Walmart to buy more Cambodian garments, footwear in 2018

Walmart will raise orders of Cambodian garments and footwear products this year and will also start buying travel goods manufactured in the southeast Asian nation, according to the company. The announcement follows an escalating diplomatic row between Cambodia and Western nations who have criticised its government’s crackdown on opposition and civil society.

In a letter addressed to Cambodia’s minister of labour Ith Samheng in December, Walmart said Cambodia is a key element in the corporation’s international supply chain and it will help Cambodian manufacturers increase competitiveness, productivity and efficiency, according to a report in a Cambodian newspaper.

Walmart officials visited the country in early November to meet top government officials and visit local factories and expressed satisfaction over the quality of garments, footwear and luggage products bearing the ‘Made in Cambodia’ label.

The Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia (GMAC) has also expressed its satisfaction with the American company’s commitments and policy.

Cambodian commerce minister Pan Sorasak recently said European and US buyers have already placed a high number of orders for 2018.