Cambodia’s palm oil industry exports 80% of output to international markets
17/05/2026 (Khmer Times) - Cambodia’s palm oil industry is steadily expanding its presence on the international stage through the development of large-scale industrial processing chains, with up to 80% of total production now exported to global markets.
The majority of exports are supplied to major palm oil-consuming countries such as Malaysia and India, while the remaining 20% is used to meet domestic demand.
Speaking during a public gathering on Saturday, Mong Reththy, chairman of the Senate’s Commission III and president of Mong Reththy Investment Cambodia Oil Palm Co., Ltd. (MRICOP), Cambodia’s first and largest palm oil producer, outlined the company’s production capacity and industrial processing operations.
He said the company’s growing international market presence is supported by a strong production foundation, with two large crude palm oil processing plants currently in operation.
Together, the factories are capable of processing up to 95 tonnes of fresh palm fruit per hour, equivalent to around 2,090 tonnes per day, and can produce as much as 9,196 tonnes of crude palm oil per month.
Reththy added that the company has recently completed and officially launched a new palm kernel oil processing factory to further strengthen its competitiveness and value-added production capacity.
The new facility is capable of producing between 27 and 30 tonnes of palm kernel oil per day, marking what he described as a new chapter in Cambodia’s agro-industrial development.
He said the expansion would help create greater added value for Cambodia’s agricultural sector while also generating more employment opportunities for local residents.
According to Reththy, the industrial development in Prey Nob district, Preah Sihanouk province, originated from efforts that began in 1994, when the area was still remote and home to only eight families.
Today, the once-isolated land has been transformed into a vast agricultural zone covering more than 20,000 hectares.
As part of its second-phase cultivation campaign in 2026, the company plans to expand planting activities across nearly 600 additional hectares while continuing to invest in advanced processing technologies and new factories.
Reththy said the continued industrial expansion not only supports the livelihoods of nearly 3,000 people in the area directly, but also helps enhance Cambodia’s international profile through the export of high-standard semi-finished and finished agricultural products.
He previously explained that although investment in the oil palm sector is estimated at $150 million, the venture has yet to generate a profit. He said agricultural businesses remain relatively unattractive to many domestic investors because of the high risks involved and the long period required to generate returns.