Germany's international development agency (GIZ) has finalised guidelines for fruit exports to China which will be in force this month.

To promote Cambodian agricultural exports to China, GIZ, the Agriculture Ministry and farmers have prepared guidelines so farmers can export their products with greater convenience.

GIZ program manager of economic cooperation for sub-regional initiatives in Asia, Florian Miss, said during a workshop on Thursday that the guidelines will enable farmers to be aware of information to meet the criteria in order to export to China.

“We provide information and procedures that focus on the necessary export guidelines and the sanitation standards that are often lacking in the Kingdom’s agricultural value chains,” he said, adding that the compiled export guidelines are for certain products such as mangoes, bananas, and longans.

“The export guidelines will be available this August on the website. We also have contacts for more information or questions from exporters or farmers,” he said.

Cambodia last week signed a protocol on exporting fresh bananas to China, a move that officials said was a boon for the industry.

The director-general of the Agriculture Ministry’s directorate of agriculture, HeanVanhan, who also joined the workshop, said the compiled export guidelines will benefit farmers or exporters who are eyeing markets in China.

“Our smallholder farmers need to learn how to meet the export criteria, so the guidelines will show them how to do so,” he said.

New standards

Vanhan said while China is strict about requiring SPS certificates for all imports, many local farmers have yet to adopt standards necessary to acquire this certification.

“We need to understand each other and cooperate to ensure that goods reach the market. The guidelines will be helpful to facilitate this trade,” he said