World Bank: Cambodia sees improvements in logistics performance

Cambodia has seen significant improvements in logistics performance in the last four years, a World Bank's senior official said Wednesday. "According to the World Bank Logistics Performance Index (LPI), Cambodia's LPI ranking has risen spectacularly by 46 places, to 83rd out of 160 countries in 2014, up from 129th four years ago," Gerard McLinden, a World Bank's senior trade facilitation specialist, said via a video conference from Manila during the launching of World Bank Update on Logistics 2014. He said progress in logistics performance in Cambodia was driven by improvement in infrastructure and basic border management reforms. "Today border checkpoints in Cambodia are automated and red tape has been cut," he said. "It takes less time and money to move goods to markets." He said the time to clear customs fell from six days in 2010 to only 1.4 days in 2014 due to automated customs procedures and infrastructure upgrading at Sihanoukville port and at border posts. He said good logistics allow farmers and manufacturers to move their goods to markets efficiently, reduce challenges to exporters supplying overseas customers and allow Cambodia's exporters to integrate more successfully into regional production networks. Continued improvements in logistics will pay off as Cambodia moves into full participation in the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) 2015. According to the World Bank, Cambodia's LPI ranking is lagging behind some ASEAN members such as Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore, but better than Laos and Myanmar.