Cambodia exported 8.55 million tonnes of its six most profitable agro-industrial crops, through formal and informal channels, worth more than $2.32 billion this year as of December 15, according to Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Veng Sakhon.
In a December 24 post on his official Facebook page, the minister listed the crops as cassava, cashew nuts, mangoes, yellow bananas, peppercorn and Pailin longan.
During the period, Cambodia exported 7,075,494 tonnes of cassava products (worth $1,026,232,000), 218,884.29 tonnes of cashew nuts ($288,111,700), 945,274.44 tonnes of fresh mangoes ($473,207,700) and 313,410.94 tonnes of fresh yellow bananas ($451,125,700).
The Kingdom also shipped out 174.52 tonnes of Pailin longan (worth $57,763,100) and 5,005.65 tonnes of peppercorn ($25,490,200).
Kampot Pepper Promotion Association president Nguon Lay said Kampot pepper, with its geographical indication (GI) recognition, and the Kingdom’s other agro-industrial products have potential on the international market.
Minister Sakhon told The Post in October that the government is aiming for a three per cent annual growth rate of agricultural value added – the net output of the agricultural sector after adding up all outputs and subtracting the value of intermediate inputs.
He said the government also aspires to increase agricultural labour productivity – the annual output per agricultural worker – from $1,839 last year to $4,625 by 2030.
“The agricultural sector is an important engine of economic growth and could enjoy a one per cent surge this year,” he said. “Agriculture remains crucial considering the downswing experienced by industry and services. Today, only agriculture could feasibly revive the economy.”
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/top-six-agro-industrial-crops-net-kingdom-232b-2020