Palm Sugar
Palm Sugar
Palm Sugar
by
Prak Sereyvath
The views expressed in this information product are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Contents
Acronyms ................................................................................................................................... 2
Tables and figures ...................................................................................................................... 3
Abstract ………………………………………………………………………………………..4
Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 1
1. Institutional context............................................................................................................ 1
2. Geographical zone and specific resources ......................................................................... 3
General context ............................................................................................................................... 3
Delimitation of production zone in the specifications.............................................................................. 4
Local resources ............................................................................................................................... 5
3. Product specification .......................................................................................................... 6
Specific quality ............................................................................................................................... 6
Definition of the product in the specifications ....................................................................................... 7
Situation of producers vis-à-vis the specifications .................................................................................. 8
4. Stakeholders and organization ........................................................................................... 8
Actors in the supply chain ................................................................................................................. 8
Process and dynamics of GI implementation ......................................................................................... 2
Importance of outside support ............................................................................................................ 3
5. Marketing ........................................................................................................................... 4
Markets ......................................................................................................................................... 4
Coordination and collective action ...................................................................................................... 5
Certification and monitoring measures ................................................................................................ 6
6. Impact analysis................................................................................................................... 8
Perception by stakeholders ................................................................................................................ 8
Impact on rural development: economic, environmental and social aspects ................................................. 8
Costs ........................................................................................................................................... 9
Support and capacity-building required by stakeholders .......................................................................... 9
7. Conclusions and recommendations.................................................................................. 10
References ................................................................................................................................ 11
Annex : Methodology………………………………………………………………………...12
Acronyms
After its accession to WTO, the Cambodian Government prepared a draft law on the
protection of GIs, intending to use the GI system as a tool to promote the country’s
agricultural and rural development. With a view to facilitating the registration and protection
of Cambodian GI products while awaiting implementation of the law, the Ministry of
Commerce has been executing pilot projects since 2007, including one focusing on Kampong
Speu palm sugar, to provide assistance for the dissemination of knowledge and skills in this
connection. On 18 May 2009, it issued a ministerial edict that provides a legal framework for
the protection of registered GI products.
Palm sugar production has a long tradition in Kampong Speu Province. The area’s sandy soil
and low rainfall, combined with producer expertise, make its palm sugar particularly tasty,
strong and aromatic. It is characterized by a typical palm aroma and light brown colour,
features that allow its recognition on the market and among Cambodian consumers, leading to
fraudulent use of the name.
Introduction
As is true for all countries with major agricultural and gastronomic traditions, Cambodia has
many traditional specialities of origin-linked quality that stand to benefit from a geographical
indication (GI) system. Producer expertise has resulted in many popular food items that are
resources to be optimized for the domestic and export markets, showcasing Cambodia’s rich
agricultural and food heritage for tourists. Kampot pepper, Kampong Speu palm sugar,
Kampot durian, Battambang rice, Battambang oranges, Siem Reap prahoc (fermented fish
paste) and sausages, Kratie pomelos and Phnom Srok silk are examples of Cambodian
agricultural, food and handicraft products that are known for qualities linked to their
geographical origin.
1. Institutional context
Cambodia’s WTO membership agreement was formally approved during the September 2003
WTO Ministerial Conference in Cancun. The agreement was ratified by the appropriate
1
Cambodian institution, and in October 2003 Cambodia became the 147th WTO member, after
which it prepared a draft law on the protection of GIs, intending to use this tool to promote
the country’s agricultural and rural development. This law, drafted by the Ministry of
Commerce, is moving toward approval by the national assembly, but the process may be
lengthy. In the meantime, with a view to facilitating registration and protection of Cambodian
GI products, on 18 May 2009 the Ministry of Commerce issued a ministerial edict that
provides a legal framework for the protection of registered GI products. The edict establishes
rules concerning the recognition, registration and protection of GIs for the purpose of
protecting the intellectual property rights of producers and consumers, preserving and
boosting traditional know-how and national identity, creating jobs in rural areas, and
promoting community development, tourism and poverty reduction.
