Apparel manufacturing
The African apparel manufacturing sector received a major boost in 2001 when the United States included garments in the list of products eligible for duty-free access to the United States market under AGOA. This provided not only a waiver of US import duties - generally in the region of 15-30% ad valorum - but also gave African manufacturers a critical advantage over producers located in low-cost countries like China and Bangladesh which faced effective quota constraints and high tariffs on their products when shipped into the United States.
Since then, some of this advantage has been lost, not least due to the fact that quotas on Africa's competitors were removed under WTO rules.
Today, the apparel manufacturing sector has demonstrated a measure of resilience and continues to compete in the US market. Leading Sub-Saharan African exporters of apparel are Lesotho, Mauritius, Kenya, Swaziland, Madagascar and Ethiopia.
Find a link to AGOA trade data in the apparel sector at this link.
Download related documents
Overview of US textile requirements
The slides in this presentation are intended to be used in a training event with verbal elaboration by a knowledgeable presenter. The slides highlight key U.S. product safety requirements for this discussion. The text is not a comprehensive statement of legal requirements or policy and should not be relied upon for that purpose. You should consult official versions of U.S. statutes and regulations, as well as published CPSC guidance when...
Overview of the Cotton, Textile and Apparel Sectors in East Africa Region and Benchmarking with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh
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US end-market analysis for Kenyan textiles and apparel
The apparel market in the United States (U.S.) is the largest in the world with a market value of $343 billion. In 2016, the U.S. imported apparel worth $105 billion, up from $88 billion in 2015 and $82 billion in 2014.1 U.S. consumers spent $312 billion on apparel. Ten countries account for almost 80 percent of all U.S. apparel imports with China topping the list with a 30 percent share. While Kenya does not yet stand among these countries,...
Federal Register Announcement - Apparel Quotas 2015-2016
For the one-year period, beginning on October 1, 2015, and extending through September 30, 2016, the aggregate quantity of imports eligible for preferential treatment under these provisions is 1,935,096,830 square meters equivalent. Of this amount, 967,548,415 square meters equivalent is available to apparel articles imported under the special rule for lesser- developed countries.
Federal Register Announcement - Apparel Quotas 2014-2015
For the one-year period, beginning on October 1, 2014, and extending through September 30, 2015 the aggregate quantity of imports eligible for preferential treatment under these provisions is 1,833,741,923 square meters equivalent. Of this amount, 916,870,961 square meters equivalent is available to apparel articles imported under the special rule for lesser- developed countries.
Findings into the commercial availability of denim fabric under AGOA
The Commission's determinations on denim fabric and estimates of the amount of regional African denim fabric that will be available during the 12-month period beginning October 1, 2007, for use in less developed beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries in the production of denim apparel receiving U.S. duty free treatment.
Textiles and Apparel: Assessment of the competitiveness of certain foreign suppliers to the US (2004)
USITC report (declassified in January 2004) assessing the competitiveness of various textile and apparel supply-countries to the US market. As requested by the USTR, the report assesses the textile and apparel industries of certain foreign suppliers to the U.S. market with respect to their competitiveness and other factors pertinent to their adjustment to the final completion of the phaseout of quotas on January 1, 2005, as required by the...
2003 Assessment of the competitiveness of textiles and apparel suppliers to the US market (Executive Summary)
This is the 10-page executive summary of a report assessing the competitiveness of various textile and apparel supply-countries to the US market. A full version of this recently declassified report is also available for download elsewhere on this page.
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