Cambodian mango industry looks to South Korea amid the unstable exports from China

On May 3, Cambodia’s Minister of Commerce Pan Sorasak urged South Korean businesses to invest in export-oriented processing facilities in Cambodia for fruit and other agricultural products. The minister also pledged to streamline bureaucratic procedures and help interface with government agencies, which came during a meeting with the Korean Importers Association, according to a report in the Phnom Penh Post. One Cambodian exporter of bananas and mangos interviewed by the newspaper said that the development of exports to South Korea would benefit growers and exporters in Cambodia by preventing them from being overly reliant on China. Mangos were only the second Cambodian fresh fruit after bananas to gain China market access, with the first shipment arriving in May 2021. There was some initial success last season, which saw China import more than 4,000 tons of Cambodian fresh mangos to become the third-largest export market. However, exports to China have stalled so far this year ...