Textile and Apparel: Mauritius participates at Sourcing at Magic Fair in Las Vegas

Seven large and four medium textile and apparel companies have participated from 15 to 18 February 2016 in the edition of Sourcing at Magic at the Las Vegas Convention Centre, USA. The delegation is being led by Enterprise Mauritius’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Arvind Radhakrisna. The participants are: Flamsafe Maxisoft Ltd, CIEL Group, Ji Yun Knits Ltd, Palmar Knits, Palmar Woven, Star Knitwear, Tara Group, Tex Group, Tropical Garments, V Formula Ltd, and Denim Bay Ld. Sourcing at Magic Fair is known to be one of the largest and the most important textile and apparel exhibition held in the West Coast in Las Vegas. This fair is a focal meeting point for more than 1100 companies coming from over 40 countries. Mauritian manufacturers have been participating in the event since 2009. It offers a unique opportunity to connect with US buyers principally those located in the West Coast. For this edition, there is a lot of emphasis on the long term renewal of African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). The United States Agency for International Development has designed a special African Pavilion where Mauritian companies will be showcasing a wide range of apparel products. Exports to the USA for the Textile/Apparel category have shown an increasing trend over the last five years. While exports were at Rs 4.1 billion in 2010, they have attained Rs 6.3 billion in 2014. For the period January to September 2015, exports to the US for Textile and Apparel were Rs 5.2 billion. The recent renewal of AGOA for a further period of 10 years coupled with the extension of third country fabric derogation till 2025, offers a tremendous opportunity for Mauritian manufacturers to boost up exports even further.