The Textile and Apparel Industry in Developing Countries

Abstract The textile and apparel industry is the gate of choice for most developing countries in their quest to step into industrialization. The ease of entry into this field and the abnormally high wages in developed countries have created favorable conditions for the manufacturing and the exportation of textile and apparel derived products. At the same time, this unique situation has effected a cutthroat competition among the many actors while fueling an intense protectionism in many developed countries where the export markets are found. However, paradoxically, it is the U.S. trade policies that have been the common factor in the flourishing of the textile and apparel industry in many countries and regions around the world. From Asia, this generous openness has in time reached the Caribbean region and finally Sub-Saharan Africa. The evolution of this fluid industry in developing countries is examined within the boundaries of the textile and apparel managed trade agreements. It is argued that successes in this field must come from the combined efforts of the local government's industrial and trade policies, the entrepreneurial prowess of the private sector and the flexibility and the work ethic of the labor force. From the SE Asia NICs, to the Caribbean states and the Sub-Saharan African region, the synergy created by the U.S. trade policies and the local capabilities is shown to be the major ingredient for the development of the textile and apparel sector in scores of developing countries.