Under the edict, protection of GIs may be obtained for agricultural goods, foodstuffs,
handcrafted goods and any other goods complying with the following definition of a GI: “a
name, symbol or any other thing that is used to express or represent a geographical origin and
can identify the goods originating from such geographical origin, where the quality,
reputation or other characteristic of the goods is attributable to the geographical origin.” The
Department of Intellectual Property Rights of the Ministry of Commerce is the main
institution involved in managing GIs in Cambodia. The draft law states that:
In operational terms, prior to the ministerial edict and approval of the protected geographical
indication (PGI) law, the following steps have been taken:
- The Ministry of Commerce has established the Geographical Indications Office under the
Department of Intellectual Property Rights.
- With the support of technical assistants, the GI Office is setting up operating procedures
for dialogue with applicant organizations. In this way, the GI Office will acquire the
expertise needed for GI management while at the same time giving GIs immediate effect
(learning by doing).
- The GI Office is starting to work with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries,
the Provincial Department of Agriculture, Provincial Chambers of Commerce, other
provincial authorities and NGOs to establish a “GI culture” in Cambodia.
2
- Since 2007, the Ministry of Commerce has been executing a pilot project for the
implementation of a PGI system in Cambodia with funding support from the French
Development Agency (AFD) and technical assistance from the Technical Research and
Exchange Group (GRET), a French NGO based in Paris, and the Cambodian Institute for
Research and Rural Development. This Pilot Project for the Protection of Geographical
Indications in Cambodia (hereafter referred to as the PGI Project) is providing assistance
for the dissemination of knowledge and skills. A feasibility study was conducted in 2005
and other thematic studies (the production situation and market possibilities) have been
conducted within the framework of the PGI Project. Such support has acted as a strong
spur, making producers and operators receptive, so that they volunteer to start preparing
applications for GI registration of their territorial products.
General context
The production zone (Oudong and Samrong Torng Districts of Kampong Speu Province) is
located in the south of Cambodia (see the map in Figure 1 below), about 30 kilometres from
Phnom Penh. The zone lies within Cambodia’s lowland rice-based farming system area. More
than 80 percent of the inhabitants of the zone are farmers, producing rice as their main
agricultural activity on household plots averaging about 1 hectare in size. The average rice
yield in the zone is low (2.3 tonnes per hectare) due to poor sandy soil and low rainfall. After
the rice harvest, farmer families generally grow vegetables. They also grow fruit trees and
raise animals in the homestead area (on higher ground rather than the lower rice fields),
allowing them to generate additional income. Farmers in the two districts studied also have a
long tradition of producing palm sap and sugar as part of the family farming system. Palm
trees are scattered around the homestead area, on dikes between rice fields and along rural
roads. Each of the villages studied has upland areas where palm trees are grown more densely.
Although almost all families used to produce palm sugar, the number of producers has
decreased considerably since the early 1990s because of competition from crystallized white
sugar made from cane and the higher price of firewood used for cooking and evaporating
palm sap.
3
Table 1. SWOT analysis of the zone in terms of palm sugar production
Strengths Weaknesses
- Soil (sandy) and climate (not too humid) - Soil and climate are good for the quality
produce good-quality palm sap. of palm sap but not for other agricultural
- The quality of Kampong Speu palm sugar products, which also adversely affects
is recognized by the market as linked to palm sugar production inasmuch as it
its production zone. limits income from other activities and
- Nearness to Phnom Penh facilitates the hence producers’ capacity to invest in
transport of palm sugar products to the palm sugar production.
central market. - Farmers’ access to nearby forests is
- Nearness to forest areas allows producers increasingly difficult, and non-wood
to find non-wood forest products such as forest products are becoming poorer.
bamboo, popel (Hopea recepei) and
firewood for palm sap and sugar
production.
- Producers in the zone have recently
organized themselves for the protection of
their products.
Opportunities Threats
- The recent establishment of a legal PGI - The zone is under pressure from urban
framework is an opportunity for palm expansion. Rising land prices are leading
sugar producers in the zone to protect some producers to sell their land.
their products in the near future. Investors cut down palm trees to clear
- Kampong Speu palm sugar was selected land for construction purposes.
by the PGI Project as a pilot GI product,
and producers in the zone can obtain
support from the project for the whole
process of registering their products.
