The United States is the key buyer and the main market for Cambodian garment and textile industry. Although the US is now the second biggest importing market after Europe, it is still big and worth billions of dollars. So the Cambodian industry is trying to work with buyers from the United States and get them to place more orders.

Total Cambodian exports to the US dipped about three per cent in the first quarter of the year compared with the same period last year. This drop in exports to the US in the first quarter is seen as mainly due to the current electoral campaign in the US and the rise of new exporting countries like Myanmar.

Cambodia is now the US’ 70th largest goods trading partner with three billion dollars in total between the two countries. The garment and footwear industry represents 70 per cent of Cambodia’s total exports and employs more than 7,00,000 workers. Total exports from the sector were worth $6.3 billion last year, a slight increase of 7.6 per cent from the previous year. The country is working on ensuring that freedom of association and the right to organize are respected throughout the supply chain in Cambodia.