Cambodian products get quality certified

[PHNOM PENH POST]

About 60 Cambodian-made products have received the official Cambodian Standards (CS) stamp, officials said yesterday.

Ping Sivlay, director general of the Institute of Standards of Cambodia, which designates the stamps, said most of the products were foodstuffs and that 40 additional products were still awaiting approval.

Product owners initially had to pay US$100 for the CS mark, signifying that their goods were meeting  the standard.

That fee was changed about five months ago, however, when the Ministry of Economy and Finance issued a new prakas to raise the price to $200 for a three-year CS stamp, Ping Sivlay said.

He added that increasing the price has discouraged craftsmen, especially when they look at other countries and realise that stamping prices are cheaper. Still, some choose to pursue it, he said. “What they want is to see their products following a standard that makes customers have confidence.”

Chan Sitha, president of a fish sauce company in Kampot currently applying for a CS symbol, said most craftsmen are not concerned with it because to them the price seems excessive compared with the benefits.

“Some think that, for what they get, the standard is not worth it and sales will remain at the same levels, or are worried that Cambodians will think that imported goods are better. Others are facing financial issues and they don’t want to spend the money for the standard,” he said.