Cambodian mangoes have ready market in South Korea

Cambodia has more than 100,000ha of mango farms. - Photo supplied

PHNOM PENH (The Phnom Post/ANN): Cambodian mangoes are proving popular among South Korean consumers, the Korean Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (Kotra) said, encouraging more local firms to export the fruit to the East Asian country.

Speaking with Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Veng Sakhon on Tuesday (March 10), Kotra director-general Jongsoo Shin said Koreans greatly enjoy Cambodian mangoes.

“Fresh mango from Cambodia enjoys a warm welcome in South Korea. This will help attract more South Korean investors to Cambodia, ” he said.

Exports of Cambodian mangoes to South Korea begun in January after Korean authorities approved shipments of the fruit.

Kirirom Food Product (KFP) Co Ltd sales manager Mao Sophea told The Post on Wednesday that her company is planning to export dry mango to South Korea.

“We are looking for partners in South Korea because this market has great potential for Cambodian mango products, ” Sophea said.

The company exports about 180 tonnes of dry mango products per year, mostly to Australia, China, Japan, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, the United Kingdom, and the US.

“On average, the company processes about 60 tonnes of fresh mango per day, ” Sophea said.

As many as 300 tonnes of mangoes are processed every day in the kingdom for export, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries recently said.

Sakhon said his ministry has introduced several reforms and new policies to aid the agriculture sector.

“We are focusing on promoting aquaculture and husbandry, modernising agriculture, introducing better standards of quality and improving packaging. The goal is to meet the rising demand for Cambodian products here and abroad and to reduce imports, ” he said.

According to a report from the ministry, in January and February, Cambodia exported 16,868 tonnes of fresh mangoes to Thailand, Vietnam, France, Russia, South Korea, and Hong Kong.

There are more than 100,000ha of mango farms in the country. Kampong Speu, Battambang, Kampot and Banteay Meanchey provinces are known for having the best mangoes in Cambodia. - The Phnom Penh Post/Asia News Network