SOURCE: Khmer Times
The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has issued measures to prevent the drop in price of mangoes, which has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the ministry.
The Ministry said that while the Cambodian government is fighting against the spread of Coronavirus, the disease does not only affect public health but it hurts the economy, both directly and indirectly, especially because it has caused a drop in the prices of some agricultural products, including mangoes.
To prevent a further drop in mango prices, the ministry has announced measures, including urging all provincial agriculture departments to cooperate with departments involved in the agro-industry to work closely with farmers to register their businesses with related ministries or departments that would make it easy for production management control.
The ministry also urged provincial authorities prepare to provide farmers with technical training and connect them to the market by contract farming.
“All levels of authority need to cooperate with the private sector and development partners to process final products and all provincial agriculture departments need to study mango production costs and send reports to the Ministry of Agriculture to take appropriate measures,” the announcement read.
Mao Sothea, sales manager of Kirirom Food Product (KFP) Co Ltd, one of the local mango processing companies, said that before COVID-19, most mangoes were exported to Thailand and Vietnam and only about 35 percent were sold in local markets.
“The current price of mangoes has dramatically declined, and we cannot predict the situation because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. It will be a serious matter for the mango industry and farmers may abandon the crop next year,” she said, adding that it will then affect the processing chain.
Mao said her company could process about 50 tonnes of mangoes a day at a price of 350 riels a kilogramme. In 2019, the company paid 700 to 800 riel a kilogramme, Moa said.
The price of mangoes strongly decreased during this period because some processing factories have been temporarilyy closed, causing an oversupply during the harvest season and fewer buyers.
According to the ministry, the price of mangoes currently is 320 riels a kilogramme, down from 800 riels in 2019. The Ministry said that currently about 20 to 30 tonnes of mangoes are bought every day by companies.
There are more than 100,000 hectares of land planted with mango trees in Cambodia, mostly in Kampong Speu, Kampot, Battambang, and Banteay Meanchey provinces.