Chinese officials have outlined the next steps required from the Cambodian mango industry works towards establishing exports to China.
The two countries agreed to a protocol for the export of Cambodian mangoes to China in June 2020, then Cambodia sent trial shipments in December 2020.
Now representatives from China General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China and Cambodia’s General Directorate of Agriculture at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries have completed an evaluation to determine if fresh mango exports could meet China’s health standards, according to a report from the Khmer Times.
Veng Sakhon, agriculture minister of Cambodia, said three mango farms and four water heat treatment (WHT) and vapour heat treatment (VHT) plants were inspected. He said Chinese officials had noted the good progress made towards the requirements but said small improvements were still needed.
Officials asked Cambodian mango farms, WHT and VHT plant operators to improve their infrastructure by separating packaging rooms and cooling warehouses and adding more equipment in treatment plants to manage hygiene and the risks presented by pests.
Cambodia was also requested to strengthen measures at the farm and in the factories to prevent the spread of Covid-19 and strengthen the awareness of mango growers and treatment plant owners on hygiene and sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) protocols in alignment with Chinese requirements.
“The General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China promised to provide all the results of the assessment report within one week of our meeting,” said Sakhon.
“The General Directorate of Agriculture at the Ministry of Agriculture will put more effort into pushing companies to improve the deficiencies as soon as possible in order to achieve the export of fresh mangoes to China this year.”
