Firms go hi-tech into Cambodian market

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03/08/2009VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnamese companies are taking advantage of business opportunities in Cambodia with the transfer of advanced technology, particularly in the agricultural sector.Nguyen Tran Trung Nam from An Giang Plant Protection JSC's representative office in HCM City said that the company started transferring agricultural technologies to Cambodia in 2002."The technical transfer with a focus on opening training courses for Cambodian agricultural experts and farmers will help our company to better introduce our products, establish our networks in order to enhance our presence in the country," Nam said."This move also helps us to explore more business opportunities here," he said, adding that the company plans to open a ten-day training course for Cambodian technicians in the southern An Giang province next month.Chairman of the Institute of Agricultural Science for Southern Viet Nam Bui Chi Buu agreed that untapped business opportunities existed in the Cambodian market and that technical transfer was an effective method for firms to better take advantage of these chances.Cambodia is the third largest export market to Viet Nam after Thailand and China.The country plans to raise trade turnover with Cambodia to US$2.45 billion by 2010.In 2008, Viet Nam earned $1.43 billion from exports to Cambodia, a year-on-year increase of 50 per cent.Major exports from Viet Nam to Cambodia include fuel, steel, instant noodles, plastic products, fertiliser, materials for the textile and garment sector, cosmetics and detergents.Many Vietnamese enterprises have set up representative offices and shops in the country.However, the Vietnamese Trade Mission to Cambodia said that few Vietnamese businesses have long-term plans for developing this market.VietNamNet/Viet Nam News