GENEVA — China and India reported the biggest gains in textiles and apparel exports in 2005, the first year in which global quotas were lifted, a World Trade Organization report said. Many Latin American and African suppliers, and some Asian countries, had declines.
The survey, “International Trade Statistics, 2006,” revealed that growth in textiles and apparel exports was substantially less than the average product category increase of 13 percent. Global apparel exports in value terms increased 4 percent to $276 billion. Textile exports rose 4 percent to $203 billion. The overall value of global merchandise trade reached $10.1 trillion.
China was ranked the largest exporter of apparel, with shipments valued at $74.1 billion, up 26.9 percent, followed by Hong Kong, with an 8 percent boost to $27.2 billion, and the European Union, with shipments gaining 15 percent to $22.6 billion. Turkey was in fourth place with $11.8 billion in goods, up 18 percent, followed by India with $8.2 billion, a 25 percent increase, the WTO report said.
China’s apparel exports to the U.S. reached $21.1 billion, a 47 percent increase, and accounted for 26.4 percent share of the U.S. market, it said.
Other big gains in apparel exports to the U.S. were posted by India, with shipments up 33 percent to $3.3 billion; Indonesia gained 20 percent to $3.1 billion; Bangladesh was ahead 20 percent to $2.5 billion; Cambodia was up 20 percent to $1.8 billion, and Haiti rose 24 percent to $415 million.
Suppliers that experienced setbacks in exports to the U.S. included Mexico, which registered a 9 percent drop to $6.3 billion and Honduras, down 2 percent to $2.7 billion.
Apparel exports to the U.S. from sub-Saharan African countries also had declines, with shipments from Lesotho down 15 percent to $408 million.
The biggest declines were reported by South Korea, 36 percent, and Taiwan, 26 percent.
The WTO study showed a 13 percent fall in apparel exports from Canada to the U.S. and a 6 percent contraction in shipments originating from the EU. The report also concluded that China and India achieved the biggest increases in the EU market, with apparel shipments from China advancing 43 percent to $23 billion and India gaining 27 percent.
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The report data also clearly outlined, however, that a number of traditional EU suppliers reported falls in exports. These included Tunisia, down 6 percent; Morocco, 7 percent; Romania, 6 percent; Egypt, 3 percent; Bangladesh, 5 percent; Mauritius, 14 percent; Pakistan, 12 percent, and Sri Lanka, 2 percent.
Again, the biggest falls among established suppliers were by South Korea, down 45 percent, and Taiwan, down 34 percent.