Safe and organic products foster healthy living

The rising demand for safe and organic horticultural products in Cambodia is creating an array of opportunities for businesses, producers, consumers, and other market actors. Laey Baitong is the first agribusiness enterprise that provides local, fresh, safe, and organic agricultural products in Battambang province. Feed the Future Cambodia Harvest II has been working with this enterprise since January 2020, connecting them with multiple actors including producers, input dealers, and other public and private sector partners, utilizing several avenues to provide consumers with access to safe, local products. 

Harvest II connected Laey Baitong with several input supply firms such as Healing Nature and Husk Ventures to procure organic fertilizer; it also connected them with seed dealer Song Mouy to obtain quality seeds for farmers. In addition to sourcing quality inputs, Harvest II worked with Song Mouy to host an exposure visit to Thailand. This notable occasion provided an opportunity for not just Laey Baitong but also producers and other buyers to learn various methods to improve practices and innovative production approaches, thus returning to Cambodia with increased knowledge and beneficial alternative practices to share and build the technical capacity of producers.

Laey Baitong joins an exposure visit to Thailand to learn improved organic production practices. 

Mr. Tityarith, a committee member of Laey Baitong, shared, “the exposure visit provided an opportunity for us to gain a deeper understanding from an expert about organic production and the value of forming producer groups.”

To promote awareness and educate consumers on the benefits of safe and organic products, Harvest II facilitated Laey Baitong’s participation in the Accelerating Inclusive Markets for Smallholders (AIMS) project’s weekly Farmers Market venture, led by the Ministry of Commerce, which began in June 2020.  Harvest II introduced and supported Laey Baitong’s participation and booth set-up to display safe, local vegetables at the pilot market. Additionally, Harvest II assisted Laey Baitong in attending several trade fairs organized by other government ministries to promote their business and products.

Laey Baitong displays their products during AIMS’s weekly Farmers Market to promote safe and organic products.

Mr. Chhay Lo, the chairman of Laey Baitong mentioned, “During the first day at the AIMS market, we earned around $25, but as we continued displaying every weekend, people became aware and bought more. Now we earn about $50 a day – double the amount on the first day.” These trade fairs not only provide an opportunity for Laey Baitong to promote their products but also serve to raise awareness of the benefits of local over imported products.

Additionally, Laey Baitong also caters to customers by providing a home delivery option. As demand for home delivery has increased over the past year, Laey Baitong plans to expand this service, expanding its reach across Battambang and other provinces.

By working closely with key actors and stakeholders in the market system, Laey Baitong has demonstrated the value of promoting safe and local products to end consumers and has succeeded in expanding their business faster than expected.