Cambodian banana exporter enters Chinese market

Cambodia’s Beong Ket Rubber Plantation Company has started banana shipments to the Chinese market, becoming one of the first local companies to export the fruit to the East Asian juggernaut. The company is shipping through Vietnam, with direct exports to China barred until it obtains a certificate from the Chinese government.

The Beong Ket Company is one of the first companies in the Kingdom sending bananas to China and is leading the way for many other local firms eyeing the Chinese market. In August, the governments of Cambodia and China signed a deal that allows the shipment of Cambodian bananas to the biggest market in the world.

Beong Ket Rubber Plantation Company has invested $8 million in 500 hectares of banana plantations in Kampong Cham province. During the first phase of development plans for the land, the company is cultivating 100 hectares. It plans to expand to 1,500 hectares in the future to meet the increasing demand for the commodity in China, a company representative said.

Minister of Agriculture Veng Sakhon said the shipments are a significant development for the country’s trade sector: “This is the result of the ministry’s efforts to boost domestic production, add value, create more jobs, and reduce the poverty rate.”

Khmertimeskh.com reported how Srey Vuthy, spokesman for the Ministry of Agriculture, said all banana shipments to China must be made through a third country, as direct shipments are barred until a group of experts from China visits the Kingdom to inspect local banana farms.