CAIRO: A report published by the Egyptian Commercial Representation Office in Washington about Egypt's exports of clothing and textiles to USA during the period from January 2010 – May 2010, stated that the value of exports in the context of the Qualified Industrial Zones (QIZ) clothing and textiles rose by 7.5 percent and reached $350 million during the fist five months of 2010, from January to May of 2010, compared with $331 million dollars during the same period in 2009. The report stated that it comes “at a time in which the annual report of the Unit QIZ of the Ministry of Trade and Industry noted that the volume of Egyptian exports in the framework of QIZ in 2008 recorded $744 million.” The QIZ unit added that “the number of factories eligible to work within the QIZ has risen to 745 by March 2009” and confirmed that the unit carried out its plans, “holding periodic meetings at 4 meetings a year to the Joint Committee of the QIZ, which includes officials from Egypt and the United States and Israel, and has also established a special unit to follow-up of Turkish investments in Egypt in the framework of the promotion of foreign investors to join the QIZ.” Under the QIZ program, Egyptian companies can export clothing to the United States without paying tariffs if a certain percentage of the material is Israeli or goes through the Jewish state. Mahmoud Zidan, a factory manager at an Egyptian company part of the QIZ program, told Bikya Masr on Saturday that the efforts to bolster the sector “are important for the future economic growth of the Egyptian export market and the future looks bright.” The report from the Trade Representation noted that clothes made of cotton “represented the most important export item of clothing and textiles increased by 8.75 percent of total exports of clothing and 8.60 percent of total exports of clothing, textiles and Egypt occupied the outposts among the largest exporters of clothing to the American market, where the blue jeans for men and boys were ranked fourth and fifth, blue jeans and trousers for ladies and girls, and cotton trousers and shorts for men and boys, and pants made of synthetic fibers and shirts made from fiber were among the most important clothes exports to the US.” BM
