High Costs Cripple Trading Firms, Report Says

Import and export companies in Cambodia believe that high costs stemming from burdensome bureaucracy and poor infrastructure are putting them at a disadvantage compared to other firms transporting goods in the region, according to a recently released report by the Asian Development Bank. ...

Surveying 39 export companies from the garment, food and timber industries, the report concludes that businesses in Cambodia feel that the amount of paperwork and clearances needed before goods can leave the country is still too much. Companies are also unhappy with the high costs associated with transportation companies as the outdated trucking fleets that exist.

Despite the concerns, the value of exports from Cambodia increased 11.8 percent to $2.9 billion in the first seven months of the year compared to the same period in 2011. However, more than 80 percent of those exports were comprised of garments.