4
According to the specifications or code of practice for Kampong Speu palm sugar, the
production area is confined to Oudong and Samrong Torng Districts in Kampong Speu
Province and Ang Snuol District in Kandal Province (see the map in Figure 1 above).
More specifically, to produce “Kampong Speu palm sugar”, producers must harvest the sap of
palm trees growing in the three above-mentioned districts and the palm trees must grow on a
particular type of sandy soil at least 80 centimetres deep, with gravel and good drainage.
These criteria, together with the climatic conditions of the area, give Kampong Speu palm
sugar its specific quality. Additional tests were carried out on the farms of all GI producer
applicants to verify their compliance with soil criteria.
While sap collection and processing must take place in the three districts, packaging can also
be carried out in the eleven bordering districts of Kampong Tralach and Sameakki Mean Chey
in Kampong Chhnang Province, Oral, Thpong, Phnom Sruoch, Basedth, Kong Pisey and
Krong Chbar Mon in Kampong Speu Province, Kandal Stoeung and Ponhea Lueu in Kandal
Province and Dangkor in Phnom Penh Province.
Local resources
The palm sugar production area, lying in the three districts mentioned above, is marked by the
presence of red-yellow podzol soil (sandy soil with good drainage capacities). All palm sugar
professionals (producers and local traders) recognize that the location of trees on deep sandy
soils is a key factor in the quality of the sugar. Sap appears to be more concentrated,
explaining the rich aroma of Kampong Speu palm sugar. Moreover, the area is characterized
by low rainfall, which contributes to the high sugar concentration in the sap.
Palm trees are a feature of Cambodian rice-field landscapes. In 1967, Delvert1 described the
Kampong Speu region (which is larger than the three production districts under consideration)
as the country’s palm sugar production region, with 375 000 palm trees being exploited.
Between 2003 and 2005, the total number of palm trees within the three districts of the GI
production zone was 457 291, about 261 898 of which were exploited (statistics of the district
offices of agriculture). The number of palm trees is gradually decreasing with urban
expansion (producers sell land and palm trees are felled), and the number of exploited trees is
also decreasing because the income from palm sugar production is lower than that from other
jobs that producers can find (producing and selling charcoal, garment factory and construction
work or driving a motor taxi).
1
Jean Delvert, Le paysan cambodgien (Paris: Mouton, 1961).
5
Table 2. Number of palm trees and production volumes by GI district
Production volume
Number of palm trees1
(tonnes per year)
District
Exploited by by KSPA
Total Exploited Total2
KSPA members members3
Oudong 189 539 84 524 3 267 5 916 204
Samrong Torng 172 203 121 798 251 8 525 18
Ang Snuol 95 549 55 576 0 0 0
Total 457 291 261 898 3 518 14 441 222
1. Statistics of the Agricultural Offices of Oudong (2005), Samrong Torng and Ang Snuol (2003) and KSPA +
PGI Project (2008).
2. Estimate based on an average annual yield of 70 kilograms of sugar per palm tree. In the case of Ang Snuol,
almost all producers sell their palm sap to the Khmer Beer Company for palm beer production, while palm
sugar production is very limited.
3. KSPA + PGI Project data (2008).
Apart from palm trees, the agricultural and natural resources of the area include a range of
rice varieties, fruit and non-fruit tree species, vegetable and animal species.
3. Product specification
Specific quality
Palm sugar production has a long tradition of Kampong Speu Province. The area’s sandy soil
and low rainfall, combined with producer expertise, make its palm sugar particularly tasty,
strong and aromatic. It is characterized by its typical palm aroma and light brown colour,
features that allow its recognition on the market and among Cambodian consumers, leading to
fraudulent use of the name. Although the fame of Kampong Speu palm sugar is long-standing,
without a protection mechanism and legal framework, misappropriation of the name gives the
product a lower quality image, which is why it is important to reinforce correct identification.
Kampong Speu palm sugar can be produced and marketed in the form of powder, paste,
blocks or syrup.
6
Definition of the product in the specifications
The producers of Kampong Speu palm sugar collaborated in drawing up the specifications (or
code of practice), which is the reference document defining the product, its specific quality,
the GI area and common production rules. In this document, a choice was made to work on
improving quality. Producers thus need to improve their current production practices in order
to meet the following requirements.
