TulliCooray, Secretary General, Joint Apparel Association has expressed reservations over achieving the $ 6 billion export target set by the Sri Lankan Government for 2021 given the challenges, and insisted that focus should be to revert to pre-COVID performance.

Cooraysaid that it was difficult to achieve such an ambitious target with very strict health protocols in place due to the pandemic. The industry has not set any targets, but they at least want to achieve the numbers pre-COVID to recover the apparel sector, he added.

In 2020 apparel exports declined by 21 per cent to $ 4.4 billion after posting a 5.1 per cent growth in 2019 from 2018. Last year’s decline reflects the industry’s struggle given the COVID-19 impact globally and locally. Prior to the pandemic the industry forecast was a 6 per cent growth in 2020.

Apparel industry was one of the key export sectors which was severely hit by COVID-19 due to partial or full shutdown in major markets as well as domestically whilst the pandemic also impacted the employees.

Cooray said they are yet to hear from the Government regarding the national Covishield vaccine program, to give priority to vaccinating their labour force. He warned that Sri Lanka was facing stiff competition from other countries that had been able to meet orders, despite having higher COVID-19 patient numbers.

He also said that the demand for global apparel has declined by 30 per cent and thereby posing a greater challenge for the industry and economy at large