Cambodia's garment exports up 17 pct in Q1: gov't reports

PHNOM PENH, April 19 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia had exported garment and textile products in equivalent to 1.14 billion U.S. dollars in the first quarter of 2012, a 17 percent rise from 976 million U.S. dollars at the same period last year, according to the reports of the Commerce Ministry on Thursday.

The United States and European countries are the main buyers, and other clients are Canada, Japan, South Korea, China and some other Asian countries.

Garment industry is the country's largest income earner. The industry consists of 309 factories, employing some 335,400 worker with 91 percent being female.

Last year, the sector had exported products in equivalent to 4. 24 billion U.S. dollars, up 25 percent from a year earlier.