Cambodian Keo Romiet mangoes remain on target to be directly exported to the Chinese market from early next year after the economic powerhouse penned an agreement in June that set up a 500,000 tonne quota for the Kingdom’s widely-available fruit.
Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Veng Sakhon told The Post on December 22 that four companies will be ready to export fresh Keo Romiet mangoes directly to China even earlier next year.
The companies are building hot water treatment (HWT) and vapour heat treatment (VHT) facilities to sterilise their crops and exterminate pests, which will be ready by the end of the month, he said.
“I think even if we install infrastructure and phytosanitary treatment facilities for mangoes in a not-very-timely manner due to Covid-19, we could still export fresh mangoes to China through Vietnam, but we want to do so directly,” he said.
But the minister is concerned that Cambodia’s high production costs will make it difficult for exporters to compete in the Chinese market.
Mango washing in the Kingdom comes to an average of between $0.80 and $1 per kg, while fresh mangoes go for over $2 per kg in China and $3-4 in South Korea, he said.
“Right now, there is no export stage [in the cycle], but the companies are competing by price, in the purchase of mangoes to send to factories for washing and in the cost of shipping to China.
“Some companies are planning to ship mangoes to China using their own vessels, they are contending with each other.
“In the future, some companies may face problems, so we’ve set up an agro-industrial congress to discuss the issue and make agricultural product processing run successfully,” Sakhon said.
The Kingdom exported more than $44.57 million worth of mango products last year, including fresh and dried mango, mango syrup and pickled mango.
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/exporters-poised-ship-fresh-mangoes-china-early-2021