What We Gave, What We Gained

International Women's Day 2026 at BRM Agro

Every year, we gather at the mill in Kampong Thom. Not for a meeting, not for numbers. For the women.

It is one of the days we look forward to most. The yard fills up with familiar faces, laughter, children running between their mothers' legs, babies balanced on hips. Some of our top-performing farmers travelled from across the province to be here. This year, we welcomed them with bread and condensed milk, and each woman received a krama to take home.

Overseeing it all, as she does every day, was Om Dhavy. She is the person who keeps BRM running when Mr. Ang and Patrick are away. She has been here longer than most, and everyone at the mill respects her. Seeing her welcome the women today felt right. She is proof of something we are proud of: seventy-three percent of our workforce are women. Not because of a policy. Because of the kind of company we have built together.

This is how we celebrate International Women's Day at BRM Agro. Not with big speeches about change. With food, with presence, with showing up for the people who show up for us every single day

Mr. Chan Ang sat in front of the group and spoke simply, the way he always does.

He started by being honest. The world right now is not easy. There is conflict in the Middle East. Gas prices have gone up. The cost of fertilizer, of transport, of daily life, it is all heavier than it was a year ago. He did not pretend otherwise. But then he said something that stayed with people: do not lose hope. Times like these are exactly when we need to hold on tighter. Keep going. Keep working. Persevere. The difficult seasons do not last forever, but what we build together during them does.

He talked about people. That this company is nothing without the people in it. That the quality of our sruv, our rice, comes from the care that each person puts into growing it. He reminded our farmers that the thnam, the fertilizers and pesticides, are provided by BRM. They do not need to spend their own money on these inputs.

But he also asked them to be careful. Use the medicines properly. Follow the guidance. We have invested in drones and new technology to help make the work easier and safer. We do this because we care about the health of our farmers. Your health is not separate from the success of this company. It is the foundation of it.

He told them something he has said before but that always lands differently when you hear it in person: if you do not profit, I do not profit either. We are in this together.

And then he spoke about what is possible.

He pointed to Sok Im, one of our women farmers, who achieved eight tonnes per hectare this past season. Eight tonnes. That is not ordinary. That is what happens when someone is committed, skilled, and supported.

Mr. Ang even shared a thought that made people smile. He has been thinking about mice in the fields, and his solution is not just traps. Plant mango trees. Plant other crops alongside the rice. Create an environment where the whole ecosystem works together. It is the kind of thinking that makes BRM different.

Patrick added a few words of his own, but the message was the same. We are one team.

If we could distill the day into three ideas, it would be these.

• First, have hope. Keep going. Continue moving forward, step by step, season by season. The progress is real, even when it feels slow.
• Second, when you profit, we profit. When we profit, you profit. This is not charity. It is partnership.
• Third, we are working hard to find more customers, to open more markets, to make sure the rice you grow reaches tables around the world. Your work has value. We are making sure the world sees it.

To every woman who was at the mill today, and to every woman farmer, worker, mother, and leader across our network: happy International Women's Day.

You are what makes BRM Agro possible.

#GiveToGain