XN000022-1976-11-23 — Page 5

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1976

TEXTILE QUOTA UTILISATION POSITION

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THE COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT TODAY PUBLISHED THE END OF OCTOBER 1976 FIGURES ON THE UTILISATION OF QUOTA 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.

U.S.A.

THE CURRENT 12-MONTH U.S. TEXTILE RESTRAINT PERIOD BEGAN ON OCTOBER 1, 1976. IN THE FIRST MONTH OF THE NEW RESTRAINT PERIOD, TOTAL QUOTAS USED AMOUNTED TO 46.88 MILLION EQUIVALENT SQ. YDS. OR 4.97 PER CENT OF THE OVERALL RESTRAINT LIMIT. FIGURES SHOWING THE QUANTITIES LICENSED FOR EXPORTS AND PERCENTAGE UTILISATION ON A GROUP BASIS ARE SET OUT BELOW:-

QUANTITY PERCENTAGE UTILISATION LICENSED AGAINST GROUP LIMITS

GROUP

DESCRIPTION

YARNS AND FABRICS OF COTTON AND MAN-MADE FIBRES

3.46

1.34 PER CENT

APPAREL OF COTTON AND MAN- MADE FIBRES

39.06

6.67 PER CENT

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MADE-UPS AND MISCELLANEOUS

2.12

3.65 PER CENT

ARTICLES OF COTTON AND

MAN-MADE FIBRES

IV

WOOL TEXTILES AND APPAREL

2.24

5.32 PER CENT

NOTE: FIGURES ON QUANTITY LICENSED ARE IN MILLION

EQUIVALENT SQ. YDS.

/OF THE