Obtain quality certification, rubber industry owners told
Obtain quality certification, rubber industry owners told
The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has called on rubber industry owners to obtain quality certification for their product to boost rubber prices.The ministry’s director of the Department of Administration and Legislation under the ministry’s General Directorate of Rubber Khuon Phalla spoke to The Post on Sunday.
He said the ministry had observed that the industry’s owners did not fully comply with the sub-decree and relevant prakas on rubber certification, which are compulsory for state-owned and private rubber producers.
“The poor performance of rubber processing factory owners, local lab owners and rubber exporters is due to not fully complying with the procedures of the sub-decree.
“They have not registered for quality certification of their rubber, which had caused it to be sold at lower prices,” he said.
He called on rubber traders to register and confirm the certification from the Rubber Research Institute of Cambodia so that buyers could trust the quality of Cambodian rubber.
According to the Rubber Quality Certification Directive issued on November 25, those who wish to set up rubber laboratories and owners of existing labs without a valid registration certificate must apply to the institute to obtain a Cambodian Specified Rubber (CSR) Label and an official letter of recognition.
“Experts will go down [to the applicant’s facilities] and review and evaluate the requirements related to the operation of the rubber processing factory before approving the registration.
“This is in accordance with the procedures on formalities and issuing of an official recognition letter and a letter allowing the use of the Cambodian Specified Rubber Label,” the circular said.
It said all CSR exporters must have a test report on their product issued by the Rubber Research Institute of Cambodia or a laboratory which it officially recognises.
The directorate’s rubber data shows that Cambodia’s rubber exports in the first nine months of this year reached 173,072 tonnes, worth $231 million, up almost 22 per cent year-on-year from about $190 million.
It was grown on more than 230,000ha during the first nine months of this year, with total rubber plantations in the Kingdom measuring 434,552ha.
A Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries report shows that Cambodia exported 210,000 tonnes of rubber last year, worth about $300 million.
