Colombian apparel sector hails govt initiatives

07 Dec '12

2 min read

The new policy measures announced by the Colombian Government to boost the country’s textile and garment sector have been hailed by the Colombian Chamber of Apparel.

The Chamber said the new policy measures, if well implemented and supported by other Government decisions, would boost the performance of the sector next year.

Last week, the Colombian Government had announced three measures aimed at recovery of the country’s ailing textile and apparel sector. The first measure, which will be temporary, is to increase tariff on textile and apparel imports.

Another measure is creation of a special taskforce to combat illegal import of apparels.

President Juan Manuel Santos also announced the Buy Colombian Program for 2013 to boost domestic demand.

Subsequently, Sergio Diaz-Granados, Minister for Commerce, Industry and Tourism, said the textile and apparel industry is crucial to job creation and social stability in the country. Hence, the Government would spare no efforts to increase the productivity or protect the viability of the Colombian textile and clothing sector.

The Chamber said the levy of tariffs on imports would place domestic businesses on a level-playing field with its competitors, especially China.

Inexmoda, the institute for export and fashion, said the taskforce should work sincerely as over 30 percent of the imported textiles and apparels sold in the country are not registered with the customs.

However, the measures declared by the Government do not include any incentive for technological upgradation of the existing manufacturing units.

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India

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