Japanese food giant to invest $6m in PPSEZ

JAPANESE conglomerate Ajinomoto, which specialises in foods and seasonings, said it will invest US$6 million in a factory at the Phnom Penh Special Economic Zone (PPSEZ).

Ichiro Nishimura, president of Ajinomoto (Cambodia) Co Ltd, said the Cambodian arm of the multinational company would be established next month, with construction on a monosodium glutomate (MSG) packing factory due to start in October.

"We think Cambodia is an attractive market," Nishimura said Monday by email, citing Cambodia's high economic growth and similarities with Vietnam and Thailand, where the company already has a presence.

For the first phase, Ajinomoto will construct a 2,940 square-metre facility, Nishimura said. It is scheduled to go online in September next year with 150 employees.

PPSEZ Managing Director Hiroshi Uematsu said that Ajinomoto agreed to occupy 31,240 square metres when it signed a contract last month. Operations will expand into different products and local production in the future, he added. Click to read more...