7
of powder sugar, processing takes a maximum of 3 hours and 15 minutes, with
shaking for a minimum of 30 minutes.
- When evaporation has reached its target point, the pan is taken off the stove and
crystallization starts in order to whiten the sugar: in the case of powder sugar, the
shaking or crystallization is carried out with antoks (traditional tools made of wood for
the purpose of crystallizing sugar) and khnos (traditional tools made of light wood or
palm branches to shake boiled palm sap to make sugar); for other forms of sugar, the
shaking or crystallization may be carried out with either antoks or khnos.
Some of the requirements for palm tree exploitation, processing, storage and hygiene stated
above have already been adopted by some producers, while the remaining producer members
of the Kampong Speu Palm Sugar Promotion Association (KSPA) are being or will be trained
and monitored to make sure that they comply with the rules by the deadline. The main
constraint is that some producers cannot read or write, so that training must be practical.
However, the advantage is that local producers have already gained some knowledge and
have good practical skills regarding tree exploitation, processing and storage. The PGI Project
is an opportunity for them to gain access to training, but the project will come to a close at the
end of 2009.
Producers who do not undertake to meet the specifications may not become members of
KSPA, although they can always apply in the future when they are able to meet the
specifications. According to its statutes, the association is open to all producers producing
palm sugar according to the specifications.
Kampong Speu palm sugar producers are farmers who exploit palm trees grown in the GI
production area to produce palm sugar. They also grow rice, which is considered their main
8
agricultural activity, securing family food security and providing them with some cash
income. However, for most palm producers, palm sap and sugar production is the most
important source of cash income for the family. According to the KSPA statutes, to be
eligible for membership of KSPA, a producer must exploit at least 10 palm trees. On average,
each producer family exploits about 16 palm trees. So far there is no professional producer
organization in the area for the palm or rice sectors. Palm sugar producers produce and sell
their products separately to individual collectors and processing enterprises, who determine
the price paid to producers for palm sugar and sap.
Individual collectors are mainly better-off villagers (most of them are farmers) who have
access to the financial capital to purchase palm sugar and sap from producers to sell to
wholesalers in Phnom Penh and retailers in the province. There are also individual collectors
from outside the region who come each year to collect palm sugar and sap in the area. Both
local and outside collectors play an important role in marketing palm products from the area.
Confirel, the Cambodian NGO Development and Appropriate Technology (DATe), Khmer
Natural Enterprise and the CEDAC Enterprise for Social Development (CESDE) are the four
national private companies collecting and marketing palm sugar and sap in the area, and
Confirel is the largest processing, packaging and trading enterprise for these products.
Confirel and DATe specialize in palm products and have both local and export markets, while
CESDE does not specialize in palm products and currently has only a local market for such
products, and Khmer Natural Enterprise specializes in the processing and marketing of palm
beer and vinegar made from palm sap for the domestic market. Neither CESDE nor Khmer
Natural Enterprise produces palm sugar. Due to the location of its processing facility, Khmer
Natural Enterprise can collect palm sap only from producers in Ang Snuol District, which lies
inside the Kampong Speu palm sugar production zone.
Prior to inception of the Kampong Speu palm sugar GI process, Confirel, Khmer Natural
Enterprise and DATe had already conducted research with a view to improving the quality of
processed products made from palm sap, and several discovered innovations have been
applied in the production of granulated palm sugar, vinegar, palm wine and palm liquor.
These processed palm products are well packaged and labelled with the company brand and
trademark. However, no territorial brand name identifying the GI of Kampong Speu palm
sugar is yet found on labels, since Kampong Speu palm sugar has not yet been officially
registered as a GI product. With its export markets in developed countries, Confirel is the
leading enterprise in Cambodia in improving the quality of palm products.
Creation of an association regarding Kampong Speu palm sugar. With support from the
PGI Project, a GI management organization – the Kampong Speu Palm Sugar Promotion
Association (KSPA) – was officially established through a founding general assembly of
representatives, organized in Oudong District on 29 November 2008. The association’s
membership is comprised of producers and local collectors (142) and private enterprises
marketing palm sugar (3). A Governing Board with an Executive Committee was formed,
made up of 15 members representing the various types of stakeholder in order to defend and
manage the Kampong Speu palm sugar GI.
