By Hoem Seiha
Economics Today
Long expectation for the registration of Cambodia’s several agricultural products as protected geographical indications (GIs) now becomes realistic, with the first two products namely ‘Kampot Pepper’ and ‘Kampong Speu Palm Sugar’.
Two pilot products namely prominent ‘Kampot Pepper’ and ‘Kampong Speu Palm Sugar’ were first officially registered as GIs by Department of Intellectual Property Rights of Ministry of Commerce on 2nd August, 2010 under His Excellency Cham Prasidh, Senior Minister of Ministry of Commerce, Jean-François Desmazieres, France’s Ambassador, and Rafael Dochao Moreno, Chargé d' Affaires a.i. of EU Delegation to Cambodia.
According to a press released by Ministry of Commerce on 2nd April, 2010, the registration of the two products as GIs is crucial for the protection of these two products against unlawful traders that illegally produce fake products that are not genuinely grown in particular places in Kampot and Kep provinces. In addition, the registration is important in preventing from the cutting down of palm trees that are Cambodian cultural heritage.
Since ‘Kampot Pepper’ and ‘Kampong Speu Palm Sugar’ have regional, unique tastes that exist in no other countries, these two agricultural products of Cambodia have great potentials for market and play a major role in boosting Cambodia’s economy, fighting against poverty in rural areas as well as helping agricultural sector to do its best efforts to promote several other agricultural products.
MoAFF secretary of state Lor Reasmey said in the Ceremony of First Registration of Two Geographical Indications ‘Kampot Pepper’ and ‘Kampong Speu Palm Sugar’ held at Ministry of Commerce, ‘Cambodia has several agricultural products linked to Khmer culture and tradition such as Siem Reap fish paste, Battambang Budhisathi orange, Battambang rice, Phnom Srok silk, Kampot Pepper, Kampong Speu Palm Sugar and so forth that are potentials for the local and export market.’
He added that he hopes these two products will be famous like Champagne of France, whereas the registration of GIs for the two products is the tools for the sustainable development on agro-business. ‘Cambodia maintains that it has to take measure to benefit entirely from agro-business for several agricultural products such as rice, maize, soybean, cassava, cashew, pepper, palm sugar together with other crops in contribution to alleviating poverty and sustain economic development,’ he said, adding that Cambodia plans to boost the export of agricultural products to other countries by the next five years.
Mr. Nguon Lay, a chairman of Kampot Pepper Promotion Association (KPPA), told Economics Today that the total production of Kampot pepper was 15 tons in 2009 accounting for US$ 7,5000, while in 2010 the total production is 17 tons accounting for around US$ 100,000. He also said that there are three kinds of pepper: black, white and red pepper. ‘black pepper costs US$5.75; white, US$ 2.50; and red, US$ 10.50,’ said Nguon Lay. He also continued that seeing the remarkably growth, the association as well as pepper farmers have the ideas to strengthen the existing production and increase new production.
The special features for the pepper to be officially branded ‘Kampot pepper’ are the geographical features uniquely indicated by experts, according to Nguon Lay, to be grown in only four particular districts in Kampot province and two particular districts in Kep province. Not only these unique geographical features of land that is rich with some sort of upper layer mixed sand and lower layer with grains of small stones, but also local climate condition influenced by sea, tradition skills and genius of local pepper farmers, and seeds are the contributors to make the pepper unique.
In addition to Kampot pepper, Kampong Speu palm sugar has enormous potential for future market, with its products raging from coffee sugar and sugar to special wine, according to Confirel experts. The sugar can bring enormous amount of earnings to Cambodia. ‘Kampong Speu palm sugar,’ Confirel experts said, ‘can profit up to US$ 500 million per year,’ adding that palm based businesses are sustainable development and strongly contribute to alleviating poverty in the country.
Cambodia can export its agricultural products to some countries, one of which is France, with duty-free. Therefore, the country can compete with other neighboring countries in exporting particular agricultural products. At a press conference held at Raffle Le Royal Hotel, one of the delegation of EU to Cambodia in March 2010 said, ‘Cambodia has a great potential for agro-businesses to export its agricultural products to EU with duty-free.’
