Cambodia Trade Integration Strategy 2014-2018.

The present Cambodia Trade Integration Strategy 2014 – 2018 provides comprehensive information about Cambodia’s trade situation, for instance on market access, composition and distribution of Cambodian exports, trade facilitation and logistics, sanitary and phytosanitary measures and technical standards. The investment environment and intellectual property rights are also examined. The present Strategy provides details on individual sectors (garments, footwear, fisheries, milled rice, cassava, silk tourism etc). For each, information is provided on export value and destinations, trade balance, market access, production, labour and infrastructure factors, and the policy and regulatory framework.
There are 3 underlying principles: 1) Update and strengthen Cambodia’s Trade Sector-Wide Approach (Trade SWAp); 2) Incorporate Government capacity built since 2007 to lead the updating of Cambodia Trade Integration Strategy (CTIS) and Trade SWAp Road Map.; 3) Identify new challenges and incorporate new priorities of Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) for trade development into Trade SWAp.
The Strategy consists of 3 major Pillars. Pillar 1 provides for: Changing Patterns of Trade and Market Access; Trade Facilitation; Trade Logistics ; Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures – Technical Standards Investment Environment for Trade Development Intellectual Property Rights. Pillar II deals with: Processed food, fisheries products, Milled rice, Cassava (II). Pillar III foresees: Bridging the Skill Gap in Export Sectors; Mainstreaming Trade, Mobilizing Aid for Trade, Engaging the Private Sector.
In particular, Pillar Two analysis competitiveness challenges and opportunities in ten key export value chains, among which are processed food; fisheries products; milled rice; cassava; rubber; tourism; silk products. In this connexion, Table 2 on Development Impacts and Strategic Outcomes Trade SWAp 2014-2018 comes to the following conclusions: Outcome 10: Processed Food: Cambodia continues to grow and diversify its processed food sector through new export markets, moving to higher value products, and expanding domestic inputs. Outcome 11: Fisheries Products: A sustainable fisheries sector sees Cambodian exports increase as a result of improved quality, growing production volumes, and strengthened access to markets. Outcome 12: Milled Rice: Cambodia achieves the target set out under the RGC 2010 Rice Policy for export of milled rice. Outcome 13: Cassava: Cambodia consolidates its exports of Cassava through direct exports to such countries as China and Republic of Korea and lessens its dependency on exports of unprocessed tubers to Thailand and Vietnam. Outcome 14 Rubber: Cambodia progresses towards becoming a key producer and exporter of rubber. Outcome 15 Tourism: Cambodia progresses towards RGC’s 2020 target set for Tourism: 8 million foreign visitors. Moreover, the Strategy addresses, inter alia, the folloowing issues; governance, gender, poverty reduction, natural disasters, biodversity.