OTEXA stats suggest, apparel import values of US have slumped 11 per cent in February ’20. The country imported $5.91 billion worth of apparels in February, 2020 as against $6.66 billion in the same month of the prior year. In volume-terms, USA fell by 12 per cent and imports stood at $2 billion SME. As expected, China’s RMG export to US nosedived drastically by 46 per cent and 36 per cent in values and volumes, respectively.

China exported 579.68 million SME of garments to USA in February which is worth $1.08 billion. Markedly, export of China in value-terms is down by almost half as in February 2019, the shipment valued at $2.01 billion.

Volumes from Vietnam saw marginal surge of 0.3 per cent and shipment of RMG to US valued at $1.06 billion, marking 2.80 per cent growth. Bangladesh maintained its positive performance both in values and SME terms. The country shipped $ 28.47 million worth of RMG to USA in February ’20, noting 4.80 per cent growth on Y-o-Y basis, while volumes – 189.73 million SME – picked up by 7.30 per cent.

India too noted growth in both values and volumes by 4.70 per cent and 7.60 per cent, respectively, in its RMG export to USA in February. USA’s apparel import fell majorly because of China in February but COVID-19 pandemic escalated in other manufacturing destinations as well as US itself from March onwards, which forced buyers to halt their production, forced Governments to impose lockdown and furlough the workers.