AJINOMOTO, a Japanese food company, will likely not meet a Cambodia sales goal for 2009, said Ichiro Nishimura, president of the firm’s operations in the Kingdom. Nishimura blamed the economic downturn, but forecast that sales of its products – must notably monosodium glutamate (MSG) – would be higher than in 2008. Ajinmoto has increased its sales every year since launching here in 2001, according to company data which showed it was aiming to sell 8,500 tonnes of its products. Nishimura said Ajinomoto had begun building its new US$6 million plant in the Phnom Penh Special Economic Zone in October, and that the project was on schedule.