Korea Discussed Cooperation with Cambodia in Export of Agri-food Products

Deputy Minister Kwon visited the K-Ground Mall in Cambodia and checked how Korean agri-food products were being sold to local consumers. 

This was followed by a meeting with Korean importers to discuss the ways to increase export. Kwon also participated in the Maekyung Cambodia Forum

and, at the delegation’s courtesy visit to H.E. Prime Minister Samdech Hun Manet of the Kingdom of Cambodia, discussed cooperation in agriculture.

Sejong, 29 March 2024 — From 27 to 28 March in Phnom Penh in the Kingdom of Cambodia, Deputy Minister Kwon Jae-han of the Agricultural 

Innovation Policy Office, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the Republic of Korea, visited local places where agri-food products 

exported from Korea were being sold, and had meetings with Korean importers doing business there.

Agriculture is a key economic pillar of Cambodia, with 22% of the gross domestic product (GDP) of 2022. The nation has been experiencing a rapid economic 

growth with an annual average of seven percent over the last two decades. The Korean ministry has been carrying out eight ODA projects with Cambodia. 

With the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) signed between the two countries in 2022, the bilateral trade is gaining more momentum. 

The export value of agri-food products from Korea to Cambodia reached approximately USD 90 million in 2023, with beverages accounting for 60% and 

modified milk powder and ginseng taking an increasing share. Also, Korea’s first export of “hanwoo” (Korean beef) to the Mekong region was made to 

Cambodia in August 2023. 

* Export value of agri-food products in 2023: (a) USD 54 million in beverages, down by 27.2% from 2022; (b) USD 12 million in modified milk powder, up by 33.0% from 2022; 

and (c) USD 2 million in ginseng, up by 22.3% from 2022. 

On 28 March, Deputy Minister Kwon held meetings with Korean importers of agri-food products as well as Korean exporters and importers of hanwoo

working in Cambodia to discuss the ways to expand export to the nation. The agri-food products importers said: “We want to introduce Cambodian 

consumers to diverse Korean agri-food products. And large companies and small- and medium-sized companies should share growth to make it possible 

to enter a new market like Cambodia.” The hanwoo importers suggested: “Promotion of hanwoo needs to be expanded to make the Korean beef more 

widely familiar to local distributors and consumers as export of hanwoo has just started.” In reply, Deputy Minister Kwon said: “We will work hard to

help Korea’s small- and medium-sized exporters to use large companies’ distribution networks and take advantage of food product-pairing marketing*. 

And in the case of hanwoo, we will provide sales promotion expenses for stores achieving a high performance in sales. This way, we will provide 

multifaceted support.” Kwon also asked the importers and exporters to make efforts to expand export to Cambodia.

* Food product-pairing marketing refers to pairing and selling food products of going well together (e.g. soda and makegeolli, soju and snacks, etc.).

On the same day, Deputy Minister Kwon visited the K-Ground Mall where Korea’s agri-food products imported were being sold, and observed how 

they were being sold there. Also, after participating in a Korean food cooking class, Kwon visited Baby Outlet, a shop selling a collection of things 

for babies, and checked the local market situation about Korea’s modified milk powder products whose export to Cambodia is growing rapidly.

* Export value of modified milk power products to Cambodia: USD 3 million in 2019 → USD 4 million in 2020 → USD 6 million in 2021 → USD 9 million in 2022 → USD 12 million in 2023

Meanwhile, on 27 March, after participating in the Maekyung Cambodia Forum, Deputy Minister Kwon joined a delegation for a courtesy visit to 

H.E. Prime Minister Samdech Hun Manet of the Kingdom of Cambodia. At the forum, a suggestion was made as follows: ‘Even though diverse 

agricultural products such as rice, bananas, and mangoes are produced in large amounts in Cambodia, the nation lacks distribution and processing 

technologies. This requires Korean companies’ investment.’ At the delegation’s courtesy visit to the prime minister, Deputy Minister Kwon 

suggested continued bilateral cooperation to ensure that the success and spread of Korea’s ODA projects in agriculture persist in Cambodia, 

saying that the ODA projects having been carried out in Cambodia since 2010 produced positive outcomes in making improvements to 

the nation’s agriculture and farm incomes.

In an interview with a local news agency, Kwon said: “Young people in Cambodia are enjoying K-content. As K-content widens their exposure to 

Korean culture and food, Cambodians’ interest in them is growing as well. We will make efforts to ensure that Korea’s agri-food products and 

agriculture know-how can be more widely shared with a fast-growing Cambodia, as well as to ensure that a cooperative relationship between

the two countries will be enhanced further.”