[PHNOM PENH POST]
High competition among Cambodia’s small and medium-sized enterprises was
hurting their ability to compete with neighbouring countries, Ministry
of Industry, Mining and Energy officials said yesterday.
The ministry has pledged to find cohesion among smaller companies to improve their efficiency.
The
Kingdom’s 30,000 SMEs worked largely as independent entities, a
practice that had raised the cost of imported materials and had led to
instability in the supply chain, director-general of industry Meng
Saktheara said.
These unnecessary expenses – which could be
avoided if companies worked together – detracted from SME
market-research potential and the competitiveness of Cambodian products
abroad, he said.
“Vietnam’s [goods] beat our goods on the market.
They have the power to beat us because they use networks and
associations,” Meng Saktheara said, adding that the Vietnamese Chamber
of Commerce often came to Cambodia to negotiate on behalf of many
companies.
The ministry has promised to improve networking among
Cambodia’s SMEs in order to guarantee the stable flow of materials into
the country at a competitive price.
Te Taing Por, president of
the Federation of Associations for Small and Medium Enterprises of
Cambodia, said he welcomed the ministries' move, saying businesses
needed more cohesion to find markets abroad.
“We don’t need to be fragmented. [SMEs] have to come together throughout the country,” he said.
Roeung
Ra, who owns a cleaning-soap business, said he had developed his
enterprise independently but lacked market-strategy resources.
“I do my work alone or ask my friends for help. I don’t know of any association I can go to,” he said.
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