Cambodia's fresh banana exports to China have made remarkable progress this year, despite the challenges posed by the pandemic. Still, concerns linger over sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) standards and the nation’s ability to build on this positive momentum over the coming years.
Cambodia exported 343,812 tons of fresh bananas in the first nine months of 2021, up by 46.20 per cent year-on-year, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries reported on October 1. China was by far the top buyer of fresh Cambodian bananas at 301,628 tons, followed by Vietnam (41,169 tons), Japan (533 tons) and Singapore (480 tons).
Cambodia Rice Federation chairman Hun Lak pointed out that fresh banana exports this year have been buoyed by increased sales to China, on the back of a phytosanitary protocol signed by the ministry in 2018 that paved the way for direct shipments of fresh Cambodian bananas to the East Asian country.
