NewsWhore
08-03-2007, 03:00 PM
Following an invitation from Vice President Rafael Alburquerque, the Fair Labor Association of the United States carried out an assessment of the Dominican apparel industry in May 2007 to identify possible opportunities for improving the situation. In the past 18 months the DR has lost an estimated 50,000 jobs in the apparel sector. Between 2004 and 2006, apparel exports from the DR to the US fell by nearly 25%. The main cause of the decline is the restructuring of the global apparel industry in the wake of the phase-out of the Multi-Fiber Arrangement (MFA), making the country more vulnerable to competition from China.
The 10-day research took place in May 2007 and was carried out by Jennifer Blair, a sociologist at Yale University; Antonio Baliarda, a textile industry consultant based in Barcelona and Franklin Chavarria, the FLA regional manager for the Americas. The group recommended a substantial re-orientation of the industry towards higher value-added production, including the provision of pre- and post-production services for foreign clients, and a better integration of Dominican manufacturers into the regional supply chain in order to make the most of an expanding textile base in the Caribbean Basin. The investigation also determined that the government's ability to address a number of issues beyond the apparel sector that negatively impact the industry's competitiveness, including energy and transport costs will be critical for its success. The investigators also noted that the appreciation of the Dominican peso against the US dollar exacerbates the competitive pressure on Dominican exporters.
www.fairlabor.org/?module=upl...oad&fileId=425 (http://www.fairlabor.org/?module=upl...oad&fileId=425)
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#8)
The 10-day research took place in May 2007 and was carried out by Jennifer Blair, a sociologist at Yale University; Antonio Baliarda, a textile industry consultant based in Barcelona and Franklin Chavarria, the FLA regional manager for the Americas. The group recommended a substantial re-orientation of the industry towards higher value-added production, including the provision of pre- and post-production services for foreign clients, and a better integration of Dominican manufacturers into the regional supply chain in order to make the most of an expanding textile base in the Caribbean Basin. The investigation also determined that the government's ability to address a number of issues beyond the apparel sector that negatively impact the industry's competitiveness, including energy and transport costs will be critical for its success. The investigators also noted that the appreciation of the Dominican peso against the US dollar exacerbates the competitive pressure on Dominican exporters.
www.fairlabor.org/?module=upl...oad&fileId=425 (http://www.fairlabor.org/?module=upl...oad&fileId=425)
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#8)