BRM Agro Receives SMETA Accreditation - On Track For European Export Growth
BRM Agro is proud to announce it received SMETA certification in August 2023, making it only the third Cambodian rice mill to meet the high standards, which are increasingly required by key export markets such as Europe.
Importers of Cambodian products (or imports from any market really, especially in the agri-sector) want to know if they are buying from companies that value ethical trading and human rights.
The social audits help demonstrate suppliers such as BMR Agro follow and have implemented responsible practices and ensure transparency in the supply chain.
What is SMETA?
SMETA (Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit) is an audit run by an approved third-party evaluator - in our case SGS Cambodia Ltd. which has a great reputation for global benchmarking and experts providing specialised solutions - they are also EuroCham members. The audit helps businesses understand the labour standards, and implement the correct health and safety regulations, track environmental performance, as well as ethics within the business operations onsite.
SMETA allows for visibility and transparency for buyers and suppliers to store, share and report on ethical and social audit information.
BRM Agro followed all of the suggestions of the Corrective Action Plan to help improve performance in these areas and we are confident of the changes to further help protect workers from unsafe conditions, overwork, discrimination, low pay and forced labour - which is in line with our ethos as people and a business in Cambodia.
What SMETA Accreditation Means For Our Expanding European Exports
By being SMETA-certified and meeting the demands of importers in the European market, it helps BRM Agro with a competitive advantage, especially as so few Cambodian rice mills have met the criteria to achieve SMETA accreditation. This helps build trust in our services and products and also helps build brand loyalty.
Consumers and buyers value companies that provide evidence of their commitment to follow and can prove their ethical practices. The end result is that being SMETA accredited will only help BRM Agro reach more buyers to export our products in the European market which is in line with BRM Agro’s growth strategy.
In 2022, Cambodian-sourced rice reached approximately a 20% market share of the European market. Cambodia exported a total of 329,633 tonnes of milled rice to 52 countries and regions during the first six months of 2023 - 25 EU countries imported 122,117 tonnes in this period
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The Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) has an annual goal of total rice exports, but we should also focus on exporting ethically produced and higher-value quality rice to export markets which include Europe.
BRM Agro continues to implement innovative approaches and comply with global standards to continue our legacy and deep connection to successful rice production and cultivation in Cambodia.
