PHNOM PENH, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia has seen a two-digit rise in the exports of textiles, garments, footwear, and travel goods during the first 10 months of 2024, said a General Department of Customs and Excise's report on Tuesday.
Textiles worth 406 million U.S. dollars were exported during the January-October period this year, a year-on-year increase of 14.5 percent, the report said, adding that garments worth 8 billion dollars were shipped to international markets, up 23.6 percent.
Also, 1.33 billion dollars worth of footwear was exported, up 22 percent, while travel goods equivalent to 1.69 billion dollars were sold to international market, up 20.6 percent, the report added.
Hoe Ee Khor, chief economist of the ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO), said the garments, footwear, and travel goods (GFT) sector remained one of the major drivers for Cambodia's economic growth.
"Growth in the GFT sector is projected to rebound steadily in 2024, driven by stronger demand for consumer goods in major advanced markets," he wrote to Xinhua in a recent e-mail.
The GFT industry is the largest foreign exchange earner for the Southeast Asian country.
The sector currently consists of about 1,538 factories and branches, employing approximately 913,000 workers, mostly female, according to the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training's latest report. ■