São Paulo – Brazilian textile and clothing exports, not counting cotton fibres, totalled US$ 675 million in the first half of the year, representing growth of 20% over the same period of last year. Volume-wise, there was growth of 7.2%, totalling 143,000 tonnes.
Brazilian imports during the period totalled US$ 2.25 billion and 558,000 tonnes, representing growth of 40.2% in value and 63.3% in volume. As a result, the industry ended the first quarter with a US$ 1.5 billion deficit, as against US$ 972 million in the first half of 2009.
Despite the deficit, the figures point to a recovery of the industry’s foreign sales. “Exports have grown in a difficult moment, with unfavourable exchange rates and consumer markets still retracted as a consequence of the crisis,” said Fernando Pimentel, the superintendent director of the Brazilian Textile and Apparel Industry Association (Abit).
According to him, the industry’s exports are now more focused on technological products, such as impregnated fabrics and “non-fabrics” (used, for instance, to make disposable aprons). However, the best-case scenario would be for the country to export more clothing, which is the link of the production chain with the highest added value, and the one whose activities affect all of the other segments, such as yarn, textile mills and knitting factories.
“One kilogram of ‘non-fabric’ is exported for US$ 2.66 and the kilogram of clothing may reach US$ 39.00. It is a very big difference, that is why we need to work harder to sell the finished product,” he said.
According to Pimentel, throughout the first half there was growth in the fields of rugs and carpets, and lace and embroidery. To the director, the country is perfectly able to grow a lot on the foreign market.
“Brazil is the world’s fifth leading producer, it has huge potential for supplying the international market, which comprises 6 billion people,” he said. By the end of the year, the industry should have exported US$ 1.5 billion. The goal is to reach US$ 6 billion within six to seven years. “The companies are already doing their share. Now, it is up to the authorities to develop macro policies to create favourable conditions to the industry and guarantees of competitiveness,” he said. “Brazil is able to grow on this market. The country has quality, technology, design, style.”
Presently, the main target markets for the industry are Argentina, the United States, Mexico, Venezuela, Paraguay and European Union countries. The Arab countries, located in the Middle East and North Africa, account for 5% of the industry’s overall exports, but there is interest from the segment in increasing this share.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
