The One Village, One Product (OVOP) Movement committee has unveiled plans for an upcoming forum set to connect producers and buyers in Kandal province.

The aim is to foster valuable business partnerships and harness the untapped economic potential of Cambodian goods and services, as announced by the Kandal Provincial Administration last week.

This initiative gained momentum during a meeting chaired by Kandal provincial deputy governor Kruy Malen, in collaboration with the National Committee for the Promotion of the OVOP Movement.

Malen highlighted the forum’s significance for its role in supporting the national strategy to alleviate poverty.

“The forum is about mobilising the economic potential of products and services so as to improve the lives of local people and for communities to expand the quality and marketing of products by building a marketing network needed to connect producers and buyers to be used for sustainable economic development in the country,” he said.

Malen also called for relevant departments to engage with partners and ensure public awareness about local products and achievements across the province.

Hong Vanak, an economics researcher at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, expressed his endorsement on planning.

He believed that facilitating forums between producers, sellers, and buyers will significantly widen the market for local products and even boost community-based tourism.

“I believe that this can be an opportunity to connect with actors from all walks of life to support and buy local goods. If it is successful, it will contribute significantly to the economic growth of producers and their families,” he said.

“We should promote the development and processing of our products to achieve higher quality and aesthetics, acknowledging international standards more emphatically,” he added.

He urged all stakeholders to create more such forums and explore new export markets.

During the meeting, the OVOP Movement committee expressed its hope that the upcoming forum would address market challenges faced by local products and buyers, both for domestic and international markets.

It also believed the forum would provide manufacturers with a clearer understanding of market demands, packaging, quality, hygiene standards, and pricing, thereby enhancing the competitiveness of Cambodian products.