AGOA renewal boosts local testile sector

The Third-Country Fabric (TCF) provision was due to expire at the end of next month, taking with it the competitiveness of the textile sectors of the 40 African benefiting from AGOA. However, last Thursday, the US Senate Finance Leaders' Bill containing renewal of the TCF, passed through the house, bringing with it much needed relief for Botswana and other African textiles industry.

Announcing the renewal, the US Senate Committee on Finance explained that the TCF had been renewed until September 2015. "The bill would extend until September 2015 the AGOA provision allowing duty-free access to the US market for apparel produced in sub-Saharan African countries made from third-country fabric, or fabric originally produced anywhere in the world, rather than from AGOA beneficiary countries or from the United States," the Senate Committee said.