The garment industry’s gridlock due to a crackdown on illegal trucks continued through the Chinese New Year, potentially prolonging a crisis that members of garment and trucking associations have said threatens their industries.
An open letter released on Wednesday by the Garment Manufacturer’s Association in Cambodia (GMAC) claimed the crackdown had affected more than half of the trucks used to transport goods to and from garment factories, which form the backbone of Cambodia’s export economy.
Siv Chanthy, president of the Cambodia Freight Forwarders Association, had a meeting with Transportation Minister Sun Chanthol on Wednesday to find a solution to the problems, but he said yesterday the issue was not yet resolved.
“Until now, I have not heard any solutions from the ministry yet,” Chanthy said yesterday, adding that many factories had not needed trucks for the past few days due to Chinese New Year, which is not a public holiday but is widely celebrated in Cambodia.
“We are looking to see what the impact will be on transportation companies after this holiday, and will estimate the cost of the impact,” he said.
Kaing Monika, deputy secretary-general of GMAC, said on Wednesday that issues related to the crackdown would have significant negative effects on the garment industry if they were not resolved “within this week”. Monika could not be reached yesterday.
