PHNOM PENH: Cambodia exported 9.9 billion U.S. dollars worth of garment, footwear, and travel products to international markets in the first 11 months of 2023, down 15 percent from nearly 11.7 billion dollars in the same period last year, said a Ministry of Commerce’s report released on Tuesday.

Apparel and textiles accounted for 7.22 billion dollars during the January-November period this year, marking a decline of 14.8 percent from 8.48 billion dollars in the same period last year, the report said.

Footwear represented 1.21 billion dollars, down 23 percent from 1.57 billion dollars, while travel goods absorbed 1.47 billion dollars, also down 9.8 percent from 1.63 billion dollars, the report added.

Ministry of Commerce’s Secretary of State and Spokesman Penn Sovicheat said key buyers of these products are the European Union, the United States, Canada, and Britain, among others.

“Global economic slowdown, particularly in the European Union, has led to a dip in our exports of garment, footwear, and travel products,” he told Xinhua.

The garment, footwear, and travel goods industry is the biggest foreign exchange earner for the Southeast Asian country. The sector consists of roughly 1,300 factories and branches, employing approximately 840,000 workers, mostly female, according to the Ministry of Labor. Xinhua