Argentina's coat imports soar to 26% of its total apparel trade

Argentina’s total apparel imports reached $265.650 million in the first five months of this year. Of this, coat imports amounted to $69.436 million (26.14 per cent), followed by jerseys at $47.671 million (17.95 per cent), trousers & shorts at $47.317 million (17.81 per cent), T-shirts at $23.032 million (8.67 per cent), and shirts at $13.355 million (5.40 per cent), according to sourcing intelligence tool TexPro.

The share of coats was just 6.73 per cent three years ago in 2022, when they ranked fifth in the country’s garment basket. Interestingly, the category “others” held the top position at that time. “Others” refers not to a single item but to a range of miscellaneous garments grouped together.

In 2022, Argentina’s apparel imports totalled $298.881 million, of which “others” accounted for $82.333 million or 27.55 per cent. Coat imports were valued at just $20.112 million, making up 6.73 per cent of the total. If “others” is counted as one category, coats ranked fifth. Imports of trousers & shorts were $54.518 million (18.24 per cent), jerseys $40.120 million (13.42 per cent), and shirts $24.712 million (8.27 per cent) three years ago.

The country’s apparel imports showed volatility over the past year. Inbound trade jumped 86.61 per cent in the first five months of this year compared to the same period last year. The trade was valued at $142.390 million during the period, according to TexPro.

Argentina’s total apparel imports for the full year 2024 stood at $345.222 million, slightly lower than the $369.813 million recorded in 2023. In 2022, the country imported garments worth $298.881 million, which rose by 23.82 per cent the following year.

ALCHEMPro News Desk (KUL)