Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - Massive sugar mill poised to expand

Massive sugar mill poised to expand

A man carries a bundle of sugar cane at a plantation.
A man carries a bundle of sugar cane at a plantation. Heng Chivoan

Massive sugar mill poised to expand

A Chinese-owned agricultural company inaugurated its $360 million sugar mill in northern Cambodia yesterday, after spending six years preparing land for the plantation and nearly two years building the sugar mill, which is billed as Asia’s largest.

Rui Feng (Cambodia) International Co Ltd, part of a closely linked group of Chinese firms with adjacent economic land concessions (ELCs) spanning nearly 9,000 hectares in Preah Vihear province, said the factory has the capacity to process 20,000 tonnes of sugarcane a day, producing 2,000 tonnes of refined sugar.

Kuy Yoeurn, an administrative assistant for the firm, said that the sugar refinery was just one facet of a much-larger industrial project, and would produce not only sugar but also ethanol, fertiliser and electricity.

“We will start by processing 20,000 tonnes of sugar per day at first, and after one year we will start to produce ethanol,” he said.

According to a document provided by the company, the plant has an annual production capacity of 360,000 tonnes of sugar, 50,000 litres of ethanol and 9 megawatts of surplus electricity.

The firm also plans to build two more sugar refineries to bring total production to around 1 million tonnes a year.

Addressing the inauguration ceremony, Prime Minister Hun Sen said there were five sugar companies invested in Cambodia, which has a capacity to produce 1.8 million tonnes of sugar per year but was currently producing just a quarter of that amount.

The prime minister endorsed the project, which he said would create up to 14,000 jobs, but urged the company to cooperate with local farmers and operate sustainably.

MOST VIEWED

  • 12th Cambodia int’l film festival to see return of Hollywood star

    Phnom Penh is set to come alive with the magic of cinema as the highly anticipated 12th Cambodia International Film Festival (CIFF) takes centre stage. Boasting an impressive line-up of 188 films from 23 countries, including captivating shorts, feature films, documentaries and animation, the festival promises an

  • Brawl marrs football final as Indonesian take gold in seven goal thriller

    The Indonesian men's U22 men national football team were crowned champions of the 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia, defeating Thailand 5-2 in extra time on May 16 at Olympic National Stadium in Phnom Penh. The match was marred by an ugly incident that occured in the 91

  • Candlelight Party disqualified from July general election

    The National Election Committee (NEC) has disqualified the Candlelight Party (CP) from contesting the upcoming general election, citing a lack of valid documentation. NEC spokesman Khorn Keomono said the CP failed to fulfil one of the three main requirements: including original documentation proving their registration

  • Thong Khon calls for orderly SEA Games closing ceremony

    Thong Khon, Minister of Tourism and permanent vice-president of the Cambodia SEA Games Organising Committee (CAMSOC), calls on all people who have received tickets to the May 17 closing ceremony of the biennial multi-sports extravaganza at the Morodok Techo National Stadium to ensure that the event

  • Bareknuckle champion wants Kun Khmer fighter

    Dave Leduc, who is the current openweight Lethwei boxing champion in Myanmar, has announced that he will travel to Cambodia this year to challenge SEA Games gold medallist Prum Samnang any time that is convenient, after their planned match later this month in Slovakia was

  • 1.4 billion dollar Phnom Penh-Bavet expressway due in four years

    The Government, through the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, has officially signed a public-private partnership agreement with a private company for the construction of a Phnom Penh-Bavet Expressway project that will connect the capital to Svay Rieng province. The budget for the project is