Swarp Spinning Mills Plc says the firm has benefited indirectly from Africa Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA) through its products that have been re-exported from other countries to the United States.

Swarp marketing director Ranjit Mistry, said the company exported cotton yarn to various countries like Mauritius and to Western Europe.

He said the United States, under the AGOA, had put conditions for countries dealing in clothing to use cotton yarn of African origin.

Mr Mistry said countries like Mauritius could only export clothing to the United States if they used cotton yarn of African origin which in turn provided a ready market for companies like Swarp.

Swarp, which produces 12,000 tonnes of cotton yarn per annum exports 97 per cent of its products.

Swarp was a wholly based export company and that despite having been severely incapacitated during a recent strike, had managed to maintain its export market.

He said the company had to add other cotton varieties from Malawi, though in smaller quantities, for mixing purposes and added value to the yarn by bleaching and dying.

Mr Mistry said Zambia had a surplus of cotton which had contributed to the increase in amount of exports.

And director of administration at the company, Chris Mtonga, said Swarp only started producing viably last September after accruing a substantial loss amounting to US$1.2 million in export revenue during last years strike.

He said the firm, after completion of training in new employees would soon begin achieving high efficiency levels.

Latest AGOA Trade Data on AGOA.info

Click here to view a sector profile of Zambia’s bilateral trade with the United States, disaggregated into total exports and imports, AGOA exports and GSP exports.

For more about AGOA click here .

Other regularly updated trade statistics on AGOA.info include: