Organic Vegetable Producers in Price War with Imports
CACU can supply two tonnes of organic vegetables per day. Photo: CACU
- By Chhum Chantha
- January 16, 2024 6:15 PM
PHNOM PENH – Prices of organic produce have been slashed by a farming cooperative to compete with cheap imported vegetables grown in unhealthy ways.
The Cambodia Agriculture Cooperative Union (CACU) started distributing organic vegetables in Phnom Penh and Battambang a year ago.
However, consumers were put off by the higher cost even though they feared the health impact of imported produce.
Chua Makara, founder of CACU, said the cooperative had now worked out prices for organic vegetables, making them competitive with imported vegetables.
Makara said organic vegetables had been distributed only to supermarkets and marts in the past.
Since orders were limited, he came up with the idea of expanding to wholesale and retail markets.
Makara said the distribution of organic produce to wholesale and retail markets was part of improving peoples’ wellbeing as the vegetables are grown under supervision of specialized technicians.
These technicians work closely with farmers to ensure the training, planting and fertilizer consumption are in accordance with safety standards set by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
“Our organic vegetables can compete with imported vegetables in terms of quality, price and customer support,” he said.
“Although the prices are lower than supermarkets and marts, farmers still maintain their profits as the union has clear planting plans which enables farmers to produce more with lower production costs.
“As the vegetables are grown in a net house, the consumption of fertilizers is less compared to the fields.”
Makara said the imported vegetables have not been inspected for chemical fertilizers, so they could cause health problems.
He hoped that wholesalers and retailers will mark the products clearly so that buyers can tell local from imported products.
CACU can supply two tonnes of organic vegetables per day. These are grown by farmers of Ponleu Thmey Pich Chenda Agricultural Community in Battambang province’s Phnom Preuk district. The community consists of about 50 families as members and 400 net houses.
Originally written in Khmer for ThmeyThmey, this story was translated by Rin Ousa for Cambodianess.
