COSTA RICA: TEXTILE AND APPAREL INDUSTRY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 SAN JOSE 002158 SIPDIS WHA/CEN EB/TPP/ABT FOR EHEARTNEY EB FOR WCRAFT BLAMPRON E FOR DEDWARDS WHA/EPSC FOR KURS LGUMBINER COMMERCE/ITA/OTEXA FOR MDANDREA STATE PASS TO USTR FOR RVARGO, NMOORJANI, AHEYLIGER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ETRD ECON KTEX PGOV PREL CS SUBJECT: COSTA RICA: TEXTILE AND APPAREL INDUSTRY REF: A. (A) SECSTATE 146213 ¶B. (B) SAN JOSE 00678 ¶1. Summary: The textile industry in Costa Rica is regarded as efficient and productive. However, the low labor costs of China and the preferential treatment Mexico was granted under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) put the Costa Rican textile industry at a disadvantage. As a result of these and other competitive factors, Costa Rican textile industry exports declined, and employment in the sector more than halved from 1990 through 2004. In 2001, Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI) nations began realizing the benefits of the textile-related provisions of the Caribbean Basin Trade Promotion Act (CBTPA). Although still declining in exports and employment, in recent years the Costa Rican textile industry has maintained viability by concentrating on niche products, leveraging the skills of its efficient workforce, and taking advantage of its relative proximity to the U.S. market. End Summary. -------------- REQUESTED STATISTICS -------------- 2004* Jan-Jun 2005* Total Industrial Production 4,765 2,504 Textile/Apparel Production 630 268 Share of Total Production (%) 13.2 10.7 Total Imports (M) 8,300 4,600 Textile/Apparel Imports 588** 288** Share of M (%) 7.1 6.3 Total Exports (X) 6,300 3,400 Textile/Apparel Exports 547 218 Share of X (%) 8.7 6.4 Total Work Force 1,654,000 1,654,000 Manufacturing Employment (ME) 230,000 230,000 Textile/Apparel Employment 15,000 15,000 Share of ME (%) 6.5 6.5 *Source: The Foreign Trade Corporation of Costa Rica (PROCOMER) and Council of Textile Quotas, all figures in USD millions **Based on information provided by the Costa Rican Textile Chamber ) includes imports into Free Trade Zones. �0A; ¶2. According to GOCR and industry sources, the total number of people directly employed in the textile industry is between 11,000 and 15,000. The GOCR Social Security Agency records approximately 11,000 workers in this industry. However, industry experts claim at least 15,000 direct jobs, as well as another 5,000 jobs that are indirectly tied to the textile industry. There are approximately 67 companies in the industry in Costa Rica. Of the estimated 15,000 employees, approximately two thirds are employed by four large companies including Sara Lee (and its contractors), Vanity Fair (VF),Jockey, and Borkar. Products are varied and include suits, casual style pants, knit shirts, underwear, and clothes with high tech sport fabrics. For the 2004 calendar year, Costa Rica exported USD 546.7 million of textiles, of which USD 523 million went to the U.S. Seventy seven percent of total exports to the U.S. used almost exclusively U.S. inputs to comply with CBTPA rules. ¶3. Recent news about loss of textile and apparel jobs include the closing of Lovable/Celebrity Co.,s operations by the end of September 2005, reportedly due to increased competition from China. Lovable/Celebrity makes women,s underwear and is headquartered in Honduras, has operated in Costa Rica for 33 years, and, at its peak 20 years ago, employed 1,500 workers. The closing of operations in Costa Rica means that 76 workers will have to find other jobs. Lovable/Celebrity is moving work to its other facilities in Honduras due to the pressure to lower labor costs and the fact that Honduras has ratified the United States-Central American-Dominican Republic FTA (CAFTA-DR). A Celebrity representative stated that the textile and apparel sector is facing many threats in Costa Rica such as the GOCR,s indecision about CAFTA-DR. Another large company, Vanity Fair, let 300 workers go in January 2005, and job shedding in the industry is likely to continue. -------------- QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS -------------- ¶4. As requested in Paragraph 5 of Ref A, Post offers the following input. Q1: Are host country products receiving lower prices due to heightened international competition? Have the manufacturers received more, less, or the same number of orders as in years past? Have foreign investors, including Asian investors, closed factories or otherwise pulled out of local production? A1: Prices in the apparel market are declining not only due to the increase in competition, but also because of more effective and efficient production processes and the decline in prices of raw materials, especially fabric. In Costa Rica the companies are receiving the same number of orders as last year. However, due to market forces such as the above-mentioned influences, the value of textile and apparel production is decreasing. Industry sources say that there have not been any Asian investors or Asian-owned textile or apparel manufacturers in Costa Rica for several years. A U.S.-owned producer of relatively low-end children,s clothing, Garan, is moving its operation to El Salvador and to contractors in China. ¶5. Q2: The USG has approved seven safeguards in 2005 to restrict the growth of Chinese imports in those product categories, and the European Union (EU) has reached an agreement with China to limit import growth of certain textiles and apparel products. Have the U.S. safeguards or the EU deal affected the export prospects of (Costa Rican) manufacturers? Has your host government implemented, or is it considering implementing safeguards or other measures to reduce growth of imports of Chinese textiles and apparel products into (Costa Rica)? A2: In the case of socks, industry experts said the safeguards implemented by the U.S. had a positive effect by fomenting some uncertainty, at least in the minds of U.S. buyers, about the potential supply of products from China. That is, since the safeguards potentially limit the importation of socks made in China, supply from Costa Rican sock suppliers was seen as more reliable. Industry experts also revealed that they have discussed the possibility of implementing safeguards in textiles. However, this is a very expensive and time-consuming process in which the sector has to prove damages. Many years ago the Costa Rican Textile Chamber, an industry association, tried to make such a case, and they were not successful. Furthermore, the governmental agency responsible for reviewing such requests, the Ministry of Economy, Industry, and Trade, does not have sufficient personnel to perform such reviews. As a result, neither the industry nor the GOCR is thinking about pursuing safeguards at this time. ¶6. Q3: Has increased global competition affected local