Harvest season is always a tense time for Cambodian longan farmer Oeum Raksa, but this year the 31-year-old is particularly nervous.
Even in normal circumstances, Raksa has less than three days after picking the tropical tree-growing fruit to sell to wholesalers. These buyers then must quickly move it to processing factories in Thailand to prolong its shelf life.
This year, however, COVID-19 border restrictions and recent contamination issues have brought longan exports to Thailand to a virtual halt, resulting in tons of fruit spoiling, according to local media reports.
