China might become the biggest market for Cambodian mangoes, if exports of this product are greenlighted, said a senior Cambodian official yesterday. The process of approving shipments of Cambodian mangoes to the Chinese market is ongoing, with a delegation of Chinese officials recently visiting mango farms in the Kingdom to conduct inspections.
If shipments are approved, China would become the biggest buyer of Cambodia’s mangoes, said Ngin Chhay, director general of agriculture at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries. Chhay was speaking at a press conference on mango exports held yesterday at the Council of Ministers.
He noted that mango shipments will not be approved by Chinese authorities unless significant investment goes into building processing and packaging facilities, noting that the country is in dire need of vapor heat treatment facilities.
“Cambodia has great mangoes but we cannot export them to China, which is the biggest market for this product,” Chhay stated. “We urge the private sector to invest in the sector and build the necessary treatment facilities.”
He said a few companies have expressed interest in investing in the sector, particularly since officials from China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) inspected mango farms earlier this year and gave a generally positive review of the facilities.
Chinese officials will conduct a second round of inspections on Cambodian farms in the near future, Chhay said, noting that in their first visit, the Chinese experts were satisfied with the quality of the mangoes but were unhappy with sanitation.
Source: khmertimeskh.com
