Cambodia on May 7 shipped 100 tonnes of fresh mangoes to China, in the Kingdom's inaugural direct export of the fruit to the East Asian market.
Speaking at a ceremony commemorating the historic occasion, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Veng Sakhon noted that the ministry would only allow each company to ship one container at a time – with a load limit of 20 tonnes – to China, due to coronavirus concerns.
He noted that the restriction was only temporary and that companies would be allowed to export larger volumes once the pandemic situation improves.
The official export came after the Chinese Customs Administration on April 26 officially approved a list of 37 mango plantations and five packaging factories able to export fresh mangoes to China.
According to the protocol on phytosanitary requirements for fresh mango exports to China, signed by the ministry on June 9, the fruits must be of the Keo Romiet variety, the most ubiquitous type found throughout the Kingdom.
Cambodia exported 142,556 tonnes of fresh mangoes in the first four months of 2021, up 239.13 per cent from the same period last year.
As of 2020, mangoes are grown on 130,000ha in the Kingdom, of which 91,104ha (70.08 per cent) are harvested. Mango production reaches an average of more than 1.38 million tonnes per season.
