AKP Phnom Penh, August 12, 2026 --

Cambodia's cashew nut sector has reached a significant export milestone, with HCST INVESTMENT CO., LTD. (HCST) successfully exporting its processed cashew nuts directly to Whitworths, a leading dried fruit, nut, and seed company in the United Kingdom, for the first time.

To celebrate and further strengthen this emerging export partnership, on Aug. 12, H.E. Samheng Bora, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Commerce and Chairman of the Export Promotion Task Force (EPTF), led a delegation to Stung Treng province to inspect HCST's production and processing facilities and gain first-hand insight into the export supply chain.

The achievement marks an important step in connecting Cambodia's locally processed agricultural products with high-value international markets.

The partnership between HCST and Whitworths has also contributed to the improvement of HCST's production standards and processing practices, helping the enterprise meet international quality and food safety requirements and strengthen buyer confidence in Cambodian cashew products.

At the same time, this export process has further benefited from technical support from the UK Government (via the British Embassy in Cambodia and the UK Trade Partnership programme - UKTP), as well as from the European Union and Germany (through the Export Lab - EU German GATE project), aiming to boost the capacity of local enterprises to compete globally.

This milestone demonstrates the potential of Cambodia's cashew sector to move beyond raw commodity exports toward higher-value processed products that can compete in demanding international markets.

It also highlights the importance of sustained government facilitation, private-sector partnerships, and technical support in connecting Cambodian enterprises with global buyers.

The Ministry of Commerce remains committed to strengthening market linkages, improving export readiness, and supporting Cambodian enterprises in meeting international market requirements, thereby creating greater opportunities for Cambodian agricultural products and producers to participate in global value chains.

By Chea Vannak