9
Figure 2. Current palm sugar supply chains
GI production zone
Contract
Producer Producer Producer Producer Producer Producer Producer
producer
Village
Processing
Consumer Collector Collector 3
enterprise
Retailer
Local market Collector Consumer
Consumer Consumer
Intermediary/Wholesaler Distributor
Provincial market Retailer Retailer1
Consumer Consumer
Wholesaler
Phnom Penh wholesale market Distributor
Retailer
Phnom Penh retail market Supermarket/Retailer1
Consumer Processor2 Consumer
1
Process and dynamics of GI implementation
In order to improve its quality and protect Kampong Speu palm sugar as a GI product, a GI
management organization, KSPA, was established. For this, the PGI Project in Cambodia
organized a number of meetings, workshops and round-table discussions in various places,
ranging from the village to the national level. These events were intended to introduce
producers, operators and concerned government agencies to the concept and benefits of GI
registration, the protection of GI products and the development of a GI legal framework in
Cambodia, and also to mobilize interested palm sugar producers and operators to start the
process of establishing a Kampong Speu palm sugar GI. Through an election process from
village level up to the overall geographical production area level, a task force was officially
formed on 30 June 2008, composed of 14 members representing producers, local government
and private stakeholders. The main tasks of this group were to:
- draft association statutes;
- organize consultations regarding specifications with producers in all the target
villages and to draw up draft specifications;
- draw up a draft plan of work for the association;
- participate in GI zone delimitation with experts;
- carry out an inventory of producers and exploited palm trees within the production
zone.
These tasks were implemented with assistance from the PGI Project. Then, five months later,
a founding general assembly was organized on 29 November 2008 to review and discuss the
work of the task force. This assembly approved the statutes of KSPA and elected a Governing
Board and Executive Committee to manage the association.
The next two general assemblies were held in January 2009 to discuss and approve the
association’s plan of work and specifications. After obtaining approval from the general
assembly and with the support of the PGI Project, the KSPA Executive Committee organized
training meetings with producers in all target villages in order to:
- disseminate the contents of the specifications to all producer members;
- present KSPA’s plan of work and the activities to be undertaken by the Governing
Board and Executive Committee;
- train producers in the quality improvement required by the specifications so that
they are capable of meeting these: production, processing and storage techniques,
proper use of production tools, application of hygiene standards and production of
improved cooking stoves.
2
Official registration of Kampong Speu palm sugar is under way and is expected to be
completed by the end of 2009.
At the local level. GI management is completely new to the whole Cambodian context.
Moreover, KSPA is a newly established GI management organization and lacks experience in
both organizational management and GI management. With a view to promoting the
protection of GI products in Cambodia, the PGI Project is therefore providing technical and
managerial support to KSPA until the end of 2009, focusing specifically on:
- preliminary and feasibility studies;
- delimitation of the GI area;
- facilitation of meetings and dissemination of information;
- assistance in the establishment of KSPA;
- assistance in drafting the specifications;
- training for farmers regarding the specifications;
- development of a certification system;
- marketing and promotion.
At the national level. In order to create a favourable framework for PGI development in
Cambodia, the Ministry of Commerce coordinated the establishment of the following bodies:
- a national committee for GI law development;
- a GI Office under the Department of Intellectual Property Rights of the
ministry, with a national GI Secretariat composed of officials from the
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the GI Office;
- a national GI Board composed of the Secretary of State to the Ministry of
Commerce in charge of Intellectual Property Rights, a representative of the
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, a representative of the
Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy, and the Director of the Department of
Intellectual Property Rights.
Under the PGI Project, the capacities of the GI Office and Secretariat are being boosted. The
mandate of the secretariat is to promote, regulate and support the development of GIs in
Cambodia. Starting with support for the establishment of Kampot pepper and Kampong Speu
palm sugar as two pilot products, the secretariat is currently being assisted by international
experts from GRET and national experts from the Cambodian Institute for Research and Rural
Development. Market and marketing studies, technical research and development regarding
the processing and packaging of palm sugar and the promotion strategy for Kampong Speu
palm sugar are also being supported by the PGI Project in collaboration with the Cambodian
Technology Institute and Agriculture Development International (ADI). These activities are
essential for promotion of the Kampong Speu palm sugar GI.
