Cambodia is a subsistent agriculture country. Rice and fish are the main food intake of the population. More than eighty percents of the population depends their livelihood on agriculture, natural resources and fishing. Horticulture is a source of livelihood which people who live along the Mekong Delta in particular and can easily access to the water from the Mekong make their living.

However, in recent decade Cambodia relies on many kinds of imported products especially agricultural products from her neighbouring countries, Vietnam and Thailand. Recently, Cambodia signed another trade agreement with China on the Early Harvest Program (EHP) which specifically focus on more acceleration of liberalisation in agriculture. With this, products from China started to flow into Cambodian market at a lower price that local farmer cannot afford to sell their products at this price.

This market observation was carried out as part of the research into the amount of local products available at the local market in Cambodia in order to find out answer to some common questions arises in the research process and to better formulate the questions for the interview with the consumers and sellers at the market. The observation aims to understand the transaction of goods, mainly focusing on fruit and vegetable, between sellers and distributors who brings these products from the villages in areas nearby to Phnom Penh and the origin of the products. For the research team to understand those interactions at the markets, the observation was carried early in the morning in order to catch up with market schedule of the arrival of the products. The observation was carried out in October and November 2006.

The observation looks at quantity of the local and imported products available at the market, of what kinds, and how are the differences can people recognise in term of shape.

There are ten markets in Phnom Penh, Kandal and Kampong Cham province were chosen for the observation. Kandal, Toul Tumpoung, Deom Kor, Chbar Ampov, Century/Por Chentong, markets are the markets in Phnom Penh; Prek Phnov, Koki, Ta Khmao markets are markets in Kandal province and Prey Torteoung and Pha Av market in Kampong Cham province. Although the markets chosen do not represent majority of the market in the three provinces and capital, the research team has carefully chosen the strategic markets where transaction of products are taking place. Deum Kor and Chbar Ampov markets for instance are the heart of all the transaction of both local and imported products and the distribution of products to other markets in Phnom Penh. The team wish to compare the similarity and differences between city and provincial market transaction and that is the reason the market in both province situated closes to the capital are chosen.

The proper time that the team decided to observe is early morning, as early as 3 am in the morning and in some market it can last until 9am. Many villagers come to sell their products to the market sellers and go back in the morning while other come and sell their own products till all are bought up.

Key findings from the observation

• Through the observation we found out that there are vegetable and fruits available on the market are imported from Vietnam, China, Thailand, and the US; some of the fruit and vegetable are of the same type that can produce locally, some are purely of different types.
• There are some certain types of imported products that dominated markets in Cambodia and local farmers cannot/do not produce such as onion, carrot, potato and some certain types kind of cabbages; some types of fruit is also totally imported such as apple, persimmon, grape.
• Imported products clearly have a bigger market share than the local products in Cambodia. Banana is the only type of products that are totally domestic supply. The famous areas growing plantation of banana are in Chamkar Leu district in Kampong Cham province.
• Local products that supply to the markets observed are grown in the areas along the Mekong delta, mainly in Kandal and Kampong Cham province. Famous areas were mentioned by the sellers including Sa Arng, Koh Toch, Arrey Ksat, Koh Korbei, Kien Svay and so on.
• Deum Kor market is the central point for the transaction of goods, fruit, vegetable of both local and imported type of products. The market operates for 24 hours and sellers from various markets in Phnom Penh as well as nearly provinces to Phnom Penh collect their needed products from this market. The biggest distributed market, very busies market in Phnom Penh characterised Deum Kor market.
• Chbar Ampov is also a significant market for the transaction but mainly imported products from Vietnam are supplied at this market.
• The local products sells on the markets are grown in surrounded areas in Kampong Cham, Kampong Speu, Kandal provinces and the areas around the Mekong River.