XN000022-1978-05-02 — Page 4

TUESDAY, MAY 2, 1978

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TEXTILE QUOTA UTILISATION POSITION

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THE TRADE, INDUSTRY AND CUSTOMS DEPARTMENT TODAY PUBLISHED THE END-OF-MARCH 1978 FIGURES ON THE UTILISATION OF QUOTA IN RESPECT OF MARKETS TO WHICH HONG KONG'S TEXTILES EXPORTS ARE RESTRAINED.

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

US A

THE CURRENT 12-MONTH U.S. TEXTILE RESTRAINT PERIOD BEGAN ON JANUARY 1, 1978. QUOTA USED IN THE FIRST THREE MONTHS AMOUNTED TO 180.55 MILLION EQUIVALENT SQ. YDS. OR 18.85 PER CENT OF THE OVERALL RESTRAINT LIMIT. FIGURES SHOWING THE QUANTITIES LICENSED FOR EXPORT AND PERCENTAGES OF UTILISATION ON A GROUP BASIS ARE SET OUT BELOW:

GROUP

DESCRIPTION

YARNS AND FABRICS OF

COTTON AND MAN-MADE FIBRES

QUANTITY LICENSED (IN MILLION

PERCENTAGE UTILISATION

EQUIVALENT

AGAINST

SQ. YDS.)

GROUP LIMITS

36.62

13.99

ti

APPAREL OF COTTON AND

127.01

21.36

MAN-MADE FIBRES

111

MADE-UPS AND MISCELLANEOUS

12.61

21.34

ARTICLES OF COTTON AND MAN-MADE FIBRES

IV WOOL TEXTILES AND APPAREL

4.30

10.21

OF THE 24 CATEGORIES SUBJECT TO SPECIFIC LIMITS IN THE HONG KONG/U.S. TEXTILE AGREEMENT, THE RATE OF UTILISATION IN FIVE OF THEM COULD BE DESCRIBED AS RELATIVELY HIGH. THESE FIVE CATEGORIES WERE CATEGORY 331 (COTTON GLOVES), CATEGORY 338/339 (COTTON KNIT SHIRTS AND BLOUSES INCLUDING T-SHIRTS AND SWEATSHIRTS), CATEGORY 347/348 (COTTON OUTER TROUSERS, SLACKS AND SHORTS), CATEGORY 638/639 (MMF KNIT SHIRTS AND BLOUSES INCLUDING T-SHIRTS) AND CATEGORY 649 (ERASSIERES, ETC.).