THE price of imported raw silk decreased to US$44 per kilogram even as raw silk production fell off, according to industry insiders.
Imported raw silk dropped 12 per cent to $44 per kilogram compared to $50 per kilogram last May.
Cambodia Craft Federation CEO Soeng Kemyun, said the dwindling price of raw silk should be an advantage for local producers, but has not yet reached that stage. “The price of raw silk slightly decreased, but not enough for craftsmen to easily purchase it and process it for export. A price under $30 per kilogram would be better,” he said.
Silk exports to Europe have dropped as no orders are being filed due to the euro crisis, he continued.
Keo Mony, deputy director of Khmer Silk Village, a silk association in Kompong Cham, Prey Veng, Takeo provinces, said the drop in price was due to importers drawing on many raw silk producers.
He believed the price won’t decrease further, however. Raw silk production decreased around 20 to 30 per cent, because the youths who work in the sector have begun to seek other jobs, according to Keo Mony.
Cambodia needs between 400 to 500 tonnes of raw silk per year for its craft sector, with it mainly imported from China and Vietnam as Cambodia only produces five to six tonnes per year.
The import of silk would lessen if local productivity decreases as well, Soeng Kemyun said.
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