Vietnamese conglomerate Hoang Anh Gia Lai (HAGL) has shipped a total of over 9,000 tonnes of Cambodian bananas destined for the Chinese market since the firm first started exporting in July, a company representative said.

The firm, which owns 1,000 hectares of banana plantations in Ratanakkiri province, has been making weekly shipments of bananas through its subsidiaries, Hoang Anh Andong Meas, Hoang Anh Romphat and Hoang Anh Daun Penh Agrico.

Thach Quanh Tha, director of administration for HAGL, said 451 containers have so far made it overland to port facilities in Vietnam and then loaded onto a container ship bound for its buyer in China, with each tonne fetching approximately $500.

“We are packaging everything here in Cambodian, and we make sure that our logo says these are Cambodian-made products,” he said. “Because these are official exports, we must comply with the law, and we have received both sanitary and phytosanitary certificates as well as a certificate of origin by the Cambodian government.”

Meanwhile, HAGL is in the process of making its second shipment of dragon fruit this week from its 807-hectare farm with a purchase agreement that sets the price at $3 per kilo. Thach added that the company plans to make its first export of jackfruit from a 696-hectare plot by the end of December.

The agro giant, which came into Cambodia with hopes of cultivating rubber, has made an effort to diversify its operations and has invested in planting 14 different types of fruit for export.