Battambang Economy

The Battambang Rice were the principal exports of Cambodia, but exports fell sharply after the onset of the civil war, which put most of the rubber plantations out of operation. By the 1990s, however, rubber plantings had been undertaken as part of a national recovery program. When we talk about tropical fruites, the Battambang orange is the most famouse among the people. Until recently, inadequate transportation hampered exploitation of the country's vast forests, but by the mid-1990s timber had become the largest source of export income.

Exploitation of mineral resources like phosphate rock, limestone, semiprecious stones, and salt supports important local mining operations. Inflation was 1.6% in 2002, whereas official unemployment figures amounted to 2.6%. Due to closed Thailand there is quite a lot of financial influx from foreign (Thai) investors.