Vietnamese conglomerate Hoang Anh Gia Lai’s (HAGL) Cambodian fruit export deals are taking off in China.
HAGL has shipped a total of over 9,000 tonnes of Cambodian bananas to the Chinese market since the firm first started exporting them there in July, reports the Phnom Penh Post.
The firm, which owns 1,000ha of banana plantations in Cambodia’s Ratanakkiri province, has been making weekly shipments of bananas through its subsidiaries, Hoang Anh Andong Meas, Hoang Anh Romphat and Hoang Anh Daun Penh Agrico, the article said.
Thach Quanh Tha, director of administration for HAGL, said 451 containers have so far made it overland to port facilities in Vietnam and then loaded onto a container ship bound for its buyer in China, with each tonne fetching approximately US$500.
“We are packaging everything here in Cambodian, and we make sure that our logo says these are Cambodian-made products,” he said. “Because these are official exports, we must comply with the law, and we have received both sanitary and phytosanitary certificates as well as a certificate of origin by the Cambodian government.”
Meanwhile, HAGL is in the process of making its second shipment of Cambodian dragon fruit to China this week (21 November) from its 807ha farm with a purchase agreement that sets the price at US$3 per kilo.
Thach added that the company plans to make its first export of jackfruit from a 696ha plot by the end of December.
The agro giant, which came into Cambodia with hopes of cultivating rubber, has made an effort to diversify its operations, and has invested in planting 14 different types of fruit for export, the Phnom Penh Post said.
