XN000022-1977-02-24 — Page 4

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1977

TEXTILE QUOTA UTILISATION POSITION

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THE COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT TODAY PUBLISHED THE END OF JANUARY 1977 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 FREE QUOTAS FOR CERTAIN CATEGORIES AND MARKETS WERE STILL AVAILABLE ON 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 EEC, HONG KONG'S TWO MAJOR TEXTILE MARKETS.

US A

IN THE FIRST FOUR MONTHS OF THE TEXTILE RESTRAINT PERIOD WHICH BEGAN ON OCTOBER 1, 1976, TOTAL QUOTAS USED AMOUNTED TO 221.45 MILLION EQUIVALENT SQ. YDS. OR 23.48 PER CENT OF THE OVERALL RESTRAINT LIMIT. FIGURES SHOWING THE QUANTITIES LICENSED FOR EXPORT AND PERCENTAGE UTILISATION ON A GROUP BASIS ARE SET OUT BELOW :

QUANTITY LICENSED

(IN MILLION EQUIVALENT

PERCENTAGE UTILISATION

GROUP

DESCRIPTION

YARNS AND FABRICS OF

AGAINST

SQ. YDS.)

GROUP LIMITS

44.97

17.45

COTTON AND MAN-MADE

FIBRES

APPAREL OF COTTON

159.21

27.20

AND MAN-MADE FIBRES

MADE-UPS AND MISCELLANEOUS

12.68

21.80

ARTICLES OF COTTON AND

MAN-MADE FIBRES

IV

WOOL TEXTILES AND APPAREL

4.58

10.90

OF THE CATEGORIES SUBJECT TO SPECIFIC LIMIT IN THE HONG KONG/US TEXTILE AGREEMENT, THE RATE OF UTILISATION IN SEVEN OUT OF 21 CATEGORIES COULD BE DESCRIBED AS RELATIVELY HIGH. THESE SEVEN CATEGORIES WERE CATEGORY 41/42/43/62(2) (COTTON KNIT T-SHIRTS, OTHER KNIT SHIRTS AND BLOUSES, EXCEPT SWEAT-SHIRTS), CATEGORY 48 (COTTON RAINCOATS, 3/4 LENGTH OR LONGER, NOT KNIT), CATEGORY 49/63(2) (COTTON COATS AND JACKETS, OTHER THAN RAINCOATS OF 3/4 LENGTH OR LONGER, NOT KNIT), CATEGORY 50/51 (COTTON TROUSERS, SLACKS AND SHORTS, NOT KNIT), CATEGORY 54/63(1) (COTTON PLAYSUITS, SUNŠUITS, WASHSUÏTS, CREEPERS, ROMPERS, ETC. AND ENTIRETIES, NOT KNIT)

NOT KNIT), CATEGORY 229 (MMF COATS, NOT KNIT) AND CATEGORY 237 (MMF SUITS, NOT KNIT).

/EEC