FREIGHT traffic at Phnom Penh Autonomous Port is rising this year on increased exports of garments and rice exports, according to its Director Hei Bavy.

Shipments are up 34 percent to 28,144 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in 2011 to the end of May, from the same period last year, port data obtained yesterday shows.

“In the first five months of the year, we have had a strong market for paddy exports to European markets,” he said.

Although garment exports were continuing to increase, Hei Bavy said rice shipments were the fastest-rising category of exports so far this year.

“We saw that paddy exports are the largest factor ensuring an increase in shipments at the port … I am optimistic it [rice exports] will double this year.”

The port has been averaging some 42 containers per week to European nations over the first five months, which generally head down the Mekong river to Vietnam’s Cai Mep deepwater port before shipping to overseas markets.

The PPAP expects freight shipments of about 75,000 TEUs this year, compared with 62,256 TEUs in the same period 2010, he said.

Cambodia’s largest trucking companies echoed claims that the logistics business was on the upswing this year.

“My business has increased by 20 percent in the first five months of 2011, on the back of the economic recovery,” So Nguon, president of So Nguon Group said yesterday.

Shipments of garment products were the main factor in the increase, followed by construction materials, he said.