XN000022-1976-07-22 — Page 5

THURSDAY, JULY 22, 1976

TEXTILE QUOTA POSITION

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THE COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT TODAY PUBLISHED THE END OF JUNE 1976 FIGURES ON THE UTILISATION OF QUOTAS IN RESPECT OF ALL RESTRAINED MARKETS.

COMMENTING ON THE FIGURES, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT SAID THAT WHILST THE RATE OF UTILISATION WAS HIGH IN A NUMBER OF CATEGORIES TO CERTAIN MARKETS, THE FLEXIBILITY PROVISIONS IN THE AGREEMENTS COULD ENABLE HONG KONG TO EXPORT UP TO CERTAIN SPECIFIED PERCENTAGES OVER AND ABOVE THE RESTRAINT LIMITS.

HE ALSO POINTED OUT THAT FREE QUOTAS FOR CERTAIN CATEGORIES AND MARKETS WERE STILL AVAILABLE FOR APPLICATION AND INTERESTED PARTIES SHOULD GET IN TOUCH WITH THE DEPARTMENT FOR FURTHER DETAILS.

FOLLOWING IS A BRIEF OUTLINE OF THE QUOTA POSITION OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE EEC, HONG KONG'S TWO MAJOR TEXTILE MARKETS.

USA

IN THE FIRST NINE MONTHS OF THE US TEXTILE RESTRAINT PERIOD WHICH BEGAN ON OCTOBER 1, 1975, TOTAL QUOTAS USED AMOUNTED TO 579 MILLION EQUIVALENT SQ. YDS. OR 65 PER CENT OF THE OVERALL ANNUAL LIMIT.

FIGURES SHOWING THE QUANTITIES LICENSED FOR EXPORTS AND PERCENTAGE UTILISATION ON A GROUP BASIS ARE SET OUT BELOW:

PERCENTAGE

UTILISATION AGAINST

GROUP LIMITS

QUANTITY

DESCRIPTION

LICENSED

GROUP

YARNS AND FABRICS OF COTTON AND MAN-MADE FIBRES

150.9

62%

GROUP H

APPAREL OF COTTON AND MAN-MADE FIBRES

386.1

70%

GROUP I

MADE-UPS AND MISCELLAN-

EOUS ARTICLES OF COTTON AND MAN-MADE FIBRES

23.5

436

GROUP IV

WOOL TEXTILE AND

18.6

45%

APPAREL

FIGURES ON QUANTITY LICENSED ARE IN MILLION EQUIVALENT

NOTE:

SQ. YDS.

/OF THE