In an effort to nullify the unemployment occurring in its cotton manufacturing industry, Peru is considering steps to stem the flow of cheap imports from China.
The country’s consumer rights body, the Instituto Nacional de Defensa de la Competencia y de la Proteccion de la Propiedad Intelectual (Indecopi), through its Dumping and Subsidies Commission, has called for anti-dumping measures to be imposed against five categories of cotton garments from China, namely T-shirts, shirts, trousers, shorts and socks . Congress is currently debating the issue and a decision on whether to introduce tariffs may be forthcoming in March.
In the meantime, anecdotal evidence has been forthcoming of importers of those goods facing additional bureaucratic 'red tape', which is slowing down shipments.
Peru’s cotton garment manufacturing sector employs some 215,000 personnel and has seen steady job losses and workshop closures during the past three years.