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Cambodia: Mango exporter fights for market share
While Cambodian mango varieties such as Keo Romeat are well regarded in overseas markets, there are constraints which need to be addressed before large scale exports can be achieved, said the owner of the largest agro-industrial company in Cambodia yesterday.
Mong Reththy, owner and founder of the Mong Reththy Group Co. Ltd., told Khmer Times that the difficulties Cambodian mango exporters faced were the lack of cold storage and systematic packing facilities, and the absence of good internationally-recognised agricultural practices or GAP.
Mr Reththy said GAP acts as a new barrier for exports from developing countries, but he argued that this can be a catalyst for upgrading the country’s food supply system for export growth.
“Highly perishable fruits like mango must be handled with the greatest care during and after harvesting. Pre-harvest and post-harvest production factors affect the quality of mangoes that can be exported,” he added.
“During seasons of bumper crops, the grower is confronted with surpluses and low prices. And currently, we are facing that problem.”
Mr Reththy pointed out that local growers did not have facilities for post-harvest storage and because of that the fruits quickly deteriorated in quality.
“The market is very competitive because of large scale producers such as Thailand, India, Pakistan and the Philippines. Mango growers in Cambodia face tremendous challenges in marketing and exporting their mangoes because of poor post-harvest quality,” he said.
“I am a mango exporter to the European market and I am facing difficulty trying to source quality mango fruits for export.”
Fresh Keo Romeat mangoes from Cambodia are popular in neighbouring Thailand and are exported daily from Kampong Speu and northwestern Battambang through the Pong Namron border crossing in the eastern Thai province of Chantaburi.
“Keo Romeat mangoes are the most popular for export. However, Mr Reththy has his own kind of mango for export to the EU and introduces farmers to grow the same kind of mango for export,” said Khan Samban, the director of the Agro-Industry Department at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
Kingdom Fruits International, a subsidiary company of the Mong Retthy Group, used to export about 5 tonnes of mangoes twice a week to European countries. But exports now have dropped by half.
“Before I could export about 5 tonnes every fortnight, but now it has decreased to 2.5 tonnes,” Mr Reththy said.
But there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel for Cambodia’s mango growers.
A local subsidiary of Hyundai Corporation, the South Korean conglomerate, is sinking $4 million into developing a processing and distribution centre in Cambodia for mangoes and other fruits. Last November, Hyundai CNF Inc. inked a deal with local mango producer Mao Legacy Co. Ltd. to establish the facility in Kampong Speu province.
Source: http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/38691/mango-exporter-fights-for-market-share/