Phnom Penh (FN), Aug. 3 - Cambodia-China signed the Protocol on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures to export Cambodian bananas to China.

The signing ceremony, held at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing on Thursday, presided over by Veng Sakhon, Cambodian Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Xiong Bo, Ambassador of China to Cambodia, and Deputy Prime Minister Hor Namhong.

Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries requested the Chinese side to import bananas from Cambodia and was agreed upon September 25, 2014 in the Myanmar.

On March 25 to 26, 2018, former General Administration of Quality Supervision and Inspection of the People's Republic of China invited experts from the Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture to attend the Technical Consultative Meeting to finalize the Draft Protocol on the Requirements of Sanitary and Phytosanitary for the export of fresh bananas from Cambodia to Beijing.

Based on the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Strengthening Agriculture Cooperation between Cambodian-Chinese Ministry of Agriculture on 18 March 2010 and the MoU on Cooperation on Sanitation and Waste Cooperation Hygiene between the Ministry of Agriculture and the General Administration of Quality Supervision of China on 22 Oct. 2010, Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture has worked hard to negotiate with the Chinese side to encourage agricultural products to be exported to the Chinese market.

The outcome of the signing resulted as follows: The Protocol on the Export of Cassava Products to China between Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture and the AQSIQ of China, signed on December 13, 2010; The Protocol on Cambodia's Rice Exports to China between the ministry and AQSIQ, signed on 22 October 2010, and another Rice Export Protocol on September 9, 2016.

Cambodia's agricultural products exported to China in 2017, including approximately 200,000 tons of rice, 58,000 tons of dried cassava, 3,340 tons of rubber, 14,940 tons of cane sugar.

Other potential Cambodian agricultural products include mangoes, longan, dragon fruit, pepper, coconut, and bird nest.
=FRESH NEWS