Cambodia’s garment, footwear exports drop by half in Q2 due to COVID-19 hinh anh 1Illustrative image (Photo: Internet)
 
Phnom Penh (VNA) – Cambodia’s exports of garments and footwear are forecasted to drop by 50-60 percent in the second quarter due to impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Spokesperson of the Cambodian Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training Heng Sour said the exports in the first quarter decreased by 80 percent year-on-year, when the COVID-19 broke out in the EU and the US, the two largest markets of Cambodia’s garment products, in February.
 
In the latter half of April, about ten more garment factories in Cambodia had to halt operation, affecting more than 6,000 workers. During the time they had to suspend working, the workers were paid 70 USD each month, in which 40 USD was from the Government and 30 USD from their employer.

According to Heng Sour, so far 130 garment factories in Cambodia have suspended operations due to a sharp decline in purchase orders caused by the COVID-19 outbreak, affecting 100,000 workers.

According to data from the Cambodian Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation, the Southeast Asian country is home to 1,099 factories operating in textiles, footwear and handbag industries./.
VNA