Textile Industry Fears End of MultiFiber Agreement

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 LIMA 000068 SIPDIS DEPT FOR WHA/AND, WHA/EPSC, EB/TPP/ABT TREASURY FOR OASIA/INL COMMERCE FOR 4331/MAC/WH/MCAMERON USDA FOR FAS/ITP/GRUNENDFELDER SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KTEX ETRD ECON PGOV PREL PE SUBJECT: Textile Industry Fears End of MultiFiber Agreement REF: A) 04 Lima 5816 B) 04 Lima 5445 ¶1. (SBU) Summary. The Peruvian Government fears that the termination of the World Trade Organization's MultiFiber Agreement (MFA) on January 1 will limit the Peruvian textile industry's ability to compete on both the domestic and international markets. The textile industry accounted for approximately 10 percent of exports in 2004 and its leaders are politically well connected. The GOP in October implemented temporary textile safeguards on 20 specific products in an effort to protect its domestic market. The real challenge to Peru, however, is not in protecting the domestic market but rather in ensuring Peru's international competitiveness, as Chinese garment exports may threaten Peru's textile trade. End Summary. Peruvian Textile Industry -------------- ¶2. (U) Peru has a vibrant textile and apparel sector, which has grown almost 25 percent since the implementation of ATPDEA in 2002. According to Ministry of Trade and Tourism (Mincetur) estimates, over 150,000 individuals are gainfully employed in the Peruvian textile sector. The industry manufactures many types of clothing, including high-end pima cotton shirts and pants as well as standard quality apparel. The textile industry uses both imported and locally produced cotton and wool in its products. Local textile officials argue that by using first-rate Peruvian grown cotton and wool, they produce higher-quality apparel than other countries, giving them a unique niche in the international textile market. ¶3. (U) Textile and apparel products account for approximately 10 percent of Peru's exports. Through January - October 2004, Peru exported $883.3 million in textiles and apparel, Peru's fourth-largest export. According to Mincetur, 63 percent ($516 million) of Peruvian textile exports in 2003 went to the United States (which only accounted for two percent of U.S. textile imports). The export of textiles to the United States has increased in recent years, due primarily to ATPDEA benefits. Exports grew 21 percent from 2002-2003. -------------- -------------- Peruvian Textile Exports, 2002-2004* -------------- -------------- USD, millions Percent Share 2002 2003 2004 2002 2003 2004* -------------- -------------- Textiles 144.5 165.0 170.0 1.9 2.1 1.7 Apparel 532.1 654.0 709.3 6.9 8.5 7.0 Txtl/Appl 676.7 819.0 883.3 8.8 10.6 8.7 Total Expts 7722.9 8965.6 10064.7 100.0 100.0 100.0 -------------- -------------- Source: INEI (Statistics Bureau),Central Bank *Through October 2004 Protecting the Domestic Market -------------- ¶4. (U) GOP officials fear that the January 1, 2005 termination of the MultiFiber Agreement (MFA) will threaten the ability of its textile industry to compete both domestically and internationally. Peru has already faced increasing competition from China in its domestic market; textile imports from China tripled from $6.0 million in 1997 to $17.6 million in 2003. The Ministry of Labor estimates the industry has lost approximately 40,000 jobs since 2000. ¶5. (SBU) In an effort to protect the domestic market from a potential flood of Chinese products, the GOP in October imposed temporary safeguards on 20 sensitive products, including shirts, pants, sweaters, coats and jackets, t- shirts, and sheets. (Note: These safeguards are an extension of the safeguards implemented in November 2003 on 106 Chinese products. End note.) These items, which represented 48 percent of Peru's total textile imports from China in 2003, will be subject to a tax of 12-28 percent, depending on the item, upon entry. Peru is, to date, the only country in the world to impose textile safeguard measures against China. The GOP, however, has yet to enforce the new safeguards. GOP officials have also mentioned the possibility of negotiating a bilateral accord with China on preferential tariffs when Vice President Zeng Qinghong visits Lima in late January. Fear the Dragon: China Threatens Peruvian Exports -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Several local consulting firms conducted impact analysis on the apparel safeguards and concluded that there is no clear evidence that Chinese products will damage the local industry. They did, however, indicate that Chinese exports to the United States and the European Union could displace Peruvian textile exports. According to Macroconsult, the textile industry could lose as much as 30 percent of sales to the United States in 2005 and as many as 50,000 jobs over the next three years. Although the textile industry produces high-quality products, the overall cost of Peruvian textiles is 40-50 percent higher than Chinese costs. ¶7. (SBU) Guillermo Arbe, Chief Global Analyst at Apoyo Consultants, told us December 15 that he believes Peru will have zero growth in textile exports in 2005. The damage, he said, will occur in several ways. First, China, with 50 percent lower production costs, will increase production and sell its lower-priced basic apparel products on the world market. Even though 45 percent of Peruvian textile production is basic apparel, the industry's higher prices will likely make it unable to compete effectively against Chinese products. Second, other textile producing countries displaced by China may shift their production to higher- quality products, threatening Peru's niche market. Thus, competition will come from not only China, but from other textile producing countries. Some Government Officials Confident -------------- ¶8. (SBU) Although the textile industry fears the worst, GOP officials have gone on record, confidently stating that Peru should not feel threatened by Chinese competition. Ministry of Production officials argue that Peruvian production of high-quality goods (made from pima and tanguis cotton and alpaca wool) place Peruvian textiles in a different class than lower-quality Chinese products. Ministry of Production officials argue that the textile industry should focus on exporting higher-quality products to stave off Chinese competition. ¶9. (U) GOP officials emphasize that Chinese-imposed export duties on 148 specific items of clothing and textiles show serious effort on the part of the Chinese government to limit the competitive threat to other textile-producing economies. Officials are also confident that other countries, including the U.S. and the EU, may impose their own safeguards, thus guaranteeing market access for Peruvian products. Need for Improved Efficiency, Competitiveness -------------- - ¶10. (SBU) Mincetur officials explain that in order to compete with China in the long term, Peru needs to improve its competitiveness. Julio Chan, APEC Director at Mincetur, informed us December 27 that the textile industry must develop more efficient techniques, update machinery, and focus on producing higher-quality products. The industry, he complained, wants government protection so that it does not have to implement any necessary and costly changes. Unfortunately, without industry-led change, he continued, the textile industry may die a quick death. ¶11. (SBU) Chan also indicated that, to improve Peru's overall competitiveness, the GOP must undertake a broad effort to improve the quality of its seaports, which have some of the highest rates in the Western Hemisphere, and reduce the high average costs of labor (currently $1.68 an hour compared to $.69/hour in China). Comment -------------- ¶12. (SBU) Peru is the only country to date that has placed safeguards on Chinese products. Although protecting the domestic industry is important, in the post-MFA world the GOP must now focus on ways to improve the competitiveness of Peruvian textiles on the international market. Without key improvements, it is likely the textile industry could lose up to a third of its export sales. STRUBLE