THE arrival of fresh cambodian mangoes shipped directly to China is considered at milestone in China's central role in Cambodia's agricultural sector, reports Tokyo's Nikkei Asia.
'Everyone at the welcoming ceremony was amazed at the speed of sales,' said market spokesman Yang Jianfei.
Bananas were Cambodia's first fresh fruit exported directly to China, starting in 2018, with shipments rising to US$121 million last year from $8 million in 2019.
The Cambodian government, run by the Communist Party, is keen to ramp up agricultural exports, not least to diversify its economy, which is heavily reliant on the garment industry.
China seems a perfect partner to achieve that goal. Beijing has been Cambodia's top source of development aid since 2010, its policy banks having provided more than $5.8 billion to its Southeast Asian ally as of 2018.
A list of 100 China-funded projects from the past 20 years records 17 per cent as agricultural. It has financed major irrigation works and new rice mills, built an agricultural school and backed, as a Belt and Road 'priority' project, an 'agricultural demonstration zone' in Kratie Province.
The recent mango shipments represent the latest milestone for Cambodia after it signed its first bilateral free trade agreement with China last year. Although the full content of the deal has not been made public, statements by officials suggested it is focused largely on agricultural products.
SeaNews Turkey
'Everyone at the welcoming ceremony was amazed at the speed of sales,' said market spokesman Yang Jianfei.
Bananas were Cambodia's first fresh fruit exported directly to China, starting in 2018, with shipments rising to US$121 million last year from $8 million in 2019.
The Cambodian government, run by the Communist Party, is keen to ramp up agricultural exports, not least to diversify its economy, which is heavily reliant on the garment industry.
China seems a perfect partner to achieve that goal. Beijing has been Cambodia's top source of development aid since 2010, its policy banks having provided more than $5.8 billion to its Southeast Asian ally as of 2018.
A list of 100 China-funded projects from the past 20 years records 17 per cent as agricultural. It has financed major irrigation works and new rice mills, built an agricultural school and backed, as a Belt and Road 'priority' project, an 'agricultural demonstration zone' in Kratie Province.
The recent mango shipments represent the latest milestone for Cambodia after it signed its first bilateral free trade agreement with China last year. Although the full content of the deal has not been made public, statements by officials suggested it is focused largely on agricultural products.
SeaNews Turkey