labor conditions by causing employers to reduce wages, seek flexibility from government-required minimum wages, or adversely affected union organization? A3: Because Costa Rican textile and apparel manufacturers have survived due to finding niche products, emphasizing efficiency, and employing highly-skilled personnel, neither labor standards nor wages have decreased. Workers are relatively well paid, and their standard of living is high not only compared to their neighbors in Central America but also compared to other countries of the world. Since the majority of exports go to the U.S., labor standards have increased due to complying with the standards of labor certifications which are required by major U.S. buyers. Also, Costa Rica has a relatively strong sense of social egalitarianism, and proposals to suppress the minimum wage would not be looked upon positively and would be highly unlikely to be approved. Note: Inflation is currently a problem in Costa Rica, and wages are not keeping up. The GOCR mandates the annual percentage increase in private and public sector wages and has recently held them to a level below the rate of inflation. Therefore, the real purchasing power of workers, wages of is declining. Although there is a union presence in most factories, the operations are usually funded by the plant owner and are focused more on social issues and activities. The relationships between owners and unions in the textile industry tend to be non-confrontational. ¶7. Q4: Has the government or private industry taken action to increase (Costa Rica,s)competitiveness, such as improving infrastructure, reducing bureaucratic requirements, developing the textiles (fabric production) industry, moving to higher-valued goods, or identifying niche markets. Does Post think that the host government or private industry,s strategy will be successful? A4: During the 1990s, the Costa Rican textile industry was whittled down to those manufacturers that were efficient and/or specialized. Today, the Costa Rican Textile Chamber works actively with the Ministry of Foreign Trade (COMEX) and Customs to increase the efficacy and efficiency of the exporting and importing process. Customs is currently implementing a new registration system for imports, although it is not yet up and running. Reportedly, some technical problems have delayed its full use. The quasi-government organization, the National Association of Industrial Textile Exporters, works with government and private industry to educate them on the different importing/exporting regimens such as the Special 807 requirements and, if and when it takes effect in Costa Rica, the U.S.-Central American-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) requirements. The Textiles Chamber also works with private industry companies to upgrade their capabilities and help steer them to more efficient methods and more customer-friendly services. Many of the companies in Costa Rica have already found niche markets or have begun to offer a broader range of services to their customers. For example, Capas Vaqueros makes GORTEX to produce waterproof jackets and garments, one of very few companies outside of the U.S. that is authorized to do so. Cordero y Chavarria transitioned from only performing cutting and trimming services to offering design and manufacturing services for exercise wear. Coloplast started making prosthesis bras for women who have had mastectomies and now also makes swimwear for the same clientele. With respect to the survival of the textile and apparel industry in Costa Rica, the most productive step the GOCR can take is to expeditiously approve CAFTA-DR, which will facilitate access to the U.S. market. Lack of sufficient infrastructure is an important issue and affects all manufacturers, especially those that are located farther from the port of Limon or the airports in San Jose. Infrastructure improvements are planned to accompany the implementation of CAFTA-DR as part of its complementary agenda. ¶8. Q5: If (Costa Rica) is a partner in a free trade agreement or a beneficiary of a preference program such as AGOA, CBTPA, or ATPDEA, will this be sufficient for the country to remain competitive? A5: As stated previously, many textile and apparel companies have already found their niche products, but still most rely on the preferences granted under CBI/CBTPA to compete against lower cost producers such as China. This industry imports approximately 77 percent of its raw materials from the U.S. and exports most of its finished products to the U.S., which amounted to approximately USD 523 million in 2004. Seventy seven percent of this amount was exported to the U.S. under the Special 807 program. Industry experts see CAFTA-DR as absolutely necessary for the survival of the industry in Costa Rica and the rest of Central America. If Costa Rica has not implemented CAFTA-DR before CBTPA expires in September 2008, it is very unlikely that the Costa Rican textile industry will survive with the exception of a few very special niche products and high-valued items. ¶9. Q6: Overall, if not already addressed, does Post think that (Costa Rica) can be competitive in textiles and apparel exports with the end of global textiles and apparel quotas? A6: With respect to the threat due to low labor costs in China, the full effects of the expiration of global quotas have not yet been felt, and Costa Rica has not yet seen a large migration of textile jobs to places such as China. This is due in part to high efficiency, production of niche products, and the benefits of the Caribbean Basin Trade Preference Act (CBTPA). However, industry experts told us that in 2003 CarterTex moved its operation from Costa Rica to Mexico and then later to China due to lower labor costs; this despite the fact that the factory in Costa Rica was much more efficient than either of those in Mexico or China. If CAFTA-DR is not approved and the benefits of CBTPA go away, experts believe the Costa Rican textile industry will all but disappear. The loss of 15,000 jobs from the textile industry in Costa Rica would affect a population five times that size when family members of workers are included. The only hope to maintain exports of textiles and employment in Costa Rica is to have some advantage in efficiency, labor, and/or trade preferences. Benefits under CBTPA, unless extended, will expire in September 2008. Costa Rican industry representatives are some of the most fervent supporters of CAFTA-DR because the agreement makes permanent the tariff-free exporting to the U.S. of their products. Costa Rican textile and apparel manufacturers will continue to be highly efficient and employ highly-skilled workers. However, it is difficult to see the Costa Rican textile industry being able to contend with the fierce competition from China without the advantage of CAFTA-DR. FRISBIE FRISBIE