In August the Thai textile exports increased by 10.49%

In the first eight months, Thailand’s exports of textiles (excluding clothing) increased by 10.49% year-on-year and exports reached US$3.149 billion, according to data from the Federation of Thai Industries.

However, during the same period, the export of clothing dropped by 4.15%, and the export value dropped to 1.957 billion US dollars.

SAM Samko of Thailand Textile Industry Club attributed this to the decline in apparel exports. The decline in apparel exports was due to the shift of some garment units to neighboring countries such as Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia and Vietnam, which have low labour costs.

Once the ASEAN Economic Community is implemented from 2015, the migration of apparel units to other ASEAN countries will once again intensify, Samsoko said.

Samsoko suggested that the government should increase its support for textile research, and the investment bureau should try to attract investment in high-tech textile factories.

In 2012, Thailand’s textile exports fell by 13.68% year-on-year, while export value dropped to 4.27 billion US dollars, while apparel exports fell by 9.95% year-on-year, and export value decreased by 2.95 billion US dollars.