Thailand
Cambodian pepper gets China approval for direct exports
Cambodian pepper will be available in China directly after the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC) approves Cambodia’s export proposal.
The Chinese Embassy announced last week that the GACC approved seven packaging factories and 28 registered pepper farms for pepper exports.
Cambodian pepper has finished all export procedures and is now allowed to be shipped to China, it said.
Pepper farmers in the country are expected to benefit from the move, which will boost production and diversify markets, said Mak Ny, president of the Cambodia Pepper and Spices Federation.
“This is great news for pepper farmers, and we will be seeking partners to export the pepper to China,” Ny told Khmer Times yesterday.
Pepper is the first Cambodian agricultural product and spice crop to be approved for direct export to China this year, according to the statement.
However, the embassy did not specify when the first export of the commodity from Cambodia would take place.
China has completed risk assessments of Cambodian pra fish, sweet corn, and longan since the beginning of 2022. Cambodia has around 6,000 hectares dedicated to pepper cultivation, with an average annual yield of 20,000 to 30,000 tons, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries.
The report said that Cambodia exported 822,654 tons of pepper in the first three months of this year.
The Cambodia Pepper and Spices Federation said that the current price of pepper is between $3,000-$3,500 per ton. Cambodia exports both Geographical Indication (GI) pepper from Kampot and non-GI pepper, including mixed pepper, good-practice-agriculture pepper and organic pepper. GI pepper is mostly exported to the EU.
Kampot Pepper Promotion Association President Ngnoun Lay said he expects the association’s pepper, one of Cambodia’s only two products registered as a Geographical Indication in the European Union, will gain access to the Chinese market. “As the association is looking to expand its market, the move will give hope not only to normal pepper but also to GI pepper gaining market access to China,” Lay said.
Source: https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501290261/cambodian-pepper-gets-china-approval-for-direct-exports/