Cambodia set to export rice to South Africa

VNA 05/12/2019 08:32

Cambodia is set to export rice to South Africa, a new market, in the time ahead as a milled rice exporter has signed an export memorandum of understanding (MoU) with a partner from South Africa.

Cambodia exported 398,586 tonnes of the food grain in the first nine months of 2019, up 2.3 percent year on year (Photo: The Phnom Penh Post)

On December 3, Cambodia’s Mekong Oryza Trading Co. Ltd signed the deal with South African-based Green Shield Africa Group and Hong Kong-based Zhonghui Taifu International Co. Ltd.

Witnessing the signing, Cambodian Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Veng Sakhon said the MoU will help boost the country’s milled rice exports to China, and now South Africa, which is a new market.

Mekong Oryza Trading president Hun Lak told The Phnom Penh Post that the MoU will last for three years, during which the company plans to ship some 100,000 tonnes of milled rice to China, Africa and Europe.

He noted the firm will find more new markets besides China and diversify their exports to build their competitiveness.

According to the Cambodia Rice Federation, the country exported 398,586 tonnes of the food grain in the first nine months of 2019, up 2.3 percent year on year. Rice exports to China increased more than 44 percent, while shipments to the EU dropped nearly 30 percent.