Readymade Garments Export Council of Egypt (RMGEC) has been working to increase exports during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic by reducing prices and bearing part of the losses. Council Chairperson Mary Lewis and members of the council's Board of Directors praised the Egyptian Government's efforts, led by: Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly; Minister of Trade and Industry Nevine Gamea; and Amany Al-Wassal, Executive Director of the Export Development Fund (EDF). The council lauded the efforts to study and approve Egypt's new export support programme. In a statement on Saturday, Lewis said that the main goal was to maintain the reputation of Egyptian ready-made garments exports in global markets and confirm the ability of factories to overcome the crisis. This would in turn prove the sector's sustainability, and maintain the volume of sales. On the other hand, the sector's exporters succeeded in maintaining labour intensity within factories, whilst encouraging the investment climate for the establishment of industrial projects. Lewis added that the council seeks to introduce new exporters and small designers to the export market as one of the mechanisms to promote the export of more Egyptian products based on the latest marketing methods. This is in line with the new conditions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic and global trends that showed the importance of e-marketing. Several virtual meetings were organised between the sector's exporters and foreign buyers from countries such as Jordan and Saudi Arabia, to discuss cooperation opportunities to export Egyptian products. Lewis revealed that the RMGEC has participated in global virtual exhibitions, which included many buyers from various global markets. She noted that the council developed promotional tools for the sector's exporters. A number of initiatives were launched to support ready-made garment sector factories, and help them with digital transformation. This is set to take place by creating new websites and online catalogues for Egyptian ready-made clothes to serve as a guide for buyers and be used in all promotional activities. Lewis also said that the future of Egypt's clothes exports is bright, as the sector has seriously addressed the obstacles that could face exporters. She demanded that 30% of the value of infrastructure for shipments from July 2019 until June 2020 be disbursed in cash, in order to compensate for losses. She also pointed out that recent meetings between the Egyptian Government and exporters have produced good future visions for the export file. This is evident in the features of the export support programme expected to be issued in the coming days. The RMGEC announced that the sector's exports increased 36% during the period from January to April 2021 to record $588m, compared to $433m during the same period last year An RMGEC report, which monitored exports for the first four months of 2021, revealed that Egyptian exports to the US increased by 35%, whilst exports to Europe increased by 5%. Garment exports to Arab countries recorded an increase of 297% between January and April 2021 compared to the same period last year. Meanwhile, exports to African countries increased by 56%, and exports to the rest of the world achieved a 13% percent increase.
