Cambodia sets to export 5 million tonnes of agricultural products this year

 

Phnom Penh (VNA) - Cambodia expects to export more than 5 million tonnes of agricultural products this year, the Phnom Penh Post quoted Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries senior official Ngin Chhay as saying last week.

The country exported 1.9 million tonnes of agricultural products in the first five months of the year, up 7.35 percent compared to the same period last year, with milled rice topping the list.

Ministry data show that the Kingdom shipped 4.87 million tonnes of agricultural products abroad last year – more than 4 million tonnes to ASEAN countries, 430,000 tonnes to China, 261,000 tonnes to the EU and 135,000 tonnes to other countries.

Cambodian agricultural products are bought by more than 60 countries. The EU purchases 17 types of products, ASEAN countries buy 42 types and China procures 26 types.

The agricultural sector plays a vital role in promoting Cambodia’s national economic growth, and now more so, as many countries around the world suffer from food shortages stemming from the pandemic, he said.

The sector has also shifted more attention to aquaculture and animal husbandry, he said.

Chhay said the total agricultural land area used for farming in Cambodia last year was about 4.88 million hectares.

Of the amount, paddy was grown on 3.88 million hectares, cassava was grown on about 650,000ha, cashew nuts on 230,000ha, red corn on 200,000ha, mango on 120,000ha, yellow bananas on more than 40,000ha, Pailin longan on nearly 10,000ha and pepper on more than 2,000ha, he said./.