New Website for Sourcing in Central America
A new website to help apparel and textile manufacturers locate Central American factories to produce a variety of clothing and textiles is up and running after months in the works.
The website, a coordinated effort between several government agencies and private organizations, is meant to make it faster to locate manufacturers in the region that covers Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic. All these countries have had a regional free-trade agreement with the United States since 2006 under the Dominican Republic–Central American Free Trade Agreement.
The website (www.drcaftasourcing.com) was launched during the Sourcing at MAGIC trade show in Las Vegas this week.
The project is financed with help from the Inter-American Development Bank and with support from the U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.S. Trade Representative’s office and various Central American governments, as well as trade groups such as the National Council of Textile Organizations and the U.S. Association of Importers of Textiles and Apparel.
Plans for the website were first announced in March by Assistant U.S. Trade Representative Gail Strickler during the Apparel Sourcing Show in Guatemala. She noted it would “help with speed-to-market” and pave the way for more U.S. companies to produce their apparel in Central America and bring it back duty-free if it qualifies under the DR-CAFTA regulations.
The website lists names of producers, a short description of the company, and their telephone numbers and email addresses.
The website is in both English and Spanish.—Deborah Belgum
