Textile and clothing exports from Cambodia rose by a healthy 34% during January-October 2011. Much of the growth stemmed from higher demand in the EU market, where sales rose by 48.7% in 2011 as a whole following the EU's decision to relax the rules of origin of its GSP (Generalised System of Preferences) scheme. Sales in the US market, meanwhile, rose by a less rapid 16.9%. Nevertheless, the USA continued to take the lion's share of Cambodian exports.Textile and clothing exports from Indonesia grew by 18.2% in 2011, thanks to strong sales to Japan and China and moderately higher demand in the USA, the EU and South Korea. In addition, domestic demand for clothing in the country continued to surge, with total apparel retail sales up by 55.3% following a 70.9% increase in 2010.In Malaysia, textile and clothing exports rose by 15.9%. However, they accounted for only 1.6% of Malaysia's total exports during the year as these were dominated by the electrical and electronic products sector.In the Philippines, clothing exports rose by 11.4%, due largely to strong increases in sales to the EU and the USA. In the first quarter of 2012, however, export growth slowed to just 1.1% as shipments to the USA declined by 3.7%, although sales to the EU remained upbeat.In Thailand, textile and clothing exports rose by 7.5% in 2011, although they were down sharply in the first quarter of 2012. The rise in 2011 was due primarily to a 13.5% increase in exports to Thailand's Asean neighbours. Exports to the USA, on the other hand, declined by 7.8%. As a result, Asean became Thailand's largest export market in 2011, ahead of the EU in second place and the USA, which fell two places to third position.In Vietnam, textile and clothing exports rose by a significant 41.2% in 2011. The rise was spurred by strong growth in sales to several countries-including China, Japan, Russia and South Korea-as the industry continued to take steps to diversify its markets and product mix. The industry has also taken steps to remain competitive, and in February 2012 it made a commitment to reduce managerial and production costs by 5-9% by the end of the year.
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