Chinese-Backed Banana Company Expands Cambodia Operations

On June 6, Cambodian Banana Agricultural Co. Ltd. — a Chinese enterprise — launched Cambodia’s first advanced banana ripening facility in Phnom Penh, employing negative pressure (partial vacuum) technology to improve quality and efficiency along the supply chain. The company also announced its plans to expand both its plantation area and supply chain capacity, aiming to increase its exports of fresh bananas to China to 30,000 metric tons this year.

Founded in 2020, the company operates two national economic concession zones in Kratié and Mondulkiri provinces, covering over 16,000 hectares of cultivable land. It currently manages four banana plantations, four banana packing facilities, one organic fertilizer plant and one packaging materials factory. Each year, the company produces over 40,000 metric tons of bananas — about half of which are exported to China. The company currently harvests from 500 hectares and plans to expand this by another 200 hectares, aiming to reach full production by 2026.

Besides bananas, Cambodian Banana Agricultural Co. Ltd. also grows longans, mangos, coconuts and cashew nuts. It has obtained export approval to China for bananas, longans, and coconuts.

Across Cambodia, banana plantations cover about 21,000 hectares, of which 15,000 hectares are in the harvesting stage. The country produces approximately 400,000 metric tons of bananas annually, with an average yield of 25 metric tons per hectare. In total, 24 banana farms and 36 fresh banana packing plants have been approved to export to China. In 2024, Cambodia exported 260,000 metric tons of fresh bananas, with 250,000 metric tons shipped to the Chinese market. The remainder were exported to Vietnam, South Korea, Malaysia and other countries.

Image: Unsplash

This article is based on a Chinese article. Read the original article.