Phnom Penh (VNA) – Cambodia shipped some 205,024tonnes of Cavendish bananas to foreign markets from January to May, accordingto the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

China is the biggest market for Cambodia’s fresh bananasby importing nearly 180,000 tonnes, followed by Vietnam (25,113 tonnes),Singapore (480 tonnes) and Japan (333 tonnes).

Banana is a Cambodian key agro product exported tointernational markets together with rice, rubber, cassava, cashew nut, corn,pepper, bean, mango and vegetable.

Last year, the country exported over 300,000 tonnes offresh banana abroad, generating some 450 million USD as income.

Shipments of the bananas have seen a substantial increasesince China acknowledged that they hold up to its phytosanitary standards. Asorders from China pile up, more companies expand their cultivation areas.

By the end of last September, banana investment companieshad cultivated 30,000ha, up from 10,000ha compared to a year earlier.

In late April this year, China allowed Cambodia to exportfresh mangoes directly to its market after Chinese Customs certified 37 mangoplantations and five packaging factories as compliant with phytosanitary andpackaging standards.

With a rapidly-expanding cultivation area now at around100,000ha nationwide, the country expected to ship to China about half amillion tonnes of fresh mangos annually./.