Cambodia’s Ministry of Agriculture has announced a number of fruits that will be given priority in the process of meeting export requirements for the Chinese market, according to local news sources.
The ministry told the Khmer Times it will prioritise the export of fresh mango, dragon fruit, chili pepper.
“The relevant authorities of the two countries will start negotiations on sanitary and phytosanitary requirements for each product,” the ministry said
“To ensure the negotiation is smooth, Cambodia must meet all technical criteria before inspections begin.”
The ministry said the most progress had been made with mangoes. China and Cambodia have been actively negotiating the export of mangoes as preparations are made to meet the legal and technical requirements.
As for dragon fruit and chili pepper, the two countries are in the process of preparing technical documents before beginning negotiations.
Ngin Chhay, director-general of the General Department of Agriculture, told the Khmer Times that while the negotiations should be straightforward, meeting the agreed requirements can take time.
“Building the infrastructure needed to meet those requirements takes time and capital. For example, to process mangoes that can be shipped to China or Korea, factories need to be equipped with a vapour heat treatment system to control fruit fly infestations,” he said.
