Cambodia Pitches Battambang to Chinese Firm for Bioethanol Crop Cultivation

AKP Phnom Penh, September 23, 2026 -- Minister of Industry, Science, Technology & Innovation H.E. Hem Vanndy on Wednesday encouraged China’s Jinshan Hi-Tech Group to assess Battambang province as a potential location for cultivating super Arundo donax, an industrial crop used to produce bioethanol for green energy applications. During a meeting with a delegation led by Jinshan Chairman Mr. Yang Haixin, Minister Vanndy said Battambang’s agricultural base and experience growing crops such as rice, cassava and maize could make the province suitable for a feasibility study. “We invite the company to assess the geography of Battambang for this project,” he said. “Some areas could potentially transition from existing agricultural crops to industrial crops, and we can help facilitate discussions with farmers and plantation owners.” Jinshan presented four potential areas of cooperation, including cultivating and researching super Arundo donax, constructing bioethanol production facilities, developing distributed multi-energy green power plants, and advancing science and technology cooperation. The Hong Kong-headquartered company said its technology converts bioethanol into hydrogen-rich fuel on demand for power generators, vessels and extended-range electric vehicles. It also expressed interest in assembling power-generation equipment in Cambodia for domestic and ASEAN markets. “Cambodia’s climatic conditions are similar to those in southern China, where we have achieved good cultivation results,” Mr. Yang said. “We hope to develop a concrete project and bring mature Chinese technologies here to support Cambodia’s socioeconomic development.” Minister Vanndy said the proposal required detailed technical and commercial assessment, particularly to determine whether the resulting energy would be competitive in Cambodia. “Pricing remains critical for Cambodian consumers and enterprises,” he said. “If the company can demonstrate a cost-competitive solution, we can begin a more detailed joint study and work toward a practical pilot project.” H.E. Minister recommended beginning with one or two demonstration applications to test the technology under Cambodian conditions. He also welcomed cooperation between the company and the National Institute of Science, Technology and Innovation on applied research and technology transfer. Jinshan said it was prepared to develop a plan covering crop cultivation, bioethanol production and downstream applications, as well as explore establishing a laboratory and conducting equipment demonstrations in Cambodia. AKP-MISTI