Longan shipments to China ‘maybe’ by 2022
Longan shipments to China ‘maybe’ by 2022
After Cambodian mango exports to China became a reality, the Kingdom now hopes to be able to ship Pailin longan to Asia’s largest market by the end of next year or early in 2022, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries senior official Ngin Chhay said on Thursday.
Chhay, the director-general of the ministry’s General Directorate of Agriculture, was speaking at a press conference on Measures to Promote Agricultural Products on the World Market held at the Council of Ministers.
On June 9, Cambodia and China officially agreed to export 500,000 tonnes of fresh mangoes a year, paving the way to boost the Kingdom’s agricultural crop exports to the Chinese market.
But the quota is out of the Kingdom’s reach due to its limited capacity to sterilise, process and package the fruit in an export-ready manner.
Explaining the timeframe for Chinese approval of Pailin longan exports, Chhay said China’s General Administration of Customs assesses applications for import approval on a one-by-one basis, which they see through to the end.
As the Kingdom has not delivered its first shipment of mangoes – despite receiving approval – Chinese customs has not begun a new product assessment process, he said.
“As soon as our first batch of mangoes is shipped, the Chinese side will surely come inspect and evaluate Pailin longan.
“We expect that the mango shipment will go out early in 2021 and that we’ll get the all-clear to export Pailin longan to China by the end of 2021 or early in 2022,” Chhay said.
He said the Kingdom has submitted an assessment report on risks – especially pests and diseases – on Pailin longan, while a private company is currently investing in a sterilisation and packaging plant in Pailin province.
Chinese authorities also conduct phytosanitary inspections on a one-by-one basis, he added.
“There’s no telling if they’ll be keen on inspecting the packaging plant immediately after the Cambodia-China bilateral free trade agreement [FTA] comes into effect,” Chhay said.
Cambodia is scheduled to sign the FTA with China in Beijing later this month, with Prime Minister Hun Sen as a witness.
In addition to Pailin longan, Chhay said, the ministry is preparing applications for other potential crops for export to China such as pepper, edible bird’s nest, durians, fragrant coconuts, dragon fruits and red corn. “After Pailin longan, we can focus on pepper and edible bird’s nest.”
Cambodia exported 2.68 million tonnes of agricultural products in the first seven months of this year, up 9.06 per cent compare to the same period last year, the ministry reported. Exports to China amounted to 286,790 tonnes.
