Cassava woes still persist
Local cassava producers still do not fully understand the process of obtaining a sanitary and phytosanitary certification, a necessity for those exporting their produce to Thailand. Department of Agriculture deputy director-general Hean Vanhan said that there were no barriers for local cassava vendors to export to Thailand apart from them not fully understanding how to get SPS approval. “When the ministry went to check the situation of the cassava crops, there was no barrier from Thailand. However the private sector doesn’t seem to clearly understand the SPS process, and this slows down the SPS certification,” Mr. Vanhan said. “Normally those who want to obtain SPS certification have to have their product in hand before applying. But the private sector, it seems, wants to have it before even buying cassava from farmers,” he added. Pang Vannased, director of the agriculture department in Banteay Meanchey province, also said that exporting to Thailand was easier than before, adding that the market there was favorable for Cambodian cassava vendors.
