China supplies over 80% of Cambodia's textile raw materials

11 Sep '23

2 min read

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Insights

In Jan-May 2023, over 80% of Cambodia's textile raw materials were sourced from China, affirming the later's role as a key supplier despite a decrease in imports year-on-year.
While fabric imports stood at $1,651.272 million, a reduction of 17.82% from 2022, China contributed a dominant 83.17%.
Thailand also featured, albeit with a minor share.

Cambodia relies heavily on imports for its textile raw materials, with over 80 per cent of the supply coming from China. Even though there has been a decrease in the import of fabric, yarn, and fibre from China, it remained the predominant supplier during the first five months of this year. In the given period, Cambodia imported fabric worth $1,651.272 million, with 83.17 per cent or $1,373.419 million worth coming from China, indicating a decrease of 17.82 per cent from the $1,671.321 million recorded in the January-May 2022 period, according to Fibre2Fashion's market insight tool TexPro.

While Vietnam is not a significant supplier, Thailand stands as the fourth largest, contributing to 2.90 per cent of Cambodia’s fabric imports between January and May 2023, equating to $47.865 million. This figure represents a decline of 36.06 per cent from the $74.859 million noted in the corresponding period last year.

Delving deeper, Cambodia’s yarn imports amounted to $169.236 million, with a dominant 90.11 per cent share or $152.494 million being supplied by China, a figure lower by 8.98 per cent compared to the same period the previous year. It is important to note that the Cambodian textile industry is more garment-focused, leading to a higher demand for fabric over yarn.

In terms of fibre imports, they were not a focal point for Cambodia, totalling a mere $2.456 million. However, China still led the supplies, accounting for 85.26 per cent or $2.094 million of the total imports. Thailand holds a minor share in Cambodia’s fabric and yarn markets, as per TexPro.

Recent trade statistics reveal that the top suppliers of goods to Cambodia are China, Vietnam, and Thailand, cumulatively accounting for 71.2 per cent of the total imports, valued at $14 billion, in the first seven months of 2023. This is a significant increase from the 57.4 per cent contribution recorded in the same timeframe last year, with the total import value standing at $10 billion. It underscores the considerable reliance of Cambodia on these nations for its supply chain.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KUL)

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This according to Fibre2Fashion's Market Intelligence Tool - TexPro