Babywear is a product segment that will always have a market, worldwide, given the constant growth in population. World’s babies’ garment exports totalled to US$ 9808.03 million in 2019 and perceived a negative growth of -3.99% over the previous year. The top three countries exporting babies’ garments are China, Bangladesh and India. Yes, India is the third largest exporter of baby apparel to the world. And India’s export performance in this product segment outpaces that of China and Bangladesh.
Exports from China and Bangladesh fell 8.90% and 7.91% respectively while India’s exports were up by 4.90% in 2019 over the previous year.
Cambodia is also emerging as an important supplier in this segment. Exports from Cambodia witnessed a sudden rise 46.81% to US$ 539.82 million in 2019 over the previous year.
USA is the major market for babywear for all four exporting countries.
Segment wise, knitted babywear exports totalled to US$ 7585.76 million, a fall of 2.34% in 2019 over the previous year. Knitted babies’ apparel accounts for 77% of the total babies’ apparel exports market. Woven babywear accounts for the remaining 23%. In 2019, exports of woven babywear totalled to US$ 2222.27 million, a drop of 9.23%.
Worldwide, fibre wise, cotton babies’ garments were exported the most in 2019. The exports totalled to US$ 7703.02 million with a negative growth of 1.56% in 2019 over the previous year. Cotton accounts for 79% of the total babywear exports.
Babies apparel of synthetic fibre is the second most exported fibre garment on the list. Exports totalled to US$ 1537.62 million, a growth of 5.95% in 2019 over the previous year.
India – an important exporter of babywear to the world
India accounts for a sizeable share of 12% of total babywear exports of the world. Exports from India to the world totalled to US$ 1157.43 million in 2019 with a growth of 4.90% over the previous year.
Segment wise, undoubtedly knitted apparel are exported the most. The exports of knitwear for babies totalled to US$ 927.61 million with a growth of 9.64% in 2019 over the previous year. Knitted garment stakes 80% share in the total exports of babies’ garments of India and had a unit value realisation (UVR) of US$ 17.67 per kg in 2019.
India’s exports of woven garments for babies perceived a negative trend of 10.70% to US$ 229.82 million in 2019. In 2019, woven garments were traded at an average price of US$ 3.88 per piece.
Fibre wise, cotton fibre babies’ garments are exported the most from India. This fibre garment perceived a growth of 9.52% to US$ 877.01 million in 2019 over the previous year. From the total exports of babies’ garments of India, under the fibre segment, cotton fibre stakes 79%.
Under the cotton fibre segment, knitted garments totalled to US$ 708.64 million and perceived a growth of 9.84% in 2019 over the previous year. It registered a UVR of US$ 17.64 per kg. While exports of woven cotton apparel totalled to US$ 163.37 million with 8.18% growth and a unit value realisation (UVR) of US$ 3.98 per piece in 2019.
The second most exported fibre for babies’ wear from India is other textile material fibre. The export value of this fibre segment in babywear totalled to US$ 202.72 million with a growth of 9.36% in 2019 over the previous year.
Under this fibre, knitwear for babies totalled to US$ 165.98 million in 2019 over the previous year, a growth of 9.36%. And the garment was traded at an average price of US$ 15.56 per kg in 2019, while in 2018 it was traded at US$ 17.09 per kg. Babies’ woven garments made of other textile material registered a very small export value of US$ 36.76 million, a drop of 29.4%. UVR was US$ 3.52 per piece in 2019.
And last is the synthetic fibre, this is the only fibre segment that recorded a negative growth in India’s export market of babies garment. The fibre recorded a significant drop of 33.73% to US$ 77.68 million in 2019 over the previous year. Under this fibre, knitted garment exports totalled US$ 52.99 million with a negative growth of 21.62% in 2019. The UVR of this garment is the highest amongst the all other commodities of babies garment. On an average knitted babies garment made of synthetic fibre was trade at US$ 32.25 per kg in 2019, while in 2018 the product was traded at US$ 20.03 per kg.
Under the same fibre, woven babies garment exports totalled to US$ 24.69 million, an even steeper fall of 50.23% in 2019 over the previous year and the products UVR was US$ 3.85 per piece in 2019 and in 2018 US$ 4.27 per piece.
Important markets for India’s babywear
USA is the largest export market for India’s babywear exports in 2019. The exports to USA totalled to US$ 292.78 million with a growth of 35.77% over the previous year. USA accounts for 25% of India’s babywear exports. Knitted cotton babywear is the most exported commodity to USA in this segment – US$ 215.85 million in 2019 – a 74% share of total babywear exports to USA.
