LAY MENGLEANG, a mango slicer at the Zhong Bao (Cambodia) Food Science & Technology Co., Ltd., received a better pay since her factory has had more purchase orders from China. The rise in purchase orders from China became obvious since 2022, when both the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) trade pact and the Cambodia-China Free Trade Agreement (CCFTA) entered into force. Before 2022, the 21-year-old earned a monthly salary of about US$200 because there was not much work to do. She earned US$350 monthly after 2022, as she piled up on overtime. “I’m happy to see more Cambodian mangoes exported to China,” she said. Mengleang said that with a better pay, she could save almost half her salary each month. Hean Vily, a 21-year-old mango quality controller at the factory, said that he likes the job that gives him a decent income. “That Chinese consumers buy Cambodian products helps create jobs for us locally, so that we don’t need to leave our home country for livelihood.” Reth Songheng, chief administrative officer of the Zhong Bao (Cambodia) Food Science & Technology Co., Ltd., said the mango products factory hires more than 800 locals, producing dried mango slices for the Chinese market. “Our products are high in quality and popular in China,” he said, adding that the factory purchased ripe mangoes from brokers and farmers to be processed into dried mangoes. Songheng said the factory exported 2,800 tons of dried mangoes to China in 2022, at least 10% more than the previous year. “For 2023, the factory has planned to produce 4,200 tons because of the increasing purchase orders from Chinese buyers,” he said. Songheng attributed the export growth to the RCEP and the CCFTA, saying the agreements helped reduce costs and lower prices. Cambodian Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Dith Tina said Cambodia and China have solid ties and that Cambodia has exported rice, mangoes, bananas, and longan fruit, among others, to China. He noted the RCEP and the CCFTA have injected a new impetus into the development of Cambodia’s agriculture.(Xinhua) | 