Posted on 2 December 2008
The Mirror, Vol. 12, No. 589
“No one knows the fate of the garment sector in Cambodia in 2009 well; some said that it will be good, while some said that it will be bad if the world still suffers from a financial crisis.
“The president of the Cambodian Free Trade Union of Workers, Mr. Chea Mony, said on 27 November 2008 that he cannot forecast the situation of the Cambodia garment sector for 2009, but he said that this sector will not be severely affected.
“He added, ‘I cannot forecast, but so far, the garment sector of Cambodia does not yet have problems.’
“He went on to say that so far, the financial crisis is spreading, but good companies still place buying orders in Cambodia.
“Regarding the same problem, Mr. Chuon Momthol, the president of the League of Cambodian Trade Unions, said on the same day that if the financial crisis still continues, the fate of the Cambodian garment sector will be seriously affected, because most of the big markets for Cambodia are also the root causes of the crisis. He continued to say that now, the big markets for the garment industry in Cambodia are the United States and Europe; therefore, if these countries are affected, their citizens will stop buying, and we will be affected.
“He continued, ‘During the three month since the spreading of the crisis started, I received information that 101 small and big factories closed temporarily, and some had closed permanently because they did not have any buying orders. He added that among all factories, some have between 5,000 and 10,000 workers.
“Mr. Chea Mony seems to have different information and ideas from Mr. Thol, as he says that so far, 30 factories have closed, and there are up to 60 new factories. This is a positive sign.
“He added, ‘If the Cambodian garment sector were affected, why would the number of factories increase from more than 400 to more than 500 at present?’
“He went on to say that 29 big companies continue to have contracts to buy garment products from Cambodia, and moreover, recently some factories relocated from Vietnam and from Thailand to Cambodia.
“He continued that in Cambodia, factories will not easily close, because Cambodia is one of the Least Developed Countries that produces garments for the rich countries; as for other countries like Thailand, Malaysia, or Vietnam, they seems to have less interest in the garment sector, because they are concentrating on other [higher valued] products.
“An official of the Garment Manufacturers’ Association in Cambodia, [the External Affairs Manager] Mr. Kaing Monika, said on 28 November 2008 that the Association worries because of this crisis. The influence of the global financial crisis exists, and recently, the Association heard that many shops selling garments, both wholesale and retail, in the United States, started to close, and the future of buying orders is no longer clear.’
“He added that ‘generally, in previous years at this point of time, we saw that there were buying orders until May and June, but now, there are buying orders only to January and February.’
“He went on to say that in September and October, our garment factories did not face a crisis, but now, since November, the crisis started gradually.
“Relating to the closing of factories, he said that he does not have the numbers, because some factories are not members of the Association; however, some factories have closed.
“He pointed out, ‘The Association had 310 factories as members, but when we met at the Ministry of Commerce recently, only 285 factories were left.’
“So far, there are two types of factories, and most of the factories registered in the Association are factories that produce garments for direct export, while other factories are subcontracting factories.
“By October 2008, the export rate of garment products of Cambodia reached US$2,1 billion, but it dropped by about 1% compared to the same period in 2007.”
Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.16, #4756, 30-1.11-12.2008
Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:
Monday, 1 December 2008
The Mirror, Vol. 12, No. 589
“No one knows the fate of the garment sector in Cambodia in 2009 well; some said that it will be good, while some said that it will be bad if the world still suffers from a financial crisis.
“The president of the Cambodian Free Trade Union of Workers, Mr. Chea Mony, said on 27 November 2008 that he cannot forecast the situation of the Cambodia garment sector for 2009, but he said that this sector will not be severely affected.
“He added, ‘I cannot forecast, but so far, the garment sector of Cambodia does not yet have problems.’
“He went on to say that so far, the financial crisis is spreading, but good companies still place buying orders in Cambodia.
“Regarding the same problem, Mr. Chuon Momthol, the president of the League of Cambodian Trade Unions, said on the same day that if the financial crisis still continues, the fate of the Cambodian garment sector will be seriously affected, because most of the big markets for Cambodia are also the root causes of the crisis. He continued to say that now, the big markets for the garment industry in Cambodia are the United States and Europe; therefore, if these countries are affected, their citizens will stop buying, and we will be affected.
“He continued, ‘During the three month since the spreading of the crisis started, I received information that 101 small and big factories closed temporarily, and some had closed permanently because they did not have any buying orders. He added that among all factories, some have between 5,000 and 10,000 workers.
“Mr. Chea Mony seems to have different information and ideas from Mr. Thol, as he says that so far, 30 factories have closed, and there are up to 60 new factories. This is a positive sign.
“He added, ‘If the Cambodian garment sector were affected, why would the number of factories increase from more than 400 to more than 500 at present?’
“He went on to say that 29 big companies continue to have contracts to buy garment products from Cambodia, and moreover, recently some factories relocated from Vietnam and from Thailand to Cambodia.
“He continued that in Cambodia, factories will not easily close, because Cambodia is one of the Least Developed Countries that produces garments for the rich countries; as for other countries like Thailand, Malaysia, or Vietnam, they seems to have less interest in the garment sector, because they are concentrating on other [higher valued] products.
“An official of the Garment Manufacturers’ Association in Cambodia, [the External Affairs Manager] Mr. Kaing Monika, said on 28 November 2008 that the Association worries because of this crisis. The influence of the global financial crisis exists, and recently, the Association heard that many shops selling garments, both wholesale and retail, in the United States, started to close, and the future of buying orders is no longer clear.’
“He added that ‘generally, in previous years at this point of time, we saw that there were buying orders until May and June, but now, there are buying orders only to January and February.’
“He went on to say that in September and October, our garment factories did not face a crisis, but now, since November, the crisis started gradually.
“Relating to the closing of factories, he said that he does not have the numbers, because some factories are not members of the Association; however, some factories have closed.
“He pointed out, ‘The Association had 310 factories as members, but when we met at the Ministry of Commerce recently, only 285 factories were left.’
“So far, there are two types of factories, and most of the factories registered in the Association are factories that produce garments for direct export, while other factories are subcontracting factories.
“By October 2008, the export rate of garment products of Cambodia reached US$2,1 billion, but it dropped by about 1% compared to the same period in 2007.”
Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.16, #4756, 30-1.11-12.2008
Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:
Monday, 1 December 2008
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