Cambodia is preparing a new wave of crocodile exports, with more than 3,000 reptiles set to be shipped to China and Vietnam next month, in a move aimed at stabilising the industry and reducing reliance on middlemen, according to Kiripost.

According to Ouk Vibol, Director of the Fisheries Conservation Department, the Chinese-owned Siem Reap Kowloon International Trading Co Ltd will send over 1,000 adult crocodiles to China, following an earlier batch of 1,700 shipped in February. The firm has previously worked with the Meanchey Crocodile Farming Community to export 1,100 adults and 6,000 juveniles.

Meanwhile, the Siem Reap Angkor Crocodile Farming Community has secured inspection permits from both Cambodian and Vietnamese authorities to export around 2,000 crocodiles to Vietnam.

China remains the world’s largest buyer of live Siamese crocodiles, accounting for nearly 80% of global imports between 2010 and 2020. Demand is driven by luxury leather goods and meat consumption. A CITES database shows that in the same decade, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam exported almost 400,000 skins and more than 80,000 crocodile bodies worldwide.

Crocodile farming in Cambodia operates under strict CITES regulations, as Siamese crocodiles are classified as endangered. The country currently has around 200 farms, with 65,000 breeding stock capable of producing 250,000 hatchlings annually. Of these, 21 farms are registered with the CITES Secretariat, enabling them to export legally.

Despite this potential, the industry faces challenges. Vibol noted that middlemen often undercut prices and engage in illegal exports, undermining trust between farming communities and trading firms. The Fisheries Administration and CITES are now working to promote fair business practices, encourage farm registration, and curb illicit trade.

A UN Environment Programme study in 2021 highlighted a decline in the global crocodile skin trade since 2013, though nearly 4mn skins were still traded between 2017 and 2019. Cambodia mainly supplies skins for handbags, shoes and belts, though crocodile meat is also sold in markets.

Prices in Cambodia have fluctuated sharply. Baby crocodiles once fetched as little as $0.38 each, but this year rates have rebounded, with one-month-old crocodiles selling for between $7 and $12.