Peru's polo shirt exports to US rise marginally in Jan-May

25 Jul '14

2 min read

The exports of polo shirts (T-shirts with a collar) from Peru to the US increased marginally by 1.6 percent to US$ 182.8 million in the first five months of this year, compared to exports of $179.8 million in the corresponding period of last year, according to Exporters Association (Adex).

The US was the main destination for Peruvian polo shirts and its imports totaled $119.3 million, registering a growth of 16.2 percent year-on-year during the five-month period.

The unit cost of Peruvian polo shirts exported to the North American market worked out to $5.74, which was much higher than the value of polo shirts from other countries, according to Adex. This is because Peruvian garments are made using fabrics that have higher level of innovation and finishing, and hence they fetch better price in the export market.

Peruvian apparel exports in the first five months of the year earned US$ 477 million, representing a decline of 7.6 percent year-on-year. T-shirts accounted for 38 percent of this shipment.

During January-May 2014, exports of Peruvian pima cotton T-shirts recorded a rise of 5.3 percent year-on-year, whereas synthetic fibre T-shirt exports recorded a jump of 39.6 percent year-on-year.

Under the free trade agreement (FTA), Peruvian apparel can enter the US market duty-free, but Peruvian exporters are not able to take full advantage of the FTA because it does not have enough textile mills to make fabric from synthetic fibres that go into the making of apparel.

According to figures from Banco Central de Reserva del Peru (BCRP), the exports of textiles, excluding apparel, climbed 33.8 percent to $252 million in January-May 2014, compared to shipments valued at $189 million in the corresponding period last year.

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India

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