3
5. Marketing
Markets
KSPA is still in process of obtaining registration of Kampong Speu palm sugar, so that
producers currently sell their produce in bulk with no labelled packaging. Several types of
market actor operate in the production area to collect palm sap and sugar from producers (see
Figure 2 above). Most potential market operators for GI palm sugar are private enterprises
who have experience in marketing palm products, especially Confirel, DATe, supermarkets
and modern stores (about ten) in Phnom Penh, and possibly the cooperative of Kampong Speu
palm sugar producers, which will be established when necessary and feasible.
Kampong Speu palm sugar is not yet marketed as a GI product. However, with the
establishment of the GI management organization, the launching of the quality improvement
process and increased producer and consumer awareness regarding GI products, sales of
Kampong Speu palm sugar have already been better this year:
- prices have been higher;
- prices have been stable over a long period (whereas there is usually a major
difference between the production and post-production seasons);
- all producers have been able to sell their produce more easily and faster.
Paste sugar is currently sold in bulk by producers and all operators from local collectors up to
retail sellers, while granulated sugar is sold only in packaged and labelled form.
In order to enhance the value of the Kampong Speu palm sugar GI for future marketing, the
national PGI Project has been supporting a research-and-development initiative conducted by
the Cambodian Technology Institute to identify various appropriate packaging techniques for
syrup, paste and tablet sugar, and also to find ways of conserving these types of sugar for
4
longer periods. Packaging and conservation of the various forms of palm sugar are essential
tools for the marketing of Kampong Speu palm sugar as a GI product, since it cannot be sold
in bulk form – as is the current practice with non-GI palm sugar.
Confirel plans to purchase larger quantities of palm sugar paste and palm sap for their local
and export markets in the next production season. A new foreign company (Eco Bis) is
coming this year to collect palm sugar in the area for its export markets.
Table 4. Production and marketing by KSPA members and totals within the GI production
zone in 2008
All the stakeholders are now collaborating within the GI management organization (KSPA) in
order to carry out the following collective actions:
- quality improvement through: the development of specifications; the
establishment of a quality control plan; implementation of quality control
measures; and capacity-building and awareness-raising for producers and
processing enterprises to enable them to meet the specifications;
- communication and promotion: with technical assistance from ADI, a
promotion strategy, tools and an action plan were developed for Kampong
Speu palm sugar; the promotion action started in the second week of
September 2009;
- registration of Kampong Speu palm sugar: the process is under way and it is
expected that official registration will be obtained before the end of 2009.
5
Figure 3. Logos of Kampong Speu palm sugar developed jointly by ADI and the
stakeholders involved
Quality control is important in assuring consumers of the quality and credibility of the
product. With a view to improving quality, control and traceability systems were established,
and the first internal monitoring measures were implemented with support from the PGI
Project. An internal control committee has been set up within KSPA, while stakeholders’
capacities have been boosted and the control plan is well on the way to completion.
6
Initial registration of producers:
- signing of an undertaking to meet the specifications and comply with the
control rules;
- verification of compliance (at the plantation level).
Record keeping:
- registers of production volumes and sales by producers (see Figure 4 below);
- registers of purchases, modification of batches and sales by other operators.
In order to ensure the traceability of products during the control or inspection process, each
producer has to fill out and present complete documentation in a “producer’s folder”,
comprising a certificate of KSPA membership, certificates of delivery and a register of
volumes. These forms and files were designed with support from the PGI Project, which also
helped to train producers in filling out the forms.
Figure 4. Kampong Speu palm sugar producer’s register of volumes (sugar powder – 2009
season)
The selection of an accredited external control and certification body is under way. In this
connection, the long-term question of control costs and accessibility must be discussed,
especially from next year when the project will end.
7
6. Impact analysis
Perception by stakeholders
Although Kampong Speu palm sugar is not yet registered and protected by GI law, all the
stakeholders encountered during the present study expressed hope for the future. The
foundation of the GI management organization, the participatory development of the
specifications, the commitment of producers and processing enterprises to follow the
specifications and the establishment of a control system are among key factors leading to
quality improvement. Moreover, stakeholders hope that project support for the marketing and
promotion of Kampong Speu palm sugar will raise consumers’ awareness of the efforts of
producers and processing enterprises to improve quality and establish a quality guarantee
system.
