Boost in profits for regional farmers

In Pailin, a province on the northern edge of the Cardamom Mountains in southwestern Cambodia, thousands of longan trees are in full blossom.

According to 63-year-old local longan farm owner Sar Cham Roeurn, this year will see another bumper harvest.

Sar has been growing longan since 1997. His family business has thrived in the past three decades thanks to the cooperation of Chongqing Jinguoyuan Industrial Co, a Chinese company focusing on fresh fruit trade.

Established in Chongqing municipality in 1982, Jinguoyuan has been developing the fresh fruit trade with Cambodia for over 10 years.

In Pailin, the company built its own trading firm, which began operations in 2022 when longan was officially listed among the fresh fruits that can be exported directly from Cambodia to China.

Apart from Cambodia, it also partners with farms in Thailand and Vietnam covering a wide range of tropical fruits such as pineapple and mangosteen.

"Southeast Asia holds great resources of tropical fruits, but they also face challenges due to a lack of scientific management and the support of modern technology," said Pu Jianfei, executive director of Jinkwoayuan Jian Ai Agricultural Technology (Cambodia) Co.

Pu's company is Jinguoyuan's local branch, which has run its own orchard in Pailin since last year. Apart from its huge consumer market, he noted that China has supported the region with its advanced farming skills.

"As our fruits are also sold to Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Europe where a higher standard of agriculture chemicals is applied, we provide farmers with the latest recommended pesticides and fertilizers to standardize the planting," he said.

They also invite Chinese experts to provide local farmers with regular technical support to enhance production, he added.

Besides drip irrigation systems, Pu said the company has introduced drones to improve farming efficiency.

A drone can spray one hectare of farmland in an hour — at a cost of less than $10. They also reduce the health risks to farmers.

"With the support of Jinguoyuan, the amount of fruit produced in my orchard surged from 200 tons to 300 tons per year and the quality of longan has also improved," said Sar, the farmer.

"What's more important is that we no longer worry about demand fluctuating under the partnership with Chinese companies, which has a large business map covering many other regions," he added.

Strong diplomatic ties between Cambodia and China have led to a significant increase in the value of trade between the two countries.

According to the General Department of Customs and Excise of Cambodia, trade reached a record high of more than $15 billion in 2024, nearly 30 percent of Cambodia's total trade for the year.

The Council for the Development of Cambodia revealed in January that a total of 414 investment projects worth approximately $6.9 billion were approved last year, with Chinese investments remaining the largest source, accounting for nearly half of total foreign investment.

To strengthen its partnership with Cambodia, Jinguoyuan launched a self-operated orchard last year. Covering an area of 3,200 hectares with 8,000 trees, the orchard is expected to see a total output of 4,500 tons of longan.

"We aim to build it as a demonstration orchard for local farmers, and help them to better manage their orchards in a more scientific way," said Pu. "Working with Cambodians for years, we treasure their hardworking, honest and kind spirit. Our friendship and partnership will be further developed in the future."

To boost mutual understanding, Pu said the company organizes trips to China for their partners in Southeast Asia. Held once every three years, the trips give partners a vivid picture of China that impresses them a lot.

Among the sites they have toured, he said that Cambodians like the Dazu Rock Carvings most.

"They might find a spiritual connection between Angkor Wat and the Chinese cave temple dating from the 9th to 13th centuries, as I can see their serious faces," he added.