AgriMaster General Manager Rady Chea is projecting a 10-20% increase in demand for the company’s aquaculture feeds in 2023-2024. The Cambodian feed manufacturer and WISHH strategic partner is a U.S. soybean meal buyer for its feeds that are sold throughout the Southeast Asian country.
Chea reports the company has completed a multi-million dollar expansion of its feed mill. AgriMaster now runs two work shifts per day to produce a variety of animal feeds, including fish, swine, chicken and duck. Their innovation is on the rise.
“We have a new project to produce feeds for poultry layers as well as sows,” Chea says. “We will continue to buy U.S. soybeans, by container, and soybean meal for our feed production…The U.S. soybean meal quality is more stable compared to other origins. We especially prefer its low fiber and high amino-acid profile.”
AgriMaster is a key industry partner in WISHH’s U.S. Department of Agriculture Food for Progress Commercialization of Aquaculture for Sustainability Trade (CAST) – Cambodia project that is developing a lasting aquaculture industry in Cambodia. Chea is also a board member of the Cambodian Aquaculturalist Association that CAST helped launch in 2020. The association now includes approximately 1000 members and has established a network of trade relationships among Cambodians as well as with U.S. soy.
WISHH began working with Cambodian aquaculture prior to CAST. For example, WISHH sent technical consultants from Kansas State University as well as the Fargo-based Northern Crops Institute to advise AgriMaster and other Cambodian enterprises. These foundational trainings included feed formulation, best production practices, feed safety, and the benefits of using U.S. soybean meal.
AgriMaster and WISHH’s journey together continues so the company can further expand with U.S. soy. WISHH and Chea are in discussions about additional technical expertise to boost its aquaculture feed formulation and production.