PHNOM PENH: Cambodian Banana Agricultural General Co., Ltd. (CBA), a Chinese company, is planning to increase its export of fresh yellow Cavendish bananas to China to 30,000 tonnes this year, through the expansion of cultivation areas and its supply chain.

Kong Chanvisal, secretary of state at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, shared the company’s plans after attending the June 6 launch ceremony of the company’s fresh banana supply chain, which was also attended by other ministry officials, representatives of the Cambodia-China Chamber of Commerce, company executives, local authorities and nearly 100 company staff.

“The company harvests bananas from 500 hectares of plantation. It is cultivating an additional 200 hectares, which is expected to begin producing a yield in 2026. At present, the company supplies fresh bananas to supermarkets in Cambodia and exports to China. It exported 20,000 tonnes in 2024 and aims to increase that to 30,000 tonnes in 2025,” he said.

The company first invested in banana plantations in the Kingdom in 2020. This investment has created jobs for more than 900 Cambodians and has also contributed to physical infrastructure development and market linkages with local communities.

Chanvisal noted that Cambodia has a total of 21,000 hectares of Cavendish banana plantations, with 15,000 hectares currently in harvest, yielding a total of about 400,000 tonnes —an average yield of around 25 tonnes per hectare.

Currently, 24 banana farms and 36 fresh banana packaging facilities have been officially registered and recognised for export to China. In 2024, Cambodia exported a total of 260,000 tonnes of fresh bananas, of which 250,000 tonnes — or 95 per cent — went to the Chinese market. The remaining 5% were exported to Vietnam, South Korea and Malaysia.

The secretary of state called on other Chinese companies to invest in Cambodia, especially in agriculture, to harvest, process and export high-quality Cambodian agricultural products to the Chinese and global markets. The agriculture ministry is fully prepared to support and coordinate efforts to help ensure the success of these companies, he added.

In 2024, Cambodia’s agricultural sector ensured food security, while also exporting 12 million tonnes of agricultural products to 95 countries, with a total value of approximately US$5.3 billion. Of the exports, slightly more than 800,000 tonnes were exported to China. - The Phnom Penh Post/ANN