According to OTEXA, due to the impact of COVID-19, China has slipped from 2nd rank to 4th in its denim apparel exports to USA in Q1 of 2020.Chinese shipment of blue denim apparels plunged massively by 63.11 per cent to $67.79 million from $183.75 million in Q1of 2019.

This drastic fall has reduced China’s share in denim apparel exports to USA to 9.71 per cent in this year from 22.67 per cent in the corresponding period of the prior year. Mexico, Bangladesh and Vietnam are now ahead of China in denim export values to USA.

Mexico too fell by 28.85 per cent to ship $138.89 million worth of denim apparels to USA and allowed Bangladesh to narrow the massive gap which both had in the first quarter of 2019.

In the first quarter of 2020, USA decelerated by 13.95 per cent in its import value which stood at $ 697.51 million. The major fall was recorded from China and Mexico, which allowed other countries to boost their export.

Until March this year, Bangladesh upped its denim apparel exports to USA by 30 per cent and clocked US $ 123.41 million revenue; Vietnam took benefit of fall of the Chinese shipment and grew by 35.09 per cent to ship $86.37 million worth of denim apparels to USA.

Even Pakistan saw a boost of around 16.64 per cent in its denim apparel exports to USA which valued at $62.83 million in Q1of 2020.

Cambodia too noted a solid growth in the period by 88.40 per cent to escalate its denim apparel export value to $39.39 million from $20.91 million in Q1 of 2019.