Imports Fill the Gap as Domestic Silk Production Dwindles
Cambodia is importing hundreds of tons of silk from China and Vietnam to compensate for a fast-declining domestic industry, which is suffering due to producers opting to grow other crops instead or raising silk worms, according to silk producers. Men Sinoeun, director of the Artisans’ Association of Cambodia, which represents silk product makers across the country, said that Cambodia imports 300 to 350 tons of silk each year from China and Vietnam to supply local makers of items such as bags, krama scarves and other apparel. While demand abroad and domestically is strong for Cambodian silk, Cambodia only produced between 4 and 5 tons of silk in 2011. That amount is expected to drop even further to between 1 and 2 tons this year, Mr. Sinoeun said, adding that many silk producers are now choosing to grow cassava over raising silk worms. …
