Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - H1 cassava exports surge 43%

H1 cassava exports surge 43%

Content image - Phnom Penh Post
Farmers transport cassava in Banteay Meanchey province recently. Heng Chivoan

H1 cassava exports surge 43%

Cambodia exported more than 2.3 million tonnes of cassava in the first half (H1) of 2022, up more than two-fifths year-on-year, of which Thailand bought the largest share at over 1.3 million tonnes or 59.49 per cent, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

The report, compiled by the ministry’s General Directorate of Agriculture based on figures from the National Phytosanitary Database, breaks down the exports by four categories: cassava chips, fresh cassava, tapioca starch, and cassava pulp.

From January-June, the Kingdom exported a total of 2,300,919.39 tonnes of cassava, up by 42.55 per cent over the 1,614,129.76 tonnes recorded last year, the report said.

Cassava chips accounted for 1,534,590 tonnes, up by 24.25 per cent year-on-year, of which 1,133,550 tonnes were shipped to Thailand and 401,040 tonnes to Vietnam. Fresh cassava totalled 710,300 tonnes, up by 97.97 per cent, and went to Vietnam (475,100 tonnes) and Thailand (235,200 tonnes).

Tapioca starch clocked in at 48,948 tonnes, up by 207.78 per cent year-on-year, and went to China (47,405 tonnes), the US (666 tonnes), Italy (378 tonnes), Vietnam (210 tonnes), the Netherlands (152 tonnes), Thailand (98.60 tonnes) and Malaysia (38.40 tonnes). Cassava pulp made up 7,081.39 tonnes, up by 63.81 per cent, and went to China (6,581.39 tonnes) and Vietnam (500 tonnes).

Agriculture minister Veng Sakhon told The Post that total agricultural exports in the first half of 2022 rose by 13.05 per cent year-on-year, of which non-milled rice crops registered a 12.81 per cent increase. However, he noted, there were some “slight declines” across the statistics for fresh agricultural products, especially in terms of exports to China.

Speaking to The Post on July 10, Kim Hout, the director of the Department of Commerce of Battambang province, Cambodia’s largest exporter of cassava to Thailand, underscored that the shrub – native to South America and cultivated for its edible starchy tuberous roots – is a very remunerative crop for the local agricultural sector, especially for growers in districts bordering Thailand, with high domestic and international demand.

He pointed out that the apparent enormous range of benefits of the crop had prompted the government, through the Ministry of Commerce, to develop a National Policy on Cassava.

As a result, the government formally launched the “National Policy on Cassava 2020-2025” on January 14, 2021, in a bid to transform Cambodia into a larger, more sustainable and reliable producer, processor and supplier – for both regional and global markets – of more commercially valuable products derived from the key agro-industrial crop.

“Cassava contributes a lot to job creation and income for farmers … [as well as] the national economy,” Hout said, sharing that Battambang is a major hub for traders to buy cassava and other crops brought in from across the country for export to Thailand.

According to commerce minister Pan Sorasak, cassava contributes three-to-four per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) each year.

MOST VIEWED

  • Wing Bank opens new branch in front of Orkide The Royal along Street 2004

    Wing Bank celebrates first anniversary as commercial bank with launch of brand-new branch. One year since officially launching with a commercial banking licence, Wing Bank on March 14 launched a new branch in front of Orkide The Royal along Street 2004. The launch was presided over by

  • Girl from Stung Meanchey dump now college grad living in Australia

    After finishing her foundational studies at Trinity College and earning a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Melbourne in 2022, Ron Sophy, a girl who once lived at the Stung Meanchey garbage dump and scavenged for things to sell, is now working at a private

  • Ministry using ChatGPT AI to ‘ease workload’; Khmer version planned

    The Digital Government Committee is planning to make a Khmer language version of popular artificial intelligence (AI) technology ChatGPT available to the public in the near future, following extensive testing. On March 9, the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications revealed that it has been using the

  • Wat Phnom hornbills attract tourists, locals

    Thanks to the arrival of a friendly flock of great hornbills, Hour Rithy, a former aviculturist – or raiser of birds – in Kratie province turned Phnom Penh tuk tuk driver, has seen a partial return to his former profession. He has become something of a guide

  • PM urges end to ‘baseless’ international Ream base accusations

    Prime Minister Hun Sen urges an end to “baseless” foreign accusations surrounding the development of the Kingdom’s Ream Naval Base, as the US has consistently suggested that the base is being expanded to accommodate a Chinese military presence. Hun Sen renewed his calls while

  • Almost 9K tourists see equinox sunrise at Angkor Wat

    Nearly 9,000 visitors – including 2,226 international tourists – gathered at Angkor Wat on March 21 to view the spring equinox sunrise, according to a senior official of the Siem Reap provinical tourism department. Ngov Seng Kak, director of the department, said a total of 8,726 people visited Angkor Wat to