Cambodia is preparing to host the World Cashew Conference (WCC-2024) next year, as part of its efforts to promote the cashew nut industry and attract more investors to the sector.
The WCC-2024, which will be held from February 1-3 in Siem Reap town, is expected to bring together cashew growers, processors, buyers, investors and international development partners from 40 to 50 countries, according to the Ministry of Commerce.
The ministry said the conference will showcase the potential and opportunities of the Cambodian cashew nut industry, which has been growing rapidly in recent years. The government has launched a national cashew nut policy to boost exports, planting and processing of the commodity, and to make Cambodia a leading regional and global supplier.
The Cashew nut Association of Cambodia (CAC), which is co-organizing the event with the ministry, said the WCC-2024 will also help raise awareness and understanding of the Cambodian cashew nut sector among the global stakeholders.
The CAC president Uon Silot said: “The WCC-2024 will boost exports while promoting and energising the Cambodian cashew nut industry. This conference is a good venue for luring investors to the cashew nut processing sub-sector, which the government has expressed strong interest in.”
Cambodia is one of the world’s top producers of cashew nuts, accounting for 16 per cent or 0.69 million tonnes of the global output in 2022. However, most of its production is exported in raw form to Vietnam, which has a more developed processing industry.
Prime Minister Hun Sen has urged local and foreign investors to invest in the processing of cashew nuts in Cambodia, saying that it would create more value and jobs for the country. He said: “We are aware that Vietnam and India process [cashew nuts] for sale to numerous countries, but they also import [the] raw [drupe seeds from us]. We would all be winners if local players genuinely understood the value of processing.”
The WCC-2024 will be the seventh edition of the annual event, which was first held in India in 2018. The previous edition was held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in 2023.
