By Liza Casabona with contributions from Kristi Ellis
Women's Wear Daily
WASHINGTON — Apparel brands, retailers and Cambodian officials are urging duty free benefits for Cambodia, the eighth-largest apparel supplier to the U.S., arguing the move would help the country stay competitive at a crucial time.
During a program last month marking the 10th anniversary of the Better Factories Cambodia project, an initiative to improve labor compliance in the Cambodian garment industry, speakers said the competitiveness of the country’s apparel industry is threatened by the economic environment as well as the lifting of quotas last year on garment imports from China and the conclusion of the Vietnam monitoring program, also last year.
The quotas and the monitoring program “gave Cambodia room to breathe” as the country built its garment sector, said Cham Prasidh, senior minister and minister of commerce. However, the end of those programs “started an onslaught.” Dozens of factories have closed and more than 50,000 jobs have been lost as a result of production shifts to other countries, Prasidh said.
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