On April 18, 2026, the USA Poultry & Egg Export Council (USAPEEC) and several of its members celebrated the Khmer New Year with a cocktail luncheon at the Rosewood Hotel. The event was overseen by Mr. Travis Stahl, Agricultural Attaché of the U.S. Consulate General Ho Chi Minh City – Office of Agricultural Affairs; Mr. Garrett Borkhuis, Vice President of Trade & Technical Services of USAPEEC; and Mr. Thomas Tan, PBM, ASEAN Consultant.

Furthermore, representatives from 15 additional United States-based companies attended to engage with Cambodian enterprises regarding the establishment of new business opportunities. Mr. Stahl, representing the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), noted that Cambodia has not historically been a significant importer of U.S. meat and poultry due to previously imposed tariffs.

However, as Cambodia reduced these tariffs to zero percent for U.S. products late last year, there is an expectation that additional U.S. companies will explore commercial opportunities with Cambodian importers.

Mr. Thomas Tan, PBM, who is leading the USAPEEC mission, stated that the fifteen companies in attendance primarily consist of poultry enterprises eager to introduce their products, including chicken, duck, turkey and eggs to the Cambodian market. Mr. Tan further noted that USAPEEC is sponsoring a culinary event in the coming months, which will provide Cambodians with a direct opportunity to assess the quality of United States poultry products.

Mr. Garrett Borkhuis expressed USAPEEC’s aspiration to expand business and networking opportunities through events of this nature, aiming to engage not only with corporate entities but also with chefs within the culinary industry.

The event addressed the poultry and egg sectors, as well as other meat products such as duck. Mr. Mustapha Chrak of Maple Leaf Farms remarked that his company specializes in producing high-quality frozen duck meat, which offers a premium taste compared to duck reared in most Asian countries, owing to a diet consisting of grains and vegetables.

A key feature of the event was the promotion of Chicken Egg Powder by Mr. Nick Jones of the American Egg Board. Mr. Jones stated, “In the United States, chicken egg powder is widely utilized by establishments prioritizing convenience and food safety, as it offers ease of use and maintains consistency with traditional eggs and we anticipate introducing this product to Cambodia in the coming months.”

Among the distinguished attendees was Ms. Chan Kanha, a celebrity MasterChef from Cambodia’s first season. Ms. Kanha remarked, “Following my interactions with most USAPEEC members, I was notably impressed by the superior quality of U.S. poultry products and identified an excellent opportunity for expanded collaboration, which would increase the availability of these products in Cambodian supermarkets.”

These perspectives were reinforced by chefs from the Cambodia Chefs Society and several Cambodian food importers present at the event. Besides the representatives mentioned above, the others present were Maria Cheong from USAPEEC ASEAN, Ben Tiffe and Sylvia Agin from Foodlinx, Tony Burnes and Konnor Temple from Globex International, Steven Jones from Grove Services, Thao Nguyen from Lamex,
Oleg Kovalev and Rina Vo from Mountaire.