Minister wants China to speed up quality checks of millers

Veng Sakhon, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, called upon the Chinese General Administration of Customs to send experts for the inspection of the second batch of rice millers and rice exporters to speed up the rice export process to China.

He spoke at a signing ceremony between Cambodia and Beijing on a protocol to ease banana export to China on Thursday last week.

“We want to ask China to speed up the inspection process to allow more Cambodian rice millers and exporters to export to China,” Mr Vanhan said.

Only 26 rice millers, processors, and exporters passed the first round of inspection by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People’s Republic of China (AQSIQ).

Since then, China has changed the process of inspection for rice importation and this has delayed the export process for the 40 new companies, Hean Vanhan, director-general of MAFF’s General Directorate of Agriculture, said.

Vanhan said the list was sent last year and if the 40 millers and exporters are not inspected in time, it will disparage the country’s rice export.

“It will also mean that only the 26 companies that are so far recognized can export to China,” Mr Vanhan said.

Song Saran, CEO of AMRU Rice (Cambodia), one of country’s biggest exporters, said the acceleration of the inspection will enhance the exportation of milled rice to China.

“It will be good that more companies have their capacities upgraded compared to the first round of inspection, but we have seen so many changes in compliance to requirements from China,

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