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Imports:
Knitted Jackets, jumpers etc. of wool, men & boys (Table II)
Production and Consumption:
Argument in Summer 1968:
Total imports Jan-Oct. roɛe only marginally between 1967 and 1968. H.K. imports have risen somewhat faster. Both total and H.K. imports were very heavy in October 1968, being higher than for the whole of the fourth quarter in 1967. Until October, imports were in 1968 consistently lower than in 1967, both from the world and H.K.
H.K. share of imports over the past nine months of the year, rose from 46% to 48.
H.K. is the largest supplier, followed by the U.K. Italy and Denmark. Only Italian imports rose in 1968.
In the first nine months of the year, production fell by nearly fifty per cent, faster than consumption or imports. Production as a percentage of consumption fell in the first nine months of 1968 to under one quarter of the Swedish market and in the third quarter to less than a fifth. However, the very significant rise in imports in October, reversing the trend throughout the year, may herald a rise in consumption which will lead to a rise in production. (No production figure for October are available). Certainly the significant rise in exports in October 1968 would suggest a rise in production.
In summary, for the first nine months of 1968, at least, demand for mens wool jumpers clearly fell. The fall in consumption was more concentrated on home production than imports, though both suffered. The rise in imports in October, may be accompained by a rise in production.
Fall in production was not attributable to a rise in H.K. imports.