China is expected to become the largest market for Cambodia’s pepper as the country plans to import the commodity in large size, said the key insiders.
Cambodia and China have recently signed a memorandum of understanding on the phytosanitary requirement for pepper export.
The MoU paves the way for the two countries’ specialised ministries and institutions to continue negotiations on phytosanitary requirements to allow Cambodian pepper to be officially and directly exported to China in the future.
Mak Ny, president of the Cambodia Pepper and Spices Federation, placed high hopes of accessing the market in China for pepper, as his body is working to diversify the market abroad.
Cambodia, which depends on the Vietnam market for pepper exports to China, is set to benefit when the China market is opened for the commodity’s direct export.
If Cambodian pepper can be officially exported to China in the future, it will greatly benefit the country, especially pepper farmers and exporters, as it would add a new area in addition to the existing market, he pointed out.
“China will be an important new export market for Cambodia if the phytosanitary requirements are completed, and negotiations reach formal export,” Ny told Khmer Times yesterday.
“If Cambodian pepper could be exported to China, it would increase the reputation of Cambodian pepper in the Chinese market, which is a large market and boost export. In the past, Cambodian pepper exports to China were made through Vietnam,” he added.
According to the Cambodia Pepper and Spices Federation, Cambodia has a variety of pepper – geographical indicator pepper, organic pepper, good practice agriculture pepper, and regular pepper.
Ngoun Lay, president of the Kampot Pepper Promotion Association, also pinned his high hopes on seeing the GI pepper reach the Chinese market.
Chinese traders have come to study how to export Kampot pepper to the Chinese market, but not at the same price, he said.
“I hope that our GI pepper will reach the Chinese market, opening new destinations of export to the commodity, although demand for GI pepper there is low,” Lay said.
Renowned for its delicate aroma and strong spicy taste, Kampot pepper, the country’s Geographical Indication product since 2010, is currently popular in the EU market.
The primary market for Cambodia’s pepper exports is made up of 13 countries – Japan, Belgium, Netherlands, France, Germany, Switzerland, Vietnam, the US, Russia, England, India, Belarus and South Korea.
Currently, the area of pepper land in Cambodia is around 6,000 hectares, with an average yield of about 20,000 to 30,000 tons per year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries.
In the first eight months of 2022, Cambodia exported pepper to the tune 7,335 tons, a decrease of 70.48 percent compared to the same period in 2021, the report said, adding that about 6,000 tons have been exported to Vietnam.
Source: Khmer Times
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<p>Time: 2024 By: Ministry of Industry and Trade</p>
