In the first four months of 2024, apparel imports, which constitute the bulk of US textile imports, fell by 6.00 per cent to $23.689 billion from $25.202 billion in the same months in 2023. Non-apparel imports saw a 3.97 per cent rise to $8.845 billion, up from $8.507 billion previously, as reported by the US Department of Commerce’s Major Shippers Report. Both categories have experienced contradictory trend in inbound shipments.

The apparel imports from Cambodia gained by 7.92 per cent over shipments in the same period of the last year. Shipments from Vietnam inched up by 0.31 per cent in the period under review. The significant declines were from Bangladesh and Indonesia, falling by 14.44 per cent and 8.46 per cent, respectively. Other significant reductions included imports from Mexico (10.64 per cent), Nicaragua (2.26 per cent), and India (5.02 per cent).

In the non-apparel sector, imports gained by 8.67 per cent from China and 14.38 per cent from Turkiye, 14.68 per cent from Vietnam, 7.88 per cent from India, and 3.09 per cent from Cambodia. Mexican shipments to the US showed a year-on-year decrease of 5.08 per cent. Imports declined from other countries, including Vietnam, Pakistan, and Canada.

During the period under review, total US imports of textiles and apparel amounted to $32.534 billion. Man-made fibre products dominated with $16.563 billion, followed by cotton products at $13.626 billion, wool products at $950.914 million, and silk and vegetable fibre products at $1,393.749 million.

In 2023, the US imported textiles worth $104.959 billion, which was 20.51 per cent lower than the imports in 2022. Its apparel imports fell by 22.05 per cent to $77.840 billion, while non-apparel imports saw a 15.73 per cent decline to $27.119 billion.

In 2022, US imports of textiles and apparel had risen reaching $132.201 billion, up from $113.938 billion in 2021. This increase followed a sharp decline in 2020 when the country’s inbound shipments dropped to $89.596 billion, compared with imports of $111.033 billion in 2019.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KUL)