An agreement concerning access for Cambodian mangoes to the South Korean market was signed by officials from Korea and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, on Friday 29 April.
“Cambodian exporters have met their quality standards and other requirements for export following cooperation between both countries,” ministry spokesman Eang Sophalleth said.
“South Korea is a country that imports plenty of mangoes,” he said, adding that Cambodian mangoes had an advantage – they are less expensive than those exported from neighboring countries.
Hean Vanhorn, deputy director general at the ministry, said the agreement opens the gates for increased agricultural exports to the East Asian market as the government seeks to expand export markets for farmers.
South Korea has not placed any limit on the amount of mangoes it will import from Cambodia but requires suppliers to upgrade their processing facilities by installing steaming technology to eradicate insects that may be on the fruit or inside the packaging.
“This is the biggest obstacle we face,” Mr. Vanhorn said. “Mango farmers must understand this requirement.”
About 60,000 hectares of land is used to grow mangoes, according to the Agriculture Ministry. The lion’s share of mango exports last year went to Vietnam, about 9,000 tons of the 9,117 tons exported, ministry data shows.
