According to the Phnompenh Post, the latest data from the Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture shows that as of April 26, Cambodia’s total agricultural exports in 2022 will be 4.0407 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 5.60%.However, compared to the same period in 2021, exports of fruits such as bananas and fresh mangoes have fallen, especially to China.
In consultation with major exporters, the country's agriculture ministry found that one of the main factors behind the drop in exports was the lack of cold storage facilities for agricultural products, which caused the price of using such facilities to more than triple before the pandemic; another factor was China's As the COVID-19 "clearance" policy has strengthened the quarantine of imported goods, Vietnam's border crossings have been congested, which has also reduced Cambodian exports to/via Vietnam.
The Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture stated that it has noticed the constant changes in the export market and has been working hard to adapt and promote high-quality production technology according to the requirements of importing countries.The ministry said it has also been working to negotiate changes to the phytosanitary agreement with export markets.
Hun Lak, CEO of Tropicam Fruit and Vegetable Company, said the outbreak in China has disrupted Cambodia’s agricultural exports to East Asian economies in general, especially bananas and mangoes.
He expects that Cambodian banana exports will continue to face stagnant demand as China starts harvesting its domestic bananas next month, which could lead to a reduction in the country's banana imports.
Van Rithy, executive director of the agricultural export department of Angkor Green Agricultural Machinery, said the company's mango exports will drop significantly this year because it cannot export mangoes to China and has "completely lost" its market share in China.
Rithy said Angkor Green had already started experimenting with exporting to neighboring markets in Thailand and Vietnam, but added that it would take time to prepare and plan new trade routes.
He is pessimistic about whether the export situation can improve, noting that the mango season is coming to an end and that exports only recovered in the fourth quarter of last year.
According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Cambodia exported a total of 7,984,252 tons of agricultural products to 68 countries and regions in 2021, an increase of 63.83% over 2020.
