In a statement issued after the release by the National Statistics Institute (INE) of the International Trade Statistics for September, the Textile and Clothing Association of Portugal (ATP) highlights knitwear as being, "undoubtedly, the category of products that recorded the largest absolute fall in exports until September: -€45 million (-2.7%)".

This is followed by cotton raw materials, including yarns and fabrics, with €12 million less exported (equivalent to -9.8%) compared to the same period in 2018.

Contrary to this performance are the exports of garments in fabric, with an absolute increase of €27 million (+3.8%), followed by those of felt and rope articles, with an increase of €20 million (+10.8%).

According to the ATP, intra-Community destinations fell by 2.0% in the first nine months of the year, year-on-year, while non-Community destinations grew by 4.7%, with the USA registering the largest absolute increase (+€19.8 million, or +8.5%).

Turkey, Canada, India, Trinidad and Tobago and Vietnam are other non-EU destinations with higher absolute growth in the period.

Conversely, Spain and Germany recorded the greatest absolute falls, respectively of €49 million (-3.8%) and €16 million (equivalent to -4.5%).

The fall in exports, combined with the increase in imports of textiles and clothing (+3.1% in the period, mainly due to the increase in imports of already finished products, such as clothing and household textiles, which increased respectively by 6.2% and 5.1%), has led to a deterioration of the trade balance of the sector.

Even so, the association highlights that the balance remains "quite positive", standing at €680 million, with a coverage rate of 121%.