Cambodia is moving forward with an export qualification programme to establish a global market for its homegrown fisheries sector
Based out of Siem Reap, Sim Sreyroath is one more small producer dedicated to expanding the reach of Cambodian agro-products beyond the Kingdom’s borders. As co-founder of Home Taste Food, a small business that began as a produce market targeting health-conscious consumers, processing dried fish has become central to Sreyroath’s revenue stream. She recognises how insufficient regulations and quality control continue to hold back the industry, at home and abroad.
“When people go to the market and buy this product or that product, they don’t know whether it’s safe or not because they don’t have labels,” she said. “People don’t know how the products were made and processed so they can’t know if they are safe to eat.”
This lack of oversight inspired Sreyroath to find a way to improve the competitiveness of her dried fish products and set them apart in the market. Learning about the Cambodia Quality Seal through social media, the programme provided just the opportunity she was looking for.
As the nation’s first food-safety certification process for aquatic value chains, the Cambodia Quality Seal (CQS) aims to address regulatory shortcomings, elevate the nation’s fisheries, and bring food products and processes into accordance with global standards. The programme, which was launched in 2016, is operated under the purview of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and is part of the broader CAPfish project.
Led by Cambodia’s Fisheries Administration, the Department of Fisheries Post-Harvest Technology and Quality Control (DFPTQ) is the body responsible for each step in the CQS accreditation process. To prepare Cambodian fisheries products for broader markets, the framework is benchmarked against internationally recognised standards, in particular the Good Hygiene Practices and Good Manufacturing Practices laid out in the United Nations’ Food Code (CODEX) guidelines. The framework is also in line with existing Cambodian food-safety standards as well as those of ASEAN bloc nations, with the goal of gaining “trust from both national and international consumers.”
A voluntary programme, there are two levels of support available to applicants. CQS Basic provides technical assistance and equipment and is a limited certification that excludes the use of the Cambodia Quality Seal logo on products. CQS Full offers applicants higher levels of support, requires compliance across a business’ entire supply chain, and allows for the use of the official logo on products.
Enterprises seeking certification begin with an application submitted to authorities. If approved, a contract is signed and an auditor is assigned. The audit consists of meetings and training with management, inspection of the premises, employee interviews, a review of required business documents and checks on the enterprise’s internal process for tracing products. A final report is provided and allows for instances of non-compliance to be corrected before certification. With CQS status valid for three years, additional “surveillance audits” take place one year and two years following approval.
In order to ensure the quality and safety of final products, the CQS scheme targets stakeholders across fishery value chains with compliance structures tailored for each step. For fishing vessels to receive CQS status, businesses are required to demonstrate that their boats, waste disposal, storage facilities and personnel prioritise cleanliness and minimise cross-contamination.
Landing and collection sites, where fishery products are offloaded and stored, must be scrutinised by CQS inspectors. Processing facilities must also meet the framework’s strict guidelines, particularly important to the government’s ongoing efforts to promote value-added agro-products and facilitate entrance into wider markets.
For Sreyroath, the journey to CQS Full status has changed her business in profound ways. The training she received from the CQS teams and eventual certification of her dried fish products were major steps towards her goal of exporting to international markets. Now, with an Australian buyer locked in and the first four-tonne shipment of Cambodian dried fish set for delivery, Sreyroath and company are eager to take their product to the next level.
“I am so much more confident in my product and I am so proud that it is going to be available in Australia,” she said. “Before, our buyers in Australia bought their dried fish from Vietnam, but since we received the CQS certification, they have decided to choose our product.”
As Home Taste Foods was already working towards the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) certification (in order to enter the European market), receiving CQS status was a pivotal moment for the company, demonstrating the value of effective regulatory frameworks in expanding the reach of Cambodian fisheries products.
