Garment cargo dips by 25 percent
Saipan Tribune
By Agnes Donato
Reporter
Thursday, June 15, 2014
* Inbound garment cargo also slips by 25 percent
* Total outbound cargo posts 15-percent decline
* Total inbound cargo decrease by 15 percent
The worldwide lifting of trade quotas continues to negatively impact the local garment industry, with outbound cargo of finished garment products dropping by 25 percent during the first seven months of fiscal year 2014, Ports Authority data showed.
This figure represents the volume of apparel products that are for off-island sales.
The same decline rate is also recorded in the inbound numbers for garment raw materials.
At the same time, data showed that outbound fabric went down by 43 percent.
Saipan seaport manager Lee Cabrera said that outbound “fabric” include loose ends of the fabric, possibly returned fabric, or leftover of ready cuts.
Outbound garment
Data showed that outbound garment finished products during the seven-month period went down by 14,340 revenue tons.
From 56,831 revenue tons in the prior fiscal year, exported finished products this year totaled only 42,491 revenue tons.
Outbound fabric, meantime, decreased from 9,299 revenue tons last year to 5,322 revenue tons this year.
Inbound garment
Inbound garment raw materials during the period went down from 74,510 revenue tons to 55,731 revenue tons, or a decline of 25 percent.
Inbound ready-made clothing is down by 5 percent, from 727 to 691 revenue tons.
A revenue ton is 2,000 lbs or 40 cubic ft.
The government charges $5.75 per revenue ton.
User fee drop
This came even as the CNMI Customs reported a 23-percent decline in garment user fee collection during the first five months of this year, totaling $7.83 million.
This represents government collection from garment factory orders totaling $212 million during the period.
Last year’s first five month’s sales were at $276 million, with $10.2 million collected in user fees.
The government said that this year’s figures represent a 50-percent decrease in sales and user fee payments from 1999, which is considered the Saipan garment industry’s best year of production.
Total outbound
Total outbound cargo registered a 15-percent decline during the first seven months of fiscal year 2014. From 75,155 revenue tons, it is down to 64,080 revenue tons so far this fiscal year.
Other than garments, these items include food and beverages, fuel, cement, construction materials, vehicles and heavy equipment, and other commodities.
Total inbound
Total inbound cargo decreased by 15 percent or 58,436 less revenue tons during the period. From 380,871, revenue tons this year totaled 322,435.
Food and beverages went down 13 percent, from 61,433 revenue tons last year to 53,175 this year.
Decreased volumes are also seen in fuel [pipeline] by 8 percent; cement pipeline, 16 percent; cement containers, 2 percent; construction materials, 32 percent; vehicles and heavy materials, 53 percent; other commodities, 13 percent.
