After a tough first semester 2012, which saw a significantly decline in orders from the main market of the Guatemalan textile industry, the recovery began in June.
According to an article in Prensalibre.com the manager of the Garment and Textile Committee (Vestex) of Agexport, Alejandro Ceballos, said that during the first five months of the year economic uncertainty in the U.S., high international prices of cotton, and problems caused by the implementation of the new Customs Act, meant that purchase orders steadily declined.
Businessmen say that clothing and textiles have regained the export levels of pre 2008-2009, when sales plummeted by 30%.
The president of the Garment and Textile Committee (Vestex), Carlos Arias, said that in 2008 and 2009 the industry saw sales drop by 30%. This meant that 15,000 people lost their jobs.
"There is a direct link between sales and jobs, and last year we recovered about 30% of the production affected by the crisis, so we believe that a similar recovery can be seen in terms of employment", said Arias to Siglo21. com.gt.
In September, clothing and textile sales to the U.S. grew 18% over the same period in 2009.
According to the Central Bank of Guatemala, total exports amounted to $1.07 billion in clothing and fabrics, or $168.2 million more than last year.
"According to Garment and Textile Committee, Guatemala has specialized in sales of knit shirts and synthetic clothing for ladies and gentlemen as well as canvas pants," writes Prensalibre.com.
In April, Guatemala exported $82 million more textile goods than in the same period of 2009.
78.1% of them went to the United States, 17% to Central America and the rest to other countries such as Mexico and Canada.
Data from Vestex, the Textile and Apparel Commision, shows that apparel exports have been recovering sustainably since November 2009, after several years of negative growth.
After nine months of consecutive decreases, textile exports finally reversed the trend, increasing 2.48% in October.
In October, sales to the U.S. summed $102 million, 2.48% more than the same month of 2008, according to data from Vestex, the Textile and Apparel Commision.
Sigloxxi.com reports: "Alejandro Ceballos, Vestex President, says the increase is due to 'the start of a recovery process in the U.S.