Tunisia weaves Its way Into major European markets as textile powerhouse
Tunisia has solidified its position as the 9th largest apparel supplier to the EU, with textiles accounting for 16% of national industrial exports (worth TND 9 billion in 2024) and achieving a 127% coverage rate, said Industry Minister Fatma Thabet Chiboub.
Speaking at the 'Tunisian-European Textile Summit' in Monastir, Thabet added that the textile sector accounts for 29% of industrial employment, with more than 150,000 jobs, and includes 1,400 industrial companies, i.e. 31% of the total number of industrial companies.
The Industry Minister took the opportunity to underline the importance of this event, which will help to further strengthen the Euro-Mediterranean partnership to ensure a sustainable, innovative and environmentally responsible textile industry.
She was briefed on the components of the Global Textiles and Clothing Programme (GTEX/MENATEX), implemented by the International Trade Centre (ITC) and financed by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), which aims to strengthen the export competitiveness of the textile and clothing sector in 5 countries, including Tunisia.
According to data recently published by the Textile Technical Centre (Cettex), Tunisia has a great opportunity to develop exports of jeans and workwear, particularly to Germany and traditional markets.
This opportunity could lead to an increase in exports of around 160 million euros and create more than 25,000 jobs.
In this context, the Centre believes that the development of Tunisian clothing exports requires greater technical and financial support to assist SMEs in their sustainable and digital transition to comply with European regulations and the rapid transition to the application of simple transformation quotas benefiting from rules of origin.
This also requires personalised support for new investors wishing to set up in Tunisia, diplomatic and economic support to promote Tunisia as a location, and the implementation of a specific promotion plan for each market with measures to support operators in the sector.
Tunisia is the fourth largest supplier of denim trousers to the EU, with a market share of 8.63% in 2021 compared to 8.46% in 2020, but the analysis of its market positioning shows that there is still room for improvement.
It has confirmed its expertise and competitiveness in this flagship product for the sector, according to the same source.
In fact, Tunisia will export 17.76 million units of jeans to the EU in 2021, worth 322 million euros, representing a 14% increase in units compared to 2020. EU imports of jeans totalled 438 million units in 2021, with an average price of 8.53 euros.
In fact, one in three trousers imported by EU countries is a pair of jeans, compared to one in four 11 years ago. The European jeans market is extremely buoyant, but hyper-competitive,' says the centre.
However, Tunisia has the highest average unit price of jeans in the EU at around €18.14, which will increase by 0.22% in 2021 compared to 2020 and by 3.93% compared to 2019(…).
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