The Ministry of Commerce is organising its third trade fair of the year as part of its “Buy Khmer Products” campaign to promote locally made goods and has selected Sihanoukville to host the event, a ministry spokesperson said yesterday.

The fair will be held from July 28-31 on Sihanoukville’s popular Ochheuteal Beach.

Ministry spokesperson Soeng Sophary said the location was selected because it is a well-touristed beach in close proximity to the country’s biggest international port, making it an ideal spot to promote Cambodian products among the campaign’s targeted buyers.

“We want to promote the trade of our local products to inspire consumers in the region in order to better know our quality Cambodian goods,” she said.

As part of the ministry’s campaign, local-product trade fairs were held in Siem Reap in May and Kampong Cham last month. Each event saw 150 booths attract around 10,000 visitors, according to ministry officials.

The Sihanoukville fair will be a smaller affair owing to space limitations on Occheuteal Beach, with just 85 booths expected to draw 7,000 visitors. A fourth trade fair is scheduled to take place in Phnom Penh in November.

Buying Khmer products instead of using imports supports and strengthens the local manufacturing sector, small enterprises and handicraft production, Sophary said.