Colombia boosting textile trade

At the 25th Colombiamoda apparel and fashion event, guest speaker Juan Manual Santos Calderón, President of the Colombian Republic, vowed to extend a decree that increased apparel taxes on imports. The Decree 074 stimulated internal apparel production, discouraged the import of counterfeit products and generated jobs in the textile and apparel supply chain. The CEO of Inexmoda, a trade association for apparel manufacturers wanting to export, asked for the government’s support to end the current implementation of the Free Trade Agreement with the U.S. and create an agreement that would allow export of apparel to American markets with fabrics that are produced in any of the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) counties. These countries export without taking advantage of the beneficial aspects of the FTA and would be more likely to use Colombian textiles.