Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 09 December 2003 — Today, HRH Queen Norodom Monineath Sihanouk of Cambodia cut the ribbon to launch Hagar Soya Company Limited, an innovative new enterprise established by the Swiss non-governmental organization (NGO), Hagar.
With this new factory, Hagar Soya’s capacity to produce soya milk will jump from 500 to 12,000 liters per day and jobs increase from 10 to 40. Benefits of this new enterprise include jobs for formerly destitute women, income to farmers who will grow soybeans, and dividends to fund Hagar’s on-going development programs. The product, So! Soya, is nutritious, affordable, has a long shelf life and tastes good – all important in helping Cambodian children consume more protein.
Hagar Soya, which has $1.2 million in financing from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and others that include DEZA, OPEC, the government of the Netherlands and Canton Zug in Switzerland, is Cambodia’s first large-scale soya milk plant. It is also the first local beverage producer to use ultra-high temperature (UHT) technology and Tetra Pak aseptic packaging. This technology allows storage without refrigeration and gives the soya milk a long shelf-life – very important in a country where temperatures are high and few people have cold storage. UHT processing and quality packaging also make So! Soya ready for export when the company expands sales beyond Cambodia.
In her speech at the inauguration today, HRH, the Queen, thanked the agencies that have provided financial support to Hagar Soya. “I would like to express my deep gratitude to the government of Switzerland, Swiss donors, the International Finance Corporation, and other international donors who have supported Hagar in providing warm shelter to poor and vulnerable women and children. Now, Hagar has been able to set up a modern soy milk plant to provide honorable jobs and income that will allow those women to support themselves.
The creation of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) such as Hagar Soya is a top government priority in Cambodia, both to stimulate economic growth and to reduce poverty. In his speech, H.E. Mr. Suy Sem, Minister of Industry, Mines and Energy, had high praise for Hagar Soya. “Hagar Soya is producing a product that will replace one now imported, will help to alleviate poverty through job creation, increase incomes, and also provide value added by using domestic resources. The soybeans, which are the factory’s major raw material, will all be locally grown, thereby creating a new market for rural farmers. Providing jobs for rural people is very important as this will reduce the flow of people to the city and ensure economic stability. Increasing the export of products made from local materials is the first priority of my Ministry.”
In his speech, Mr. Deepak Khanna, IFC’s Country Manager for Cambodia, Vietnam and Lao PDR congratulated Hagar Soya for providing a model that other NGOs could follow. “Research conducted by IFC’s Mekong Private Sector Development Facility (MPDF) in 2002 found that of 700 national and international NGOs in Cambodia, some 200 have income generation projects. With a little help, a number of these could become sustainable businesses that create jobs and also generate profits to help fund NGO programs.”
