Officials Draft Sub-Decree to Develop the Silk Sector

Officials at the Ministry of Commerce met on Friday to draft a sub-decree for the promotion and development of the Cambodian silk sector, but industry experts say the draft does not do enough for the local products used in the production of silk. … The main obstacle for development of Cambodian Silk, he [Suon Prasith] said, is that most silks in Cambodia are imported from abroad; particularly from China. Cambodia imported between 400 and 500 tonnes of silk and produced just four or five tonnes. … A report by the international Trade Center found that the Cambodian weaving industry covered an estimated 200,000 silk weavers who contributed about $25 million annually to Cambodia’s GDP. Seung Kimyonn, director of the Cambodian Craft Cooperation- an NGO working directly with the silk weavers said that while the sub-decree focused on promoting silk products, it did not cover Cambodian produced silks …

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