Textile exports exceed pre-pandemic levels

Portuguese exports of textiles and clothing reached €3.1Bn to July 2021 and have already exceeded pre-pandemic levels.

According to the latest figures from the National Statistics Institute (INE) and backed up by figures from the ATP (Portuguese Textile and Clothing Association), Portuguese textile and clothing exports reached €553 million in July and an accumulated €3.1Bn since January, exceeding the pre-pandemic sales recorded in 2019.
The ATP announced that in July the sector’s exports totalled €553 million, increasing by around 4% on July 2019.
It brings the accumulated total for the first six months of the year to €3.1Bn worth of exported goods, registering a small increase of 0.2% on the same period in 2019.
The ATP notes, however, that there are “still huge differences in terms of activities and products.”
On the positive side, sales of bedding, table cloths and kitchen-related textiles soared +€67 million, up 24%. Shirts, cardigans, jackets and woollen articles were +€47 million or +19% while made-up textile articles including dress patterns, textile masks and similar were +€28 million, +162%.
In terms of suits, coats, trousers, jump suits and shorts for men, exports were up +€22 million (45%), articles with 85% or more cotton (+€12 million, +20%) and baby clothes +€11 million, +28%.
On the other hand, clothing products that suffered the greatest falls in this period were ladies suits, coats, dresses, skirts and shorts (€-62 million; -32%) and t-shirts and knitwear vests (€-27 million; -5%).
According to the association, the products that sold the best in both the national and international markets were bedding, table cloths, kitchen fabrics and woollen shirts, cardigans and waistcoats.
In terms of export countries, the markets that were most dynamic were France and the US which grew by €57 million (+14%) and €46 million (+23%) respectively compared to the periods of January to July 2020 and 2019.
Exports to Spain, however, fell by €172 million (-18%).