Prices 'not much different'

Cambodia last year exported to Vietnam more than 1,000 tons of leaf tobacco valued at more than US$2 million, according to a story in The Phnom Penh Post.
The figure marks a 24 percent increase from that of 2016, the Ministry of Commerce was quoted as saying.
Ministry spokesman Long Kemvichet said Cambodia had last year exported to Vietnam 1,200 tons of leaf tobacco worth US$2.37 million, up from 989.75 tons worth US$1.91 million in 2016.
In 2016, Cambodia and Vietnam agreed on preferential duties for agriculture products crossing their shared border.
Under the one-year agreement, Cambodia could export 3,000 tons of leaf tobacco to Vietnam duty-free.
However, Kemvichet said it was unclear if the agreement would be renewed for this year.
“We do not have any update from our team as yet regarding the tobacco deal with Vietnam,” he said.
Cambodia produced 9,089 tons of tobacco last season, an increase of 37 percent on the previous season’s harvest, according to figures from the Ministry of Agriculture.
Last season’s harvest war produced on an area of 6,859 ha, which was increased by 19 percent on that used to produce the 2016 harvest.
Neang Bros, a broker in Stung Treng district, Kampong Cham province, who buys tobacco from farmers, was quoted as saying that the price of tobacco was about 8000 riel (US$2) per kg, depending on quality.
“I have a lot of buyers coming to my house to buy from me,” he said. “The market is better than a year before but the price is not much different.”