Cambodia's garment exports to US support at least 1.8 million people

Garment workers in Phnom Penh.

Published: 20-Jan-12

PHNOM PENH (Cambodia Herald) - American imports of Cambodian clothing and footwear help support at least 1.8 million people, a US embassy official said.

"The Cambodian Ministry of Commerce estimates that this 400,000-employee industry supports approximately 1.8 million people with a payroll totaling $32 million from garment factories and $5 million from footwear," said the official, who asked not to be named.

The United States is the largest market for Cambodian clothing and footwear exports, the largest and fastest-growing non-farm industry accounting for 90 percent of export revenues.

Garment exports increased 26 percent from a year earlier in 2010 and similar growth is expected to have occurred in 2011, although figures for the full year are not yet available.

In 2010, Cambodia ranked as America's 73rd largest trading partner with $2.5 billion in total trade. Annual exports to the United States have ranged from $1.9 to $2.5 billion since 2006.

The top five exports to the United States in 2010 were knit apparel ($1.5 billion), woven apparel ($692 million), miscellaneous textiles ($21 million), footwear ($15 million) and plastics ($13 million). US imports of agricultural products from Cambodia were $6 million in 2010.