Compared with 14.5 billion pounds in 2014, US textile and apparel fibre imports rose for a third consecutive year in 2015 to their highest on record, reaching 15.7 billion raw fibre equivalent pounds.
“Total fibre product imports reached 19.4 billion pounds in 2015, also a record and nearly 7 per cent above 2014,” a USDA press release said.Compared with 14.5 billion pounds in 2014, US textile and apparel fibre imports rose for a third consecutive year in 2015 to their highest on record#
Total product exports, on the other hand, were unchanged for the third consecutive year in 2015 at 3.7 billion pounds.
“US net imports consist mostly of cotton and manmade fibre products, as demand for linen, wool, and silk products remain relatively small,” the US agency added.
USDA also observed that with manmade fibre imports expanding steadily in recent years, cotton's share has declined consistently.
In 2015, cotton textile and apparel products accounted for 44 per cent of the total, while manmade fibres contributed nearly 49 per cent.
“By comparison, cotton contributed 54 per cent of the total five years ago, compared with manmade fibres' share of 40 per cent,” USDA noted. (AR)
Fibre2Fashion News Desk – India