On Monday, Alaa Arafa, head of Egypt's Textiles Export Council, said that he was currently holding negotiations with several US department store chains with a view to boosting sales of Egyptian textiles products.
Arafa pointed to the council's target of exporting some LE16 billion worth of Egyptian textiles products to US markets by 2013.
“Ready-made garment exports in 2009 stood at LE7.4 billion,” Arafa said at a meeting with officials from Nygard Stores, which has branches both in the US and Canada and boasts an overall sales volume of US$2 billion a year.
Arafa went on to predict that exports would reach LE10 billion in 2012. “This would create 200,000 jobs in Egypt,” he said, calling on the government to support the industry by improving local transport and logistical facilities.
According to Egypt's commercial attache in Washington, Egypt currently ranks 17th in terms of overall textiles exports to the US.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
