A labor shortage during the harvest season has resulted in over 50% loss of the early 2025 Pailin longan yield in Cambodia. The price of this fruit has decreased by more than 10% over the past year. Phot Saphanborey, owner of Pechenda Fruit Production PFP Co., Ltd, highlighted difficulties in finding workers since January. He attributed this to a drop in the 2024 yield, which led many workers to migrate to Thailand for employment.
The shortage of skilled workers has notably affected Battambang province, where local authorities, including the armed forces, have intervened to assist in harvesting. Saphanborey noted that longans require harvesting at a specific time, and early-season demand led farmers to mature many trees simultaneously, creating issues.
Saphanborey, a member of the Cambodia Pailin Longan Association, mentioned efforts to find solutions to prevent future issues. He explained that the lack of a harvest in August and September 2024 contributed to worker migration to Thailand. Pechenda Fruit Production has received support from the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries to increase exports to China.
In early 2025, the fruit's price dropped by about 10% compared to the previous year. Saphanborey stressed the importance of stakeholder cooperation for export planning. Suos Siyat, president of the Pailin Longan Agricultural Production Cooperative, noted that farmers with pre-harvest contracts would receive 3,500 riels per kilogram in early February.
The Ministry of Commerce reported that, in the first 11 months of 2024, Cambodia's fresh Pailin longan exports generated nearly $28 million, a rise of over 50% from the same period in 2023, which earned approximately $18 million.
Source: The Phnom Penh Post