The process to establish the Kampong Speu palm sugar GI started in mid-2007, but has yet to
be completed, which means that Kampong Speu palm sugar is not yet marketed and protected
as a GI product. However, during the establishment process, certain positive impacts on rural
development and its economic and social aspects can be observed:
Collaboration among producers and between producers and market operators has been
built up and strengthened thanks to the establishment of the GI management organization
and its operation to defend and manage the Kampong Speu palm sugar GI, thus improving
social cohesion and protecting traditions and expertise. However, the poorest producers
will face some difficulty in adopting the specifications due to a lack of investment capital.
As a result of improved quality and closer collaboration among producers and market
operators, the farmgate price of palm sugar is slightly higher and more stable (see Table 3
above). Moreover, producers have been able to sell their produce faster and more easily.
Some private enterprises, especially Confirel, plan to purchase larger quantities of
Kampong Speu palm sugar next year, which will increase cash income for palm
producers’ households.
Despite various difficulties faced in the process of quality improvement, producers are
more motivated and committed to exploiting palm trees as part of their households’
livelihoods, thanks to awareness-raising, communication and promotion regarding the
products, combined with improved market results this year. This situation will lead to a
reduction in the felling of palm trees, a reduction in the seasonal migration of villagers to
seek work elsewhere, and the preservation of culinary traditions.
8
These and other impacts, such as the promotion of tourism, can be better assessed over the
forthcoming five years when Kampong Speu palm sugar is marketed and protected as a GI
product.
Costs
To improve and ensure the quality and specific nature of Kampong Speu palm sugar,
producers and other operators have to meet additional costs, which can be estimated as
follows:
- internal control: US$8–15 per producer per year (US$8 if one internal inspection
per year, US$15 if two internal inspections per year); the cost will be lower if the
number of KSPA members increases);
- external control: US$10–30 per producer per year (estimate based on Confirel’s
costs for external control of organic palm products by an international
certification body);
- production materials: US$20–40 per producer per year (improved cooking stoves,
other small tools and implements, new packaging and labelling materials).
While the minimum costs are affordable for producers, the maximum costs seem too high for
them in the current situation, depending very much on the sugar price obtained each year.
However, most producers expect to have access to better markets with higher prices after
quality improvement and official GI recognition.
The newly founded KSPA requires organizational and managerial support to make it more
efficient and effective. It has to set up a control mechanism, a promotion strategy and a
protection mechanism in order to ensure the image and increased value of Kampong Speu
palm sugar. And for this purpose it requires external support until it is able to run things
effectively on its own.
Processing enterprises and market operators need to develop marketing and promotion
strategies in order to add value to the various forms of Kampong Speu palm sugar as GI
products. Research is also needed in order to diversify the forms of palm sugar product that
can be conserved for longer periods and used for a range of purposes.
9
7. Conclusions and recommendations
Considering the motivation and participation of palm sugar producers in the GI registration
process and the results obtained to date, it can be concluded that the pilot case has been
successful, although it is too early to assess the impact on producers’ livelihoods. However, in
terms of the GI establishment process, the pilot Kampong Speu palm sugar GI process is a
good example for other potential products in Cambodia.
Although a Kampong Speu palm sugar GI organization has been established, specifications
for the product have been developed and approved, application of the specifications have been
reinforced with a clear control system and a product promotion strategy has been formulated,
the sustainability of the GI system for Kampong Speu palm sugar will depend on the future
market for the products and on how much added value producers can obtain through quality
improvement and a traceability system. It will also depend on how far Kampong Speu palm
sugar can be protected by a GI law, in other words, the effectiveness of the protection
mechanism and the efficiency of law enforcement.
Strengths:
- collective organization of stakeholders, with a participatory approach;
- involvement of all the links in the supply chain – farmers, processors and distributors
(processors and distributors are also motivated in the process);
- strong, clear support from the Cambodian Government for GI development;
- the fact that market remuneration will encourage producers.
