The agricultural sector faced challenges during the Covid-19 crisis but remained strong, and also created opportunities, such as expanding the scope of agricultural exports to international markets, according to a report.
Cambodia’s agricultural products exported to China include rice, cassava, fresh mangoes, and cashew nuts, a report from the Chinese Embassy in Cambodia said.
From 2019 to the first half of 2022, Cambodia exported more than 2.4 million tonnes of agricultural products worth US$ 1.9 billion to the Chinese market, it added.
A report released by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said, in the first half of 2022, Cambodia exported more than 160,000 tons of rice to China, an increase of 17.4 percent compared to the same period last year.
China is the largest importer of Cambodian rice, accounting for more than 50 percent of the total rice exports in the first half of 2022.
Veng Sakhon, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said that the “Belt and Road” initiative has brought great benefits to Cambodia’s agricultural sector.
He explained that it also increased the value of the agricultural products through the establishment of agricultural product processing park areas and promotion of the Cambodian agricultural technology through bilateral cooperation between Cambodia and China.
To promote Cambodian agricultural exports to China with the guidance of the Economic and Trade Office of the Chinese Embassy in Cambodia, Chen Qisheng, General Manager of China Certification & Inspection Group (CCIC) of Cambodia, led the working group in accordance with the requirements signed by the two countries.
His team helped enterprises to actively monitor, manage and install heating equipment, and improve the quality of related products before they are shipped out.
After the goods arrive in China, they are allowed to pass through customs and be delivered to the market smoothly.
A report from the General Department of Customs and Excise of Cambodia showed that in the first half of 2022, the trade volume between Cambodia and China reached $6 billion, an increase of 20 percent compared to the same period in 2021.
In addition, Cambodia attracted a fixed-asset investment of $1.29 billion from China in the first half of 2022, a report from the Council for the Development of Cambodia said.
China remained the top foreign investor in the country, accounting for 43 percent of the total investment of $2.99 billion during the January-June period this year, the report said.
This article was first published in Khmer Times. All contents and images are copyright to their respective owners and sources.
