Phnom penh: Cambodia and Australia celebrated growing trade between the two countries, as Cambodian business Royal Trust Trading Co., Ltd. (RTT) officially launched its first shipment of nuts and dried fruit to Australia recently.
According to a joint press release AKP received on Aug. 14, the deal was made possible with strong support from Australia through the Cambodia Australia Partnership for Resilient Economic Development (CAPRED) programme. CAPRED supported RTT and other Cambodian agribusinesses with targeted export readiness and market linkage assistance.
The shipment was inaugurated by representatives from the Australian Embassy, the Ministry of Commerce, RTT, and Khmer Enterprise. The event, held in Phnom Penh, underscored the growing Cambodia-Australia cooperation to boost trade and enhance the competitiveness of Cambodian exports.
RTT is exporting over 12 metric tonnes of nuts and dried fruit to Australia, and the shipment includes cashew nuts, dried mangoes, dried jackfruit, and banana and taro chips. A second shipment is already being planned, with an expanded product range and increased volume.
H.E. Derek Yip, Ambassador of Australia to the Kingdom of Cambodia, said, ‘Australia is partnering with Cambodia and Cambodian businesses to boost trade competitiveness and break into new markets. These efforts will help support Cambodia’s ambitions to successfully graduate from Least Developed Country status. They will also increase bilateral trade between our two nations. We are committed to deepening our economic partnership with Cambodia and facilitating Cambodia’s integration into regional and global value chains.’
H.E. Samheng Bora, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Commerce, said, ‘Collaborative efforts to boost the export of Cambodian-made products are vital to advancing Cambodia’s agro-processing sector, especially in today’s uncertain global trade environment.’
He spoke highly of the strong support of the Australian Government to make the export of Cambodian dried fruit to Australia possible and was confident that economic resilience between the two countries will continue to endure and strengthen.’
Mr. Chhin Sophal, Chairman of RTT, noted that the shipment demonstrates the growing capability of local enterprises to meet global demand, and more Cambodian products will soon find their way onto Australian shelves and beyond.
Bilateral trade between Cambodia and Australia reached US$ 1.1 billion in 2024, over 70 percent of which was comprised of Cambodian exports to Australia.