Cambodia has exported 147,760 tonnes of fresh yellow bananas to the international market this year as of Wednesday, soaring a whopping 150 per cent over the same time last year, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Veng Sakhon said on Thursday.
He told The Post that the surge in exports was underpinned by international recognition of the quality of the Kingdom’s yellow bananas and growing trade relations, more notably so this year.
“Official banana exports over the period are experiencing accelerated year-on-year growth, with shipments going to China, Vietnam and Japan,” Sakhon said.
He also accredited the growth to actions taken by the authorities to train farmers and investment companies on cultivation techniques and their campaign to showcase the potential of Cambodian products in markets around the world.
But he stressed that Cambodia must brainstorm appropriate and effective transport solutions to speed up shipments of bananas and minimise time and money loses.
Long Sreng Hua Jian Agriculture Development Co Ltd director Heng Davy told The Post that the company recorded unremarkable figures in the first six months of this year due to limited productive capacity of its banana farms.
The company owns about 200ha of yellow bananas out of the 1,000ha cultivated in Kampong Cham province.
As demand from China now outpaces her company’s shipping capacity, Davy said plans to further expand cultivation are on the cards.
The company logged 22,762 tonnes of banana exports in the first five months of this year, of which 14,414 tonnes were shipped to Vietnam and 8,348 to China.
Ngin Chhay, the director-general of the ministry’s General Directorate of Agriculture, previously said there are nine banana plantations and packaging facilities in Cambodia which have received approval from Chinese authorities for export to the country.
These are Longmate Agriculture Co Ltd, Long Sreng Hua Jian Agriculture Development Co Ltd, Reen Island Agricultural Development (Cambodia) Ltd, Sovann Reachsey Co Ltd, and Agricultural Development (Cambodia) Co Ltd.
Four exporters have recently received the same privilege – Hoang Anh Andong Meas, Hoang Anh Lumphat, Daun Penh Agrico and Binhphuoc Kratie Rubber 2 – all of which are owned by the same parent firm, the Vietnam-based Hoang Anh Gia Lai Agricultural JSC (HAGL Agrico), Chhay said.
