US textile and apparel imports up 30%+ in first half

The import of textiles and apparel by the US continues to grow fast, rising by 30.97 per cent to $66.308 billion in the first six months of 2022, compared to $50.626 billion in the same period of 2021. With a 26.8 per cent share China continues to be the largest supplier of textiles and clothing to the US, followed by Vietnam with 13.87 per cent.

Apparel made up the bulk of textiles and garments imported by the US in January-June 2022, and were valued at $49.578 billion, while non-apparel imports accounted for $16.729 billion, according to the latest Major Shippers Report, released by the US department of commerce.

Segment-wise, among the top 10 apparel suppliers to the US, imports from Bangladesh and Indonesia shot up by 60.30 per cent and 60.27 per cent year-on-year respectively. Imports from India and Cambodia too grew 57.27 per cent and 52.52 per cent respectively. Additionally, imports from Pakistan, which is among the top 10 suppliers, registered a growth of 49.99 per cent compared to the same period of the previous year.

In the non-apparel category, among the top 10 suppliers, imports from Cambodia soared by 73.09 per cent year-on-year. Imports from Vietnam and Italy climbed 29.02 per cent and 27.54 per cent respectively. On the other hand, imports from Turkey dipped by 8 per cent.

Of the total US textile and apparel imports of $66.308 billion during the period under review, cotton products were worth $29.541 billion, while man-made fibre products accounted for $33.396 billion, followed by $1648.531 million of wool products, and $1721.557 million of products from silk and vegetable fibres.

In 2020, US textile and apparel imports had decreased sharply, mainly on account of pandemic-induced disruption, to $89.596 billion compared to imports of $111.033 billion in 2019. But imports rebounded again in 2021 to surpass the pre-pandemic level and ended at $113.938 billion.

The latest import figures indicate that US economy is witnessing a fast recovery, and the world’s largest economy is continuing to support economic recovery in developing countries.