Cambodia exported more than four million tonnes of agricultural products in the last four months, a nearly six per cent increase year-on-year, new agriculture ministry data has revealed.

The latest figures released by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries showed that as of April 26, the total volume of agricultural products exported in 2022 was 4,040,704.69 tonnes, a 5.60 per cent year-on-year rise from 3,826,432.85 tonnes. The ministry said exports of rice and cassava products in particular have experienced a significant increase.

However, the ministry noted that the export of some agricultural products such as bananas and fresh mangoes decreased – especially to China – compared to the same period in 2021.

The ministry said in a statement that it consulted with a number of major agricultural exporters and found that the fall in exports was attributable to a number of factors, including a lack of cold-storage facilities for agricultural goods, which has led to a more than threefold rise in the price of such facilities compared to before the Covid-19 crisis.

The tightening of controls on goods to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in line with “zero-Covid” strategies, especially that of China, was also another factor, having led to Vietnamese import entry points being blocked and exports to Vietnam decreasing as a result.

Vietnam-China exports have been delayed as a consequence, exacerbated by additional sanitary and phytosanitary requirements caused by discovery of Covid-19 on the surface of banana packaging boxes by Chinese customs authorities. As a result, some companies have stopped exporting temporarily, with some not harvesting due to the added costs of undergoing such checks.

The agriculture ministry noted the ever-changing nature of the export market, and said it has been trying to adapt by promoting high quality production processes in accordance with importing countries’ requirements. It said it had also been striving to negotiate on modifications of phytosanitary protocols with export markets.

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Author: Hom Phanet

Source: The Phnom Penh Post

Publication date: 28 April 2022