Portugal's textile exports rise 3.5% in Jan-Nov'13

16 Jan '14

2 min read

The exports of textiles and apparel from Portugal increased by 3.5 percent year-on-year to €3.935 billion during the first eleven months of 2013, the Textile and Clothing Association of Portugal (ATP) said citing the international trade data released by the National Statistics Institute (INE).

Portuguese textile and clothing industry’s sales outside Europe increased by 10 percent year-on-year, especially to Tunisia (36 percent), the United States (16 percent), Angola (12 percent) China (11 percent) and Switzerland (over 10 percent), ATP said.

This was because of the effort made in diversifying target markets, especially in non-EU markets, Paulo Vaz, director general of ATP said in a statement.

Portuguese textile and garment exports to traditional markets like Sweden, the UK and the Netherlands also registered a growth of 13 percent, 12 percent and 7 percent, respectively.

Despite the crisis, Portugal’s textile and apparel exports to neighbouring Spain rose by 0.7 percent year-on-year.

Segment-wise, the exports of made-up articles, including home textiles, increased at 10 percent year-on-year, while knitwear exports grew by 7 percent y-o-y, during January-November 2013 period.

Knitted fabric exports from Portugal rose by 12 percent y-o-y, while exports of synthetic or artificial fibres increased by 7 percent y-o-y in value.

During the 11-month period, Portugal’s textile and apparel imports also increased. While the EU countries remained the major suppliers, imports from Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and India surged by 86 percent y-o-y, 46 percent, 38 percent and 33 percent respectively.

However, the trade balance of Portugal’s textile and clothing industry registered a surplus of €957 million in the initial 11 months of 2013.

In 2012, Portugal exported textiles and garments worth €4.2 billion. The Portuguese textile and apparel sector accounts for about 155,000 direct jobs.

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India

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