Local business owner who relies on raw materials enlivens farmer community

Siam Reap, Cambodia – A local woman who runs a small enterprise in the Siam Reap province, Cambodia, is converting the “Ponlei” raw material into health and hygienic products, not the least of which are skincare products and exfoliation products.

Chhe Kanha, the owner of the Punlei Thamacheat enterprise said she started her business to earn a living by creating health care products.

Currently, she said, the business produces many products such as coconut oil, Khmer sprouted other products that would improve health. “Cambodians use it to treat bruises that come along with bleeding disorders,” she added.

Punlei Thamacheat processing craft was funded by the USAID project, Cambodia Harvest II, which runs from 2017 to 2022. It aimed at supporting Kanha and helping her expand the business in the future, according to Ith Kallyan, the Deputy Chief of Party for Feed the Future Cambodia Harvest II.

The USAID project also helped the entrepreneur to set up a marketing plan to introduce people to the benefits of Punlei health care products, and trained her on leading and developing her project.

“Harvest II project has helped me a lot; the processing standards that I want to learn are things that I have to spend a lot of money to hire a trainer to train, but when I got to know Harvest II, I got all of those for free. I will keep pushing this business going forward. The USAID and the Harvest II project always fill in my gaps,” Kanha said.

The business created new job opportunities for local women; in addition, it can improve the livelihood of farmers who are suppliers of raw materials to handicraft processing, too.