The textile industry is one of the fastest growing and export-oriented sectors of the Georgian economy.
The industry says that in 2022 the export of textile products almost doubled compared to 2021. The upward trends are registred this year as well. Apart from that, several new enterprises focused on export have been started in recent period. The export countries are mostly European countries such as France, Italy, Germany, Great Britain. Georgian apparel are also sold in Asian markets and in the USA. The country exports both adult and children's clothes, bed linen and uniforms.
According to the head of the Georgian Apparel and Footwear Manufacturers Association Davit Bidzinashvili, the products made in Georgia are competitive both in terms of quality and price, that increases demand for them.
"I think that the clothes export will soar by 15-20% this year, an upward trend is recorded in the local market.
Very high quality clothes are sewn in Georgia, those who sew for Europe have a high standard of quality", Davit Bidzinashvili notes.
In his words, the clothes export from Georgia was boosted by the diagonal cumulation agreement, which came into effect between Georgia, the European Union and Turkey in April 2021. The countries have agreed on diagonal cumulation with regard to the trade of industrial products, which enables Georgian entrepreneurs to use raw materials and intermediate goods from Turkey for the production of final goods and to export them to EU markets under the free trade agreement (FTA) .
A s a reminder, in 2022 clothes worth $176 million were exported from Georgia that is 30% more than in 2021. 75% of the exported apparel are knitwear. It’s worth mentioning that last year 79% of exported clothes were sold in Turkey, 17% in EU countries, the rest - in other countries.
