PHNOM PENH, Cambodia, Aug. 13 — Cambodia has registered four locally developed cashew varieties for intellectual property protection domestically and internationally, a move aimed at preventing unauthorized propagation and strengthening the country’s ownership of its distinctive cashew genetics.
Silot Uon, President of the Cashew Nut Association of Cambodia (CAC), said the four protected varieties are M23, M10, H09 and IM-4. He said the registrations provide Cambodia with legal grounds to challenge unauthorized use and potentially seek royalties or compensation if the varieties are propagated without permission.
The move follows a call by Prime Minister Hun Manet for government ministries and institutions to accelerate intellectual property registration for Cambodian crop varieties and products with strong national potential, particularly cashew nuts.
Speaking during an inauguration ceremony in Stung Treng province on Aug. 12, Hun Manet warned that advances in agricultural technology have made it increasingly easy to reproduce and propagate crop varieties in other countries, making timely intellectual property protection essential.
Silot told ThmeyThmey Media Group on Aug. 13 that the four registered varieties had undergone genetic analysis by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) and were registered according to scientific standards.
He said Cambodia would be able to take legal action if other countries or entities used the protected varieties without authorization.
However, Silot said four other varieties — Hay-24, M1, San-1 and M-7 — have yet to be registered and could therefore remain vulnerable to unauthorized propagation.
He cited a previous case involving Cambodia’s IM-4 variety, which he said had been renamed AB29 by an expert from a neighboring country. Following Cambodian objections and formal challenges, the country successfully reclaimed rights to the IM-4 variety.
Silot also highlighted the quality of Cambodian cashew varieties, noting that the M23 variety can produce the premium W180 kernel grade. He attributed the quality, flavor and nutritional characteristics of Cambodian cashews partly to the country’s soil conditions.
The Royal Government has identified cashew as a strategic agricultural crop for diversifying Cambodia’s agricultural economy under the National Strategic Development Plan and the Pentagonal Strategy–Phase 1.
According to the Cashew Cultivation Areas in Cambodia 2024 document, the country has approximately 580,117 hectares of cashew cultivation, with annual production potential estimated at 816,459 metric tons.
Meanwhile, unofficial CAC data show that Cambodia exported approximately 1.03 million metric tons of raw cashew nuts during the first half of 2026, valued at about US$1.751 billion, representing a 28.9% increase from the same period in 2025.
The registration of additional cashew varieties is expected to strengthen Cambodia’s ability to protect its genetic resources, promote investment in improved planting materials and support greater value creation in the country’s rapidly developing cashew sector.
Reference: Thmey Thmey News
