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In a slowdown context, textile exports kept on growing, reaching the 444 million euros amount this January, an increase of 1.5% when compared to the same period of 2018. The highlight is the growth in sales to Spain, reversing the trend of recent months.
According to the now released data, Spain continues to lead the ranking of Portugal’s main export destinations, with a share of 28.2%. “Contrary to what has been registered in recent months, this market showed a growth of 4.2%, 5 million euros more than in January 2018,” says Paulo Melo, the Portuguese Textile and Clothing Association’s president, noting that “these values have once again set Spain as the highest growth destination for Portuguese textile exports “.
In general, textile exports increased by 2.2%, followed by apparel with 1.6%. Home textiles and other made-up textile articles had zero growth in this period.
The United States was the second fastest growing destination for the Portuguese textile exports, with an increase of around 3 million euros (corresponding to a growth rate of 10.7%), being accountable for 7% of the sector’s exports. Italy maintained the strong growth momentum already shown throughout 2018.