Roundup: Cambodia begins 1st direct shipment of wild aquatic products to China

PHNOM PENH, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia on Thursday exported its first batch of wild aquatic products directly to China, marking another fruitful cooperation between the two countries in the fisheries sector.

Kim Chou Co., Ltd Import Export and International Transportation is the first Cambodian company authorized to export wild aquatic products directly to China.

"This is the first time that Cambodia exports wild aquatic products to China directly, departing from the Sihanoukville Autonomous Port to the Port of Shanghai," Heng Mengty, export manager of Kim Chou Co., Ltd Import Export and International Transportation, told Xinhua.

"In this first shipment, we export two kinds of products, namely frozen eels and frozen freshwater glass shrimps, in a total amount of 10 tons," he added.

Mengty said the shipment is expected to reach Shanghai on Oct. 15 or 16.

He said the products were purchased from fishermen in some provinces around the Tonle Sap Lake, including the provinces of Kampong Thom, Pursat and Siem Reap.

"For products' quality and sanitary standard, we have complied with China's requirements because we have trained our employees, and Chinese experts have directly controlled the quality," he said.

"This export will contribute to economic growth, creating jobs for our farmers and fishermen."

Mengty expressed his sincere thanks to China for granting the direct access of Cambodia's wild aquatic products to its market, saying that the company is expected to export some 240 tons of wild aquatic products to China per year.

Phat Sokra, a 30-year-old worker at the Kim Chou company, said his routine duties are sifting, selecting, peeling and packaging glass shrimps in plastic bags before putting them into a freezer.

"When the shrimps are frozen, we arrange them into boxes and put into containers for exporting to China," he told Xinhua.

"These wild aquatic products will be put for sales in the Chinese market. I feel happy because their purchase has created jobs for us and generated income for our fishermen," he added.

The export came after the General Administration of Customs of China in May allowed the Southeast Asian nation to ship its wild aquatic products directly to China, and the company is allowed to export 11 kinds of Cambodian wild aquatic products to China, including wild shrimp, wild fish, wild eel and wild snails.

Im Rachna, undersecretary of state and spokeswoman for Cambodia's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, said it was good news, expressing her confidence that Cambodian wild aquatic products would also be popular among Chinese consumers.

"It is a new success for the development of our fisheries sector, and the export of our wild aquatic products to China will not only give a boost to Cambodia-China trade volume, but also improve the livelihoods of our farmers," she told Xinhua.

Wild aquatic products are the Cambodia's second agricultural products authorized to be exported to China this year after pepper.