Neang Malis registered: now unauthorised trading is illegal

Protecting wide spreading low quality fragrant rice trading in Cambodia


By Sophea
May 21, 2012

Phnom Penh – Angkor Kasekam Roonroeung, a leading rice exporter, has secured all the right for the name of “Neang Malis”, says Adisorn Chieu, the company director.

Neang Malis is a special name Angkor Kasekam Roonroeung uses for the rice breed that is grown under the company since year 2000. “This rice have been carefully developed and purified by us with our contract farming members for more than 10 years, but lately some dishonest rice trader just simply use “Neang Malis” name to confuse the rice buyers” Adisorn said in the interview.

Angkor Rice has been exporting rice for more than 10 years, and has been a pioneer to bring the Cambodian rice taste to the world rice consumer. The philosophy of producing Neang Malis is to use pure rice breed without mixing with other type of seed. The rice processing cycle is strictly controlled by Angkor Rice which no one in the rice industry is able to do.

But since the booming of the rice industry in Cambodia, a number of rice investors has been using Neang Malis name but pack it with low quality rice and sell to foreign rice traders. “This is destroying the Cambodian rice reputation and bringing the whole industry standard down, the same thing happens to the Thai fragrant rice industry where a lot of traders mix their product with low grade rice and sell as Hom Mali Rice” he added.