Australia's apparel imports rise 9.6% to $4.97 bn in Jul-Jan

Imports of textile yarn, fabrics, and made-up articles (classified under code 65) also rose by 8.62 per cent, reaching Au$2.771 billion (~$1.754 billion) in the first seven months of the current fiscal, compared to Au$2.551 billion in the same period last fiscal. Conversely, fibre imports (classified under code 26) fell by 9.45 per cent to Au$67 million, down from Au$74 million during the period under review.

In January 2025, imports of apparel and clothing accessories increased by 9.21 per cent to Au$1.244 billion, up from Au$1.139 billion in January 2024. Imports of textile yarn, fabrics, made-up articles, and related products rose to Au$410 million in January 2025, compared to Au$367 million in January 2024. Meanwhile, fibre imports declined to Au$9 million from Au$10 million in January 2024.

Meanwhile, Australia's exports of textile fibres (code 26) were valued at Au$4.174 billion (~$2.642 billion) during July 2024–January 2025, marking a 13.52 per cent decrease from Au$4.827 billion in the corresponding period of the previous year. Exports in January 2025 fell by 23.61 per cent to Au$262 million, compared to Au$343 million in January 2024.

In fiscal 2023–24, Australia's apparel and clothing imports totalled Au$12.231 billion (~$7.748 billion), a decline of 5.2 per cent from Au$12.903 billion recorded in 2022–23. Similarly, imports of textile yarn and fabrics dropped by 9.40 per cent, from Au$4.825 billion in 2022–23 to Au$4.371 billion (~$2.767 billion) in 2023–24.

Australia exported textile fibres worth Au$7.053 billion (~$4.465 billion) in 2023–24, representing a decline of 13.97 per cent from Au$8.199 billion in 2022–23. Notably, Australia is a significant producer and exporter of cotton.

ALCHEMPro News Desk (KUL)