Garment Exports Surge 28.2 per cent in Jan-August

Vietnam’s textile and garment exports are estimated to increase 28.2 per cent on-year to reach US$3.93 billion in the first eight months of 2006, said General Statistics Office (GSO).

 

The US is the biggest market of Vietnamese textiles and garments with the import value accounting for nearly half of the above turnovers, said the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (Vitas).

 

In the period, Vietnam also imported an estimate of $1.31 billion worth of textile and garment materials and accessories and leather, down 10.2 per cent on-year.

 

After the country joins the World Trade Organization (WTO), hopefully later this year, it will export more garments and textiles, especially to the US, and attract more foreign investors in the domestic apparel industry, Vietnamese Deputy Industry Minister Bui Xuan Khu said recently.

 

Vietnam is estimated to reap $5.5 billion from exporting garments and textiles, mainly to the European Union and the US in 2006, up 14.6 per cent against last year.