubber has climbed over the past few years. But the jump in investment, while good for the Cambodian economy, has a shadow side as poor people in areas given over to plantations often lose their land as well as their livelihoods. In 2001, Cambodia ...

One company uses an ancient process to generate rural incomes An ever-growing number of foreignowned business ventures have sprung up in Cambodia in recent years. Many are essentially social enterprises, not just focused on turning a profit, but also on improving the livelihoods of Cambodians they either do business with or employ. Push Pull Cambodia is a successful example of such an e...

Bamboo could be basis for sustainable industry Bamboo, one of the world’s fastest-growing plants, is used extensively in many parts of Asia for everything from food to musical instruments and furniture. But according to organizers of a recent conference on bamboo’s potential, the plant could form the basis of a sustainable and multifaceted industry, providing everything from mat...

  Microfinance doing well, but lowering interest rates a challenge Cambodians are gaining more trust in formal financial services, evidenced by increases in savings deposits and good loan performance rates at the country’s microfinance institutions, according to industry sources. However, lowering interest rates in order to reach even more people remains a challenge for ...

Nokia devises strategy to get back on top in Cambodia When Seth Vitou, 22, started using a mobile phone in 2008, he got a Nokia. “It was the brand that had the highest quality and best design,” he said. Now he’s saving up his salary for a new phone, but this time he won’t be buying one from the Finnish company—Seth Vitou wants an iPhone. “I think that...

Lack of financial recordkeeping hitting profits in SME sector A big majority of small and mediumsized enterprises (SMEs) in Cambodia conduct their business without keeping formal financial records, experts say, which can both affect their annual profits and keep them from growing as they might. Tony Socheat Sunly, manager at EME Emerging Markets Entrepreneurs, a business incubator, said...

Do some prices need to be kept under control? For Bun Saboeun, a student from Battambang province, the excitement around the Khmer New Year is always marred by what she knows is coming: sky-high prices. Getting from Phnom Penh to Battambang to see her relatives is always an expensive endeavor as drivers inevitably hike their prices at this time of year. “They exploit me as much as the...

As Cambodia develops, its retail landscape is changing Her hands full of bags of merchandise, Sok Neary scanned the rows of motos outside the Sorya shopping mall on a recent hot afternoon in Phnom Penh. She had just spent the better part of her day shopping in air-conditioned comfort in the eight-story building behind her, Cambodia’s first shopping mall, which opened in 2002. &ldq...

An investment has been made in a planned cassava processing plant in Battambang province, which would be the first of its kind in the area. Phoung Kesoa, deputy CEO of Battambang Agro-Industry, did not say how big the initial investment would be although he did say the plant would be 100 percent Cambodian owned. Analysts have called for the establishment of more cassavaprocessing facilities in ...