World Textile And Apparel Trade And Production Trends

Textile and clothing output fell sharply in the EU in the first six months of 2009, and declined at double digit rates in almost all member states for which data are available.

The falls reflected declining export demand for EU-made goods as well as falling domestic sales as a result of the global economic crisis and recession in many countries. Total exports to countries outside the EU were 17.9% lower, with sales of textiles down by 20.4% and clothing by 14.9%. Within the EU, Italy was the largest textile exporter, followed closely by Germany. The largest destination for EU textile exports was the USA, followed by Tunisia and Turkey. Italy was also the biggest exporter of clothing, followed at some distance by Germany and France. The largest destination for

EU clothing exports was Switzerland, followed by Russia and the USA. Imports also fell significantly as EU consumer spending weakened, and retailers and distributors cut back on inventories. The fall also reflected weaker demand for raw materials as activity in the textile and clothing industry was curtailed. Total EU textile and clothing imports were down by 8.5% in value, reflecting a 12.7% fall in internal trade, although imports from outside the EU were down by only 3.5%. Of the total, textile imports from outside the EU fell in value by 18.2%. Clothing imports from outside the EU, on the other hand, rose in value by 2.3% but fell in volume by 7.7%, reflecting a rise in the average import price. The leading external supplier of textiles was China, followed by Turkey and India. In clothing, the leading supplier was China followed by Turkey, Bangladesh and India. Many suppliers increased their prices in order to maintain or raise their revenues in the face of falling order volumes. Only two of the EU's 20 leading clothing suppliers increased their deliveries in volume terms—namely India and the USA—but nine increased their value.

Source : articlesbase