Cambodia’s Ministry of Commerce is calling on unmanufactured-tobacco dealers to apply for licenses to export their tobacco to Vietnam, according to a story in The Khmer Times.
Vietnam agreed in October to waive all duties on annual imports of 3,000 tons of unmanufactured tobacco from Cambodia.
The tobacco duty waiver was part of the Bilateral Trade Enhancement Arrangement under which Cambodia received from Vietnam a preferential zero tariff on 39 products.
The agreement between Cambodia and Vietnam was signed several years ago and has been renewed every two years, according to ministry spokeswoman Soeung Sophary.
Heng Piseth, provincial director of the Tbong Khmum agricultural department, was said to have told the Khmer Times that the duty waiver was good news for tobacco farmers, as well as for merchants and exporters because the tobacco market was uncertain and farmers were worried.
“The market for tobacco is not good and depends very much on merchants. However, if there is a certain market from Vietnam that lets us have a chance to export, then tobacco farmers can survive,” said Piseth.
“They would not have to worry about the market anymore,” he added.
Tobacco farms are said to take up about 1,000 ha of land in Tbong Khmum province.