Cambodia's apparel exports to US defies COVID impact, economic odds

Multiple countries faced a decline in their apparel exports during 2020 due to global lockdowns and disruptions. But the exports from Cambodia increased to $2.953 billion in 2020 from $2.730 billion in 2019. The shipment from Cambodia had witnessed a continued rise in preceding years as well, amounting to $2.164 billion in 2017, $2.447 billion in 2018 and $2.730 billion in 2019, according to Fibre2Fashion’s market insight tool TexPro. 

Cambodia exported apparel worth $3.935 billion in the first ten months of 2022, which is higher than the exports of $3.522 billion in 2021. The exports are expected to be $4.2 billion for the full year 2022. Therefore, the shipment is expected to register an overall growth of more than 20 per cent on an annual basis, as per TexPro. 

Global textiles sector faced serious challenges during the second half of 2022 because of high inflation. Large number of brands cut their imports of apparel as consumers had reduced discretionary expenses due to high inflation. However, Cambodia managed to maintain its momentum in apparel exports despite the global economic slowdown. 

ALCHEMPro News Desk (KUL)