Cambodia has successfully exported cashew nuts for the first time to Henan Province, China, after two fruitful meetings in July and August between Cambodian government officials, air freight companies and buyers.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) announced the exports on Sunday.
According to an official release, the exports were finalized after a meeting between the officials of MAFF, the Ministry of Commerce (MoC) and the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) with the Cambodia Angkor Air and the Jian Yu Zhou Heng Trading in July and August.
The ministry added that this achievement is the outcome of the efforts of the working group of officials from MAFF, MoC and MEF.
“They set policies and guidelines and closely monitored the relevant companies to ensure compliance with safety, quality and hygiene as required by the Chinese government or consumers in China,” the ministry added.
Ngin Chhay, Director -General of the General Department of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, said on Sunday at the airport that Jian Yu Zhou Heng Trading ordered 200 tonnes of cashew nuts a year, but for the first export, it is only two tonnes and Cambodia will send more every week by Cambodia Angkor Air (CAAir).
“We have orders for about 200 tonnes a year, but for the first shipment we exported only two tonnes,” said Chhay, adding, “Our cashew nuts are high in quality, especially the M23 variety, which is large and delicious.”
In addition, Chhay emphasised that Cambodia plans to export cashew nuts to other countries including European markets, Japan, Korea and the United Arab Emirates in the future as part of the market expansion strategy.
Chhay said that this is the first exporting to Henan market, but Cambodia has been exporting to China for many years, usually about 500,000 to 600,000 tonnes a year.
He added that in the first eight months of 2024, Cambodia exported about 560,000 tonnes of cashew nuts. Cambodia ranks second in the world in cashew production.
The CAAir posted on its social media on Monday that this time it is carrying two tonnes of cashew nuts for delivery in China “as a first step for CAAir”.
CAAir is also planning to use cashew nuts for meals and inflight sales as the second step.
It added that the collective participation of key figures from both the public and private sectors symbolized the strong partnership and collaboration between government entities and the airline industry in advancing Cambodia’s cashew industry to new heights of success and global recognition, with the ultimate goal of making the cashew nuts of Cambodia to become world’s number one choice.
“As the national flag carrier of Cambodia, CAAir is honoured to play a crucial role in facilitating the export of Cambodian cashew nuts to Henan, a key market for the country’s developing agricultural industry,” CAAir added.
Uon Silot, President of the Cashew Nut Association of Cambodia (CAC), told Khmer Times on Monday that exports of cashew nuts to China are still limited but CAC aims to increase the exports to China as it is a potential market for Cambodia.
“So far, we understand that the best cashew nut markets are China, Europe and the United States. The European market is second and the US market is third, with the Chinese market coming on top,” said Silot.
“Due to the good relations between the governments of Cambodia and China, we should be able to export more to China. We hope to increase our cashew nut exports to China by attracting Chinese investors to set up factories in Cambodia,” said Silot.
According to MAFF, Cambodian land currently dedicated to cashew cultivation is approximately 580,000 hectares. On average, the yield per hectare is about 1.5 tonnes. This is just an average as in some regions, the yield is less than a tonne per hectare, while in others, it can reach up to four tonnes.
(Source: khmertimeskh)