Picking green oranges in Pursat

Once surpassed by Battambang province in green orange production, Pursat remains, historically, the cradle of cultivation and harvesting of these famous fruits highly appreciated by Cambodians and travelers. Located 200 kilometers north and a 5-hour drive from Phnom Penh, the city of Pursat is popular among local and international tourists who want to taste these citrus fruits directly at their harvesting site.

Many villages, on the edge of the Cardamom Mountains, situated a few kilometers west of Pursat, still today have numerous farms and orange orchards. This cultivation was first introduced to this region in Cambodia during the French Protectorate, which lasted 90 years between 1863 and 1953. The reputation of Pursat's green orange has remained in the collective imagination. The citrus is sought after for its sweet and tangy taste. It has the advantage of growing throughout the year despite a peak during the rainy season. The branches of the orange trees often bear the weight of the numerous fruits that grow during this time of year.

The opportunity to pick them directly

The landscapes of Pursat province, contrasted by the highest mountains in the country and, downstream, the vast expanses of orange groves and other lush rice fields, provide a picturesque and bucolic aspect to this discovery. The new National Road 55 crosses the forests and mountains of the Cardamoms from Pursat to the Thai border.

It is therefore easy to stroll through the orchards and stop at various farms to learn more about this cultivation. The exceptional setting further enhances the desire to taste these oranges at the source. While they can certainly be found in markets in major Cambodian cities like Siem Reap or Phnom Penh, their flavor is incomparable to that of fruits picked directly from the tree.

The orchards of these fruit trees would cover 3,000 hectares in the province of Pursat alone, and the farms are widely accessible. Farmers warmly welcome travelers and regularly offer to pick ripe green oranges directly from the tree to experience the best taste. These farmers are also inclined to sell their produce, with a basket of about forty oranges costing around 6 US dollars.