United States is the main destination for Peruvian exports of apparel.

America’s purchase of Peruvian apparel totalled US$ 300 million in the first half of this year, 21 percent below that sent in the same period in 2011, when imports reached US$ 382 million, according to the Peruvian Association of Exporters (ADEX).

In this regard, Ysabel Segura, Manufacturing Manager at ADEX, Peru’s exporter’s association, said that these figures were issued by the US Office for Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA). “America has represented, throughout the Peruvian clothing export sector’s period of development, the biggest buyer of these items, made up by major clothing brands, and providing excellent high-quality and highly-regarded garments.”

She also emphasized the need for state support in promoting Peruvian clothing to the rest of the world, based on its status as an integrated, quality-driven industry.

She continued, “Of all the Andean countries (Peru, Colombia, Ecuador and Bolivia), Peru is the largest supplier to the United States, where 73 percent of the region’s total is concentrated. Colombia follows with 25.6 percent, with Ecuador and Bolivia at 0.7 percent and 0.6 percent respectively. ”

Pedro Gamio, Chairman of the ADEX Clothing Committee, highlighted the work of exporters, despite facing external problems, such as the international crisis and protectionist measures imposed by Argentina and Brazil, and, on the home front, logistics cost overruns, falling exchange rate, lack of inputs, and other factors. “We need to continue working to open up new markets and identify those that are sustainable over time,” he stated.
Source: El Comercio Peru.