Weaknesses:
- the fact that the pilot project benefited from considerable external support, so that it
may be hard to replicate such support for future Cambodian GI processes;
- the need for further support before the organization becomes autonomous;
- costs of the certification system that are too high for producers in the current situation
(i.e. with the present selling price of sugar);
- possible exclusion of small-scale farmers, because they are unable to comply with the
specifications, inasmuch as they may not be able to make the initial investments
required and/or fill out the monitoring and traceability documents;
- risk of over-exploitation, leading to a negative impact on natural resources, if
producers do not adapt innovations regarding energy saving: the planting of fast-
growing trees and the adoption of fuel-saving stoves.
External support is therefore needed, especially in order to ensure a strong pilot GI process to
demonstrate the benefits of the GI concept to rural producers and local development, and thus
attract other potential GI producers and operators to organize themselves to manage and
protect their own products. In addition, the GI concept and its benefits should be more widely
promoted among producers and consumers.
10
References
François, M., Prak, S. et al. Indications géographiques au Cambodge. Phnom Penh, GRET-
CEDAC, 2006.
Prak, S., Tan, C. et al. Kampong Speu palm sugar production and commodity chain. PGI
Project, 2007.
Brun, J.-M. Pilot project for geographical indications protection in Cambodia. Quarterly
Activity Report 1-7. PGI Project, 2009.
Sarang, S., Heang, C. et al. Survey on market of packaged and labelled palm sugar in
Cambodia. PGI Project, 2008.
Mahe, J.-P. Marketing opportunities for the products of the sugar palm trees in Oudong
District. Department of Forestry and Wildlife/GTZ, 2000.
Mahe, J.-P. The sugar palm tree in Cambodia: analysis and development potential.
REPLIC/PRASAC, 2000.
11
Annex : Methodology
Some key informants were identified during this stage of the study. Interview with key
informants were conducted in order to get information on their experiences and knowledge as
well as their own perceptions on the sector.
For this field survey a meeting workshop of the study team was conducted to develop
a questionnaire for household interview and a checklist for stakeholder meeting interview.
Then the field survey was conducted through the following process:
- First step: meeting with district authority and district offices of agriculture in the 4
target districts to get available data on palm trees and palm sugar production and to
identify communes with significant palm sugar production in each district. During
the meeting, the study team made some time to introduce the GI concept and to
present the PGI project in Cambodia to participants of the meeting. The perception
on the management and protection of Kampong Speu palm sugar quality link to its
production area was also consulted.
12
- Second step: the potential communes identified during the first step were visited
and meetings were conducted with commune council and chiefs of the villages in
each target commune. This meeting aimed at getting additional available data and
to identify villages with significant palm sugar production in ah target commune.
As in the case of meetings at district level, the concept of GI and PGI project in
Cambodia was presented and the perception on the management and protection of
Kampong Speu palm sugar quality link to its production area was also consulted.
- Third step: With assistance from village chiefs and key informants in the target
villages identified during the 2nd step meeting, the survey team could identify palm
sap and palm sugar producers in each target village and randomly selected 3 to 5
producers per village interviews.
Through the above process of meetings and interviews we have identified 38 potential
villages in term of production volume and number of producers. The 38 potential villages are
located in 20 communes of the 4 target districts. House hold interviews were conducted with
106 producers in the 38 villages (see the list of the interviews in annex).
Number of
Local
Name of district Number Commune Village Producer
collectors
Total 15 251 No data No data
Ou Dong
Target studied 5 8 21 4
Total 15 296 No data No data
Samroung Tong
Target studied 8 10 39 1
Total 13 236 No data No data
Kong Pisey
Target studied 2 9 25 2
Total 16 287 No data No data
Ang Snoul
Target studied 5 11 21 3
Total of the 4 Total 59 1070 No data No data
districts Target studied 20 38 106 10
13
4. Interview with market operators
Two separate checklists were developed for interview with market operators including
local collectors, wholesalers and retailers who commercialize palm sap and different form of
processed palm saps (mainly palm sugars). Ten local collectors and wholesalers were
interviewed on their business and perception on quality management and protection of
Kampong Speu palm sugar under IG legislation. Retailer, distributors and exporters of
packaged and labeled palm sugar products were also selected for interview (see the list of the
interviews in annex)
14