Cambodia Exports Up 9% Despite Troubled Year

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — Cambodia’s apparel and footwear exports rose 9 percent in 2014 to $5.83 billion, withstanding the tumultuous year that the industry experienced. Beginning in January last year when government authorities opened fire on workers protesting for a higher minimum wage and killing at least five, the sector has been experiencing tensions. Unionists and workers were arrested for their participation in protests, while minimum wage negotiations between unions and the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia (GMAC) reached an impasse. International brands sourcing from Cambodia’s factories also reduced their orders in 2014, citing the government’s repression of workers’ rights and the industrial unrest. While GMAC had previously predicted a doomsday scenario for the sector — which generated $5.3 billion in exports for 2013 — figures from the ministry show that exports to the European Union grew by 26 percent to $2.4 billion, while to Canada and Japan, they increased 9 percent and 21 percent, respectively. Only exports to the U.S. dropped, by 3 percent, generating $1.94 billion compared with 2013’s $2 billion. The overall 9 percent growth is in line with yearly figures provided by GMAC, which show an annual increase of about 10 percent from 2011 to 2013. The industry saw

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