Location: Takeov Krom village, Krakor district, Pursat province- Cambodia
Language: Cambodian
Duration: 00:7:10
Source: A24
Restrictions: A24 Subscribers
Dateline: 01-03-2022
Storyline:
TK&D Manufacturing in Pursat Province has introduced an ingenious solution to tackle plastic pollution: rice straws. Made completely from natural rice and fruit powder, the rice straws made by the TK&D Manufacturing company is revolutionizing the industry, as it offers a replacement to the pollutant plastic straws. Mr. Hour Rithy, a member of the company’s board of directors, said a study conducted by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) concluded that only rice-made straws could replace the conventional plastic straws, as they could save the environment and promote health. The rice straws have proven to be eco-friendly because they could be eaten after being used or even turn into natural fertilizer if thrown on the floor, according to Mr. Cheng Lei, who is a deputy provincial governor. The new intervention is a driving force for the betterment of the local economy and the improvement of farmers’ livelihoods in the future, as it could create job opportunities.
Shot list:
-(Soundbite) Mr. Hour Rithy, member of the Board of Directors of TK&D Manufacturing:
“UNDP [United Nations Development Program] recently conducted a study on finding alternatives to plastic products. According to the research of UNDP and according to the actual examination, only the rice-made straws could replace plastic products, this product does not affect health and the environment.”
-(Soundbite) Mr. Hour Rithy, member of the Board of Directors of TK&D Manufacturing:
“TK&D Enterprise is the first rice straw factory in Cambodia, located in Krakor District, Pursat Province.”
-(Soundbite) Mr. Hour Rithy, member of the Board of Directors of TK&D Manufacturing:
“In the production of this organic straw, we need two kinds of raw materials, such as rice flour and a pigment, by which we use some fruits to make a powder, such as bananas, potatoes, mangoes, raisins and coffee beans.”
-(Soundbite) Mr. Cheng Lei, Deputy Provincial Governor:
“I’m very interested because we can eat [the straws] after using them; in the past, plastic straws were thrown away after being used, causing harm to the environment. This straw, however, does not harm the environment. In case they were thrown away, they could turn into natural fertilizers.”
-(Soundbite) Mr. Hour Rithy, member of the Board of Directors of TK&D Manufacturing:
“Today, the number of used straws per day could amount to millions; so, it is very harmful to the environment, but if consumers change their habits and started using straws made from rice, we can save our environment.”
-(Soundbite) Mrs. Leang Ratha, a worker at TK&D Manufacturing):
“This straw is one of our country’s best products. If Cambodians use rice straw, we will have the chance to save of country’s environment, and people who live in this area can have a job, too.”
-(Soundbite) Mr. Cheng Lei, Deputy Provincial Governor:
“This enterprise produces products that employ more than 100 families in our area, so it is very useful for this rural area.”
-(Soundbite) Mr. Hour Rithy, member of the Board of Directors of TK&D Manufacturing:
“Nowadays, Cambodians care about their health because when they know that there is a straw that does not affect their health, they would be very interested. Due to the peace and development in almost all areas under the leadership of Samdech Hun Sen, the awareness of the people has increased, so they will be happy to support the production of our enterprise.”
-(Soundbite) Mr. Hour Rithy, member of the Board of Directors of TK&D Manufacturing:
“Nowadays, the market for our products has turned highly popular. We distribute in almost all areas of Phnom Penh. We are promoting our products gradually in other areas. Not only in Cambodia doo we seek to sell our products, but also abroad in countries such as Australia and the U.S. Some European countries also support our products.”
-(Soundbite) Mr. Hour Rithy, member of the Board of Directors of TK&D Manufacturing:
“The challenge is that our enterprise is impacted by the price of electricity, so TK&D requested the Royal Government to help lower the price of electricity so we can produce a product with lower production costs to compete with plastic products.”
– (Soundbite) Mr. Hour Rithy, member of the Board of Directors of TK&D Manufacturing:
“Another challenge is the import of raw materials, which makes the cost of production high, but the enterprise is currently planning to install raw material production machines. This may help local farmers have a better life by supplying raw materials to our enterprise.”
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