Koh Trong Pomelos (or grapefruits)

The South-East Asian grapefruit, or pomelo, stands out for its green colour, crunchy texture and particularly sweet taste. Koh Trong just happens to be bursting with these citrus fruits – they’re even the best in Cambodia, so much so that they were awarded a Protected Geographical Indication in June 2018!

As you stroll around the island, you’re sure to spot beautiful grapefruit trees bending under the weight of their enormous fruits.  The island is overflowing with these trees, more than 13,000 to be exact, spread over 35 hectares. Made famous in the 1960s, citrus fruits are harvested twice a year, in October-November and March-April.

The PGI has encouraged local farmers to increase their production, but for a fruit that is not specific to the region, as it is also grown in Kompong Cham and further afield in Battambang, this is not without its risks…

After rising sales in the region, mainly thanks to tourism as a result of the citrus fruit’s high profile in the media, it is now struggling to ride the wave of the PGI. In Phnom Penh, for example, market stalls prefer to sell grapefruits from Battambang, which are not certified, because they cost only $2.5 a piece, a dollar less than those from Koh Trong.

The Koh Trong pomelos growers’ association has obviously not said its last word. For them, if sales have not yet exploded across Cambodia, it is because the quality and history of this fruit are not well known in the country. So now they want to work on marketing and communication to get the Khmers interested in these citrus fruits.