Vongsey Vissoth, Permanent Deputy Prime Minister and Minister in Charge of the Office of the Council of Ministers, Saturday encouraged Japanese companies to engage in contract farming by signing purchase agreements for cashew nuts with local communities and farmers, aiming to boost Cambodia’s cashew sector and create jobs for the population. Vissoth, who is also a head of the government working group in Kampong Thom province, visited the MIRARTH Agri Tech cashew processing factory in Trapaing Araek village, Chey commune, Kampong Svay district, Kampong Thom province, said a statement of the office of the Council of Ministers released on Sunday. Khuon Khundy, Senator and Chair of the Kampong Svay District Working Group, Nuon Pharath, Kampong Thom Provincial Governor, and many others were present on the occasion. Vissoth appreciated MIRARTH Agritech’s decision to invest in cashew processing in Kampong Thom province, one of Cambodia’s key regions for cashew cultivation. “Cashew is a high-potential crop with opportunities for value addition across the entire production chain,” he noted. “Beyond kernel processing, cashew shells can be converted into biofuels and cosmetics, and even cashew tree branches can be used as an energy source, contributing to increased value creation and economic for both the people and the national economy.” Vissoth voiced strong support for the company’s plans to diversify its cashew processing operations to produce higher value-added products that support Cambodia’s socio-economic development. These efforts, he emphasised, align with the vision of former Prime Minister Hun Sen to position Cambodia as the world’s leading cashew exporter, called the “Cashew King”, and to establish Kampong Thom province as a hub for cashew production and processing. He further encouraged companies to engage in contract farming by signing purchasing agreements with local farmers and communities. “This approach not only supports the growth of Cambodia’s cashew sector and job creation but also helps transfer essential knowledge, skills, and technologies such as AI applications in agriculture to improve production,” said Vissoth. Ryohei Takesawa, Manager of the cashew processing plant at MIRARTH Agritech, spoke at the event about the company’s cashew processing operations and outlined several techniques currently in use. He noted that the company buys fresh cashew nuts from multiple communities in Kampong Thom province, including the Sala Visai community, community in Kraya commune, Santuk community, and three modern agricultural communities are Prasat Sambor Rungreung, Tum Ring Kampong Thom, and Salavisai Kampong Thom. “At present, we are processing six tonnes of fresh cashews per day, with a current capacity of ten tonnes daily. Our products are primarily exported to the Japanese and European markets. Looking ahead, we aim to expand our processing capacity to more than 20,000 tonnes per year.” Takesawa also shared the company’s future investment plans, which include developing a biofuel production project using cashew shells and importing advanced equipment and technology from Japan to further enhance processing efficiency and product quality. Regarding to cashew sector, Khim Finan, Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (MAFF), earlier said that contract farming in agriculture helps link producers to markets, fostering trust between farmers and processors, which is expected to boost domestic cashew processing before export. He added that Cambodia has the potential to generate at least an additional $1 billion in value from cashew production by increasing processing before export, rather than exporting 90 percent of raw cashews as is currently the case. This would inject significant revenue into the national economy. According to a report from the Cashew Nut Association of Cambodia (CAC), Cambodia produced 850,000 tonnes of cashew nuts last year, representing a 26.8 percent increase year over year, and exported 815,000 tonnes, up 31 percent.