PRIME Minister Hun Sen suggested a Chinese company called Deep Forest Investment Limited oversee the establishment of a plant to produce water-draining machines and tractors in Cambodia, an official said Wednesday.

The premier made the suggestion to a delegation from the company during meeting at his house near the Independence Monument, in Phnom Penh, Hun Sen’s personal assistant Eang Sophalet told the Post.

“Samdech [Hun Sen] suggested that the delegation consider whether their company could establish a factory to produce water-draining machines and tractors for Cambodia, because these things are the demands of our Cambodian people,” he said.

Deep Forest’s executive director and delegation head Wang Wei Guo told the prime minister he would consider the proposal, according to Eang Sophalet.

The personal assistant added that the delegation came to Cambodia to study the possibility of investing in Cambodian infrastructure, as well as opening an agricultural school and setting up special economic zones in Cambodia.

Chan Tong Yves, secretary of state at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, welcomed the initiative to produce, saying that water-draining machines would benefit rice farmers.

A factory would make it “easier for our farmers to have new and affordable machines”, he said. “Our farmers use tractors not only for ploughing their rice fields and farming, but also use them as means for transportation,” he said.

Cambodia yielded 7 million tonnes of rice in 2009, he said.