The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) has expressed a strong disappointment over the expiry of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and Haiti’s trade preference programmes—the Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement (HOPE) Act and the Haiti Economic Lift Program (HELP) Act—which lapsed on September 30.
With the programmes now lapsed and shutdown of the US government, renewal will face unnecessary delays. AAFA has called on US Congress and the Administration to take steps to extend these programmes, retroactively, immediately, AAFA said in a press release. For more than 23 years, AGOA has provided eligible Sub-Saharan African countries with duty-free access, strengthening American exports in textiles and agriculture and fostering diverse US–Africa commercial partnerships.
Similarly, for over 15 years, the Haiti HOPE/HELP programmes have supported both US and Haitian textile industries by granting Haiti duty-free access for apparel and textile products, building strong business ties between the two neighbouring nations. These programmes enjoy strong bipartisan backing, support American cotton and textile exports, and provide American businesses with smart, practical strategies to diversify sourcing outside of China.
“We are frustrated by the failure to act on these long-standing, bipartisan trade preference programs that clearly benefit local garment industries abroad as well as Made-in-America cotton and textile exporters, American brands, and the 3.6 million American workers directly supported by the fashion industry,” said Beth Hughes, vice president of trade and customs at AAFA. “Despite persistent and constructive engagement from a wide range of stakeholders, Congress has fallen short in renewing these mutually beneficial programs, ultimately surrendering further strength to China’s manufacturing influence by placing unnecessary obstacles in the way of viable sourcing alternatives.”
AAFA has long urged Congress to renew, and the Administration to support, the renewal of both the AGOA and Haiti HOPE/HELP trade preference programmes, with testimony before the Office of the US Trade Representative on AGOA’s renewal in July and testimony on Haiti HOPE/HELP before the International Trade Commission in February, added the release.
News Courtesy: Fibre2fashion