US net textile and apparel fibre imports increased for the third consecutive year in calendar 2019, as consumer demand for clothing remained strong. Net imports surpassed 17.6 billion raw-fibre-equivalent pounds in 2019, nearly 2 per cent above a year earlier, according to the ‘Cotton and Wool Outlook’ report of the US Department of agriculture (USDA).
Total fibre product imports approached 21.0 billion pounds in 2019, compared with more than 20.8 billion pounds in 2018, the Economic Research Service of the USDA said in its March 2019 report.
Meanwhile, US textile and apparel exports in 2019 declined 4 per cent to 3.3 billion pounds, the lowest in a decade.
Net imports of synthetic textile and apparel products increased for the 10th consecutive year in 2019—as the popularity of athleisure wear kept demand for synthetics strong—with synthetic products accounting for the largest share of total net imports for each of the past six years, the USDA report said.
In 2019, synthetic textile and apparel products accounted for 51 per cent of the total, while cotton products contributed 42 per cent, and linen, wool, and silk combined for an additional 7 per cent. Although cotton’s share of total net fibre product imports had steadily decreased since 2007, the 2019 share appeared to have stabilised near the 2018 level, the report added.
