Banana Farming in Cambodia

Introduction

In 2018, Cambodia exported 30,000 tonnes of banana export to China. According to the General Department of Agriculture Rattanakkiri, Kratie and Kampot provinces and have a total area of 4,996 hectors for survival amount of the 30,00 tonnes to export. Cambodia is not just known as a banana growing country there more fruit that is popular such as; Durian, coconut, mangosteen, lychee, longan, rambutan, mango, jackfruit, and watermelon. Banana is loaded with fiber so it is good to slow down digestion and to keep you feeling full for many hours. One banana can create 10 percent of the daily fiber requirement of everyone who eats it. There are Vitamin B6 that can help to protect against type 2 diabetes and aid in weight loss, according to Flores. In general, bananas are a great weight loss food because they taste sweet and are filling which is really helpful. There are three topics in my study: the cost of farming, disease, and marketing.

 

Methodology

In this research, we collected data from a successful farmer who owns three banana farm in his area so all the information is based on an interview. In this research project, I mainly focused on collecting data and analyzing the data from this farm in Cambodia.

Results: Diseases (Fusarium Wilt)

The main disease affecting bananas is Fusarium Wilt. Fusarium “is a large group of filamentous fungi (mold), part of a group often referred to hyphomycetes, widely distributed or survived in soil that cause diseases.” Wilt (Verb)(of a plant, leaf, or flower) become limp through heat, loss of water, or disease; droop.

 

Fusarium Wilt in Khmer called “ក្រាល” had been a major problem of all Cambodia farmer. This disease is so infective to after one and another because they transmitted through soil. This disease happen to stop banana growing and farmer have to cut it off or else they would be transmitted. After the interview one of the farmers said that there are at least 5% of this disease transmitted to one and the other.​ This disease causes the banana leaf to be orange color and it is so important for the farmer to be more careful because the banana tree that contains this disease will never be harvested. This could lead to a bigger disaster in the future if there is no solution to every farmer who grows banana. It is not just the problem to all the farmer also to the international export might not be able to meet the demand.

This is a baby banana plant that contains Fusarium Wilt.

Results: Costs of Farming & Wholesale

Banana normally spends 6 – 7 months to harvest. This type of plant needs a lot of fertilizer (nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium) and water because they can easily get affected by the sunlight. The farmer that we interviewed start farming since 1993 but until 2005 he first started to grow banana. Before he grows: Cauliflower, beans, lettuce and does crop rotation. He said that crop rotation is a wonderful way to get a better quality of different train. Crop Rotation means “a method of farming where a number of different plants are grown one after the other on a field so that the soil stays healthy and fertile”. This farmer did a really good job of keep track of what is his future planting. His method is crop rotation which means that every year or difference of time grows different things. Crop rotation means the systematic planting of different crops in a particular order over several years in the same growing space. Therefore Organic soil fertility, avoid or reduce problems with soil-borne disease and soil-dwelling insect and replenish the soil. The farmer said that  “This method had a good impact on his farm because he always gets a good income from a growing variety of vegetable.

This graph showing the expense of a single banana farm.

This graph shows the percentage of where the expend for banana farm go.

 

The expend that take up more percentage is fertilizer/food. Therefore a lot of farmer in Cambodia have commonly used a lot of fertilizer which leads to the price of the fertilizer more expensive.

 

Banana farm in Cambodia has been a new major product to import to our biggest investment country “China and Hong Kong” stated Phnom Penh Post Article. Bananas have potential and there is a high demand for the international market. At the same time, farmer sell in the local market around there are especially when they got no transportation budget. Some farmers are sell in the city where there are many people who demand the banana.

A farmer said “ I sell banana in the Nek Meas Market (នាគមាស) because there are a lot people need the banana that is why I decided to go to the city.

At the same time, the Cambodia market still in a limited situation therefore not too many market or middlemen that accept to sell banana. Some farmers still have to sell their own.

 

Conclusion

All farmer should know what they are paying for if they got a bigger farm in order to see the profit without  losing any money Cambodian farmer needs more knowledge about the disease that they faced also the market of Cambodia

Works Cited

“Green Banana Tree · Free Stock Photo.” Free Stock Photos, www.pexels.com/photo/green-banana-tree-214158/.

Sokhorng, Cheng. “Local Firm Hopes New Banana Crop Will Be Appealing to China, Business, Phnom Penh Post.” Local Firm Hopes New Banana Crop Will Be Appealing to China, Business, Phnom Penh Post, Post Media Co Ltd 888 Building H, 8th Floor Phnom Penh Center Corner Sothearos & Sihanouk Blvd Sangkat Tonle Bassac 120101 Phnom Penh Cambodia, 13 Aug. 2018, www.phnompenhpost.com/business/local-firm-hopes-new-banana-crop-will-be-appealing-china.