United Kingdom was the largest export market in 2018. In 2019, the country’s exports have dropped marginally by 0.84% to US$ 215.89 million over the previous year. UK is the second largest market for India’s babywear exports. Knitted cotton garment exports at US$149.62 million, saw a fall of 2.89% in 2019. Knitted babywear accounts for 69% share in total babywear exports to the UK from India. Exports of knitted babywear of other textile material to the UK recorded a growth of 8.25% to US$ 19.34 million in 2019.
UAE is the third largest market for this commodity for India, but exports fell 29.82% to US$ 114.73 million in 2019. Here knitted garments made of synthetic fibre is more in demand. The exports totalled US$ 40.42 million, a fall of 29.04% in 2019 over the previous year. High import duty on textiles and apparels was one of the main factors for the fall in exports.
Poland has surprisingly emerged an important market for India. Exports totalled to US$ 27 million with a growth of 38.46% in 2019 over the previous year. Knitted cotton garment exports rose as much as 65.32% to US$ 15.81 million in 2019 over the previous year where the exported totalled to US$ 9.56 million.
USA is the largest market for babywear
USA is the largest market for babywear in the world. US babywear garment imports totalled US$ 2245.86 million in 2019, a slight fall of 3.26% over the previous year. China is the largest supplier of babywear to the US, followed by Cambodia, India, Vietnam and Bangladesh.
China was the most competitively priced supplier to the US market. China trades babies’ garment at US$ 17.40 per kg in 2019. In 2018, China’s UVR was US$ 18.24 per kg. In comparison, India earned a better price for its babywear to the US market. In 2019 the UVR was US$ 22.67 per kg, while in 2018 the UVR was US$ 21.76 per kg.
China’s babywear exports have been falling
China exports of babywear have been falling for the past few years. In 2019, China’s exports fell by 8.90% to US$ 2636.62 million. Knitted apparel accounts for 81% of China’s total babywear exports.
Knitted garment exports totalled to US$ 2131.76 million with drop of 9.71% in 2019. Under this segment and overall, knitted cotton babies’ garments are exported the most. The exports of cotton knitted totalled to US$ 1643.46 million with a drop of 10.52%. This product stakes a share 62% from the total exports of babies’ garment from China.
On an average the product was at a price of US$ 18.66 per kg in 2019, while in 2018 the product was traded at US$ 19.07 per kg. From the segment, its only knitted garments made of other textile material that perceived a positive growth of 39.31% to US$ 39.47 million in 2019 over the previous year.
USA is the largest market for China. The exports to USA totalled to US$ 779.25 million, but it witnessed a steep fall of 13.75% in 2019 over the previous year. Around 67% of the total exports of babies’ garments exported to USA from China is cotton knitted ones. The exports of cotton knitted garments totalled to US$ 521. million in 2019 and UVR registered was US$ 19.45 per kg.
Cambodia largely dependent on US market
Cambodia is the only country in the top ten, to gain high positive growth of 24.43% to US$ 456.95 million in 2019 over the previous year. Cambodia too largely manufacturers knitted cotton garments, exports of which totalled to US$ 269.29 million with a growth of 114.68% in 2019 over the previous year. The commodity stakes a share of 59% from the total export of Cambodia of babies’ garments.
The UVR is US$ 20.46 per kg in 2019, while in the previous year the price was US$ 17.59 per kg.
Exports of apparel made of synthetic fibre suddenly rose 224.06% last year, to US$ 23.53 million. The UVR of this product was US$ 18.96 per kg in 2019 while in 2018 the price was US$ 15.76 per kg.
Exports to USA totalled US$ 246.03 million with a growth of 24.39% in 2019. USA accounts for 54% share in Cambodia’s total export of babies’ garments and it the only major market for Cambodia. Cambodia exports babies’ garment at an average price of 19.41 per kg.
Cambodia’s exports to the European Union (EU) totalled to US$ 105.44 million with a growth of 21.40% in 2019 over the previous year. The EU stakes a share of 23% from the total exports of Cambodia. Among the EU countries, UK is the largest market for the country. Exports of UK totalled to US$ 34.85 million in 2019. It will be very interesting to see this year export trend to EU from Cambodia as five months ago the European Commission announced the partial suspension of Cambodia’s preferential trade preferences with the European Union after the government failed to address serious human rights concerns.
Reference : https://www.textileexcellence.com/
