CAMBODIA Green Field Investment Co Ltd has invested US$5 million to build a factory in Kampong Speu to produce chopsticks for export to Japan, the firm’s Director General Chan Sophal said Sunday.

Production of chopsticks – from bamboo and wood – would begin in May to supply Hasiya Co Ltd, according to a deal signed by the two companies.

Ministry of Commerce Secretary of State May Thora told the Post on Sunday that although it was a good business plan, many other firms had attempted to export chopsticks only to suffer from a lack of buyers.

With 80 percent of the factory completed, Chan Sophal said that his venture would not suffer the same fate.

“We are not concerned about the lack of markets because our buyer is able to buy more than the amount we can produce,” he said.

The factory will have a capacity of up to 500,000 pairs of chopsticks per day, he added. Japan uses 3 billion pairs per year, 90 percent of which are imported from China.

“In five years, we hope that we will be able to supply around 10 percent of Japan’s total demand,” said Chan Sophal.