China has allowed Cambodia exports of fresh mangoes directly to its market after Chinese Customs on April 26 certified 37 mango plantations and five packaging factories as compliant with phytosanitary and packaging standards.
The approval came after experts from the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China (GACC) in Guangxi province on March 10 virtually inspected mango plantations and steam treatments plants that sterilise crops and exterminate pests, specifically the fly larvae found in mangoes.
The five approved packaging plants are Hyundai Mao Legacy Co Ltd, Shangda Jian Hui International Agriculture Product and Logistic and Al Jazeeland Food Pte Ltd as well as Long Wo Agriculture (Cambodia) Co Ltd and Boeung Ket Fresh Fruits Co Ltd.
Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Veng Sakhon said this comes after three years of negotiations, adding that the ministry would hold an official mango export ceremony this week in collaboration with the Chinese ambassador to Cambodia.
“On behalf of the leadership of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, I would like to express my deep gratitude to the Government of the People’s Republic of China, especially the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China, for officially authorising the import of fresh mangoes from Cambodia,” he said.
The Chinese embassy in Phnom Penh wrote on its official Facebook page on April 27 that Cambodian mangoes could be exported to China after the GACC had officially posted a list of mango plantations and packaging plants registered to export mangoes from Cambodia to China.
“It is another significant achievement in the real cooperation between Cambodia-China during the spread of Covid-19 pandemic as it will boost the collaboration and provide the mutual benefit between two countries on the agricultural sector,” wrote the embassy.
Cambodia’s fresh mangoes are the second agricultural product after fresh bananas to be exported directly to China.
The minister said the General Directorate of Agriculture continues to receive applications from domestic mango plantations and packaging locations wanting to export fresh mangoes to China, with 55 obtained so far.
On June 9, last year, Cambodia and China signed a protocol on phytosanitary requirements for the export of fresh mangoes from Cambodia to China.
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/mango-exports-china-hand-after-customs-approvals