China Imports 370,000 Tons Of Cambodian Bananas With Strong Demand

Mainland China is the absolute largest export market for Cambodian bananas, and there is still more growth potential in the future.

According to the Cambodian media "The Phnom Penh Post" (The Phnom Penh Post), the country's fresh banana exports in 2021 will reach 423,169 tons, an increase of 27.02% compared to 2020. The data comes from the General Directorate of Agriculture (GDA) under the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Cambodia.

Mainland China is the absolute largest export market for Cambodian bananas. Last year, the import volume exceeded 376,900 tons. Other major markets include: Vietnam (45,000 tons), Japan (533 tons) and Singapore (480 tons). Ong Sakun, Minister of Forestry and Fisheries, said the Chinese market has strong demand for fresh Cambodian bananas. The country's banana planting industry has attracted the attention of many investors, but the lack of water resources in the advantageous producing areas has limited the growth of the industry. "We are exploring more suitable land for banana cultivation to expand production, and one day our export volume to China will reach a scale of one million tons," said Ong Sakun. Hun Lak, head of the country’s main banana exporter Long Mae Agriculture, told the Phnom Penh Post that although the company’s acreage did not increase last year, banana production has increased in 2020. He said that the epidemic has not brought too many challenges to the country's banana exporters' export business to China. Most of the fruits that meet the inspection and quarantine requirements can be exported to China smoothly, because most Cambodians pass through the ports of Sihanoukville and Phnom Penh. Export directly to China.

He believes that with the official entry into force of the China-Cambodia Free Trade Agreement on January 1 this year, the country's bananas will achieve further development in China.