Small Signs Show Investors Slowly Diversifying in Cambodia

The lastest investment data from the government shows that Cambodia’s economy is moving away from the long-trusted staple of the garment sector and into more compplex industries. For more than a decade, garments have accounted for the lion’s share of the country’s export market as investors shied away from opening factories to produce more elaborate consumer items. But while economists say most investments are likely to remain in the country’s labor-intensive industries, there is some evidence that Cambodia is becoming a destination for investors with horizons beyond jeans and T-shirts. According to data from Cambodia’s investment board released this week, a total of 71 projects were approved in the first six months of this year and estimated to be worth a total of $479.68 million. Of those projects, 49 fell inside the garment sector, whose exports have grown by 8.72 percent to $2.1 billion in the first half of the year, and the remaining 22 investments are in light manufacturing and agriculture. …