Phnom Penh , August 25 (VNA) – Every year, Cambodia imports over 400 tonnes of raw silk at a cost of some 25 million USD in order to meet the massive demand for handmade silk products in the country.
According to Cambodia ’s news agency AKP, the soaring demand for silk coincides with an increase in the number of souvenir-hungry foreign tourists visiting the country.
Trading of silk products has been on the increase since 2010 after Cambodia ’s tourism industry became more developed.
Local silk manufacturers soon became dependent on the tourism high season as they have far more foreign customers than domestic ones.
Each year, the country produces around 2,400,000 metres of silk textiles, providing jobs for over 25,000 Cambodians and earning the state revenue of as much as 50 million USD, according to figures released by the Ministry of Commerce.
Vietnam News Agency
