The Fisheries Administration (FiA) is waiting for the green light from Beijing to sign a formal protocol allowing the direct export of Cambodian “pra” fish to China, after correcting a list of shortcomings issued by Chinese customs in late January, according to a senior FiA official.
Chinese customs has given Cambodia three weeks to ensure that a list of shortcomings will be taken care of, as required by Beijing, before signing a formal protocol allowing the direct export of Cambodian “pra” fish to China.
Fisheries production in Cambodia was valued at $1,712,800,000, reaching 856,400 tonnes in 2021, down by more than 8.5 per cent from 936,300 tonnes a year earlier, according to data from the 2020 and 2021 annual fisheries reports.
The process to open market access for exporting Cambodian “pra” varieties of shark catfishes to China has begun in earnest, after officials from the two countries kicked off formal phytosanitary talks, far earlier than expected.
Virtual negotiations between Phnom Penh and Beijing on a quality-control system and other matters concerning the export of the Kingdom’s “pra” type shark catfish that were initially planned for end-January will most likely be postponed, and possibly kick off early in the month of Khmer New Year, which falls on April 14 in 2022, according to a senior Fisheries Administration (FiA) official invol