Cambodia’s banana exports surge thanks to increasing demand from China

Cambodia exported more than 235,000 tonnes of fresh yellow bananas in the first nine months of 2020, up 225 percent year on year, according to a report by the country's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

Cambodia exports more than 235,000 tonnes of fresh yellow bananas during Jan-Sep (Source: Phnom Penh Post)
Cambodia exports more than 235,000 tonnes of fresh yellow bananas during Jan-Sep (Source: Phnom Penh Post)
Ngin Chhay, director-general of the ministry’s General Directorate of Agriculture, said that shipments of the bananas have seen a substantial increase since China acknowledged that they hold up to its phytosanitary standards.
The volume of yellow banana exports will continue to increase in the future as orders from China pile up and more companies expand their cultivation areas, Chhay added.
Yellow bananas are a prime product for export because they are durable and don’t ripen quickly. One hectare, which can be harvested three times over two years, can produce 60-73 tonnes of bananas per year.
The ministry reported that Cambodia exported 157,812 tonnes of yellow bananas last year, most to China and the rest to Vietnam and Japan.

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