Nepal : Apparel Exports To USSurges 43%

According to the data released by Nepal Garment Association the ready-made garment export to the United States increased by 43 percent in July over the same period.Garments valued at 7.98 million US dollars were exported to the United States in July 2003, increasing from 5.56 million dollars in July 2002. The United States is the largest market of Nepal''s garment items exported abroad, consuming some 80 percent of its total garment export.

Nepal''s garment export to the United States has been on an upturn since August 2002, prior to which it had declined for 13 consecutive months. In the past 12 months however, Nepal''s monthly garment export to the United States increased in a range of 30 percent to 112 percent compared with the corresponding period of the previous year.

Similarly, the export of Nepali garment items to Canada also grew continually, although the country consumes only small fractions of the total Nepali garments.

However, the export to the European Union plunged by over 23 percent in July.The garment industry in Nepal is entirely export oriented and accounts for 40 percent of the country''s foreign exchange earnings. It employs over 100,000 workers and sustains the livelihood of over 350,000 people.