VZCZCXRO4985
PP RUEHTRO
DE RUEHTU #2464/01 2721457
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 291457Z SEP 06
FM AMEMBASSY TUNIS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1941
INFO RUEHAD/AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI PRIORITY 0798
RUEHAS/AMEMBASSY ALGIERS PRIORITY 7301
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 1185
RUEHNK/AMEMBASSY NOUAKCHOTT PRIORITY 0786
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 1638
RUEHRB/AMEMBASSY RABAT PRIORITY 8227
RUEHTRO/AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI PRIORITY 0399
RUEHCL/AMCONSUL CASABLANCA PRIORITY 3998
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TUNIS 002464 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/MAG (HARRIS) AND EB/TPP/ABT (LERSTON) 
STATE PASS USTR (BELL AND HEYLIGER), USPTO (ADLIN AND 
ADAMS), USAID (MCCLOUD) 
USDOC FOR ITA/MAC/ONE (ROTH), ITA/OTEXA (DANDREA), ADVOCACY 
CTR (JAMES), AND CLDP (TEJTEL) 
CASABLANCA FOR FCS (ORTIZ) 
LONDON AND PARIS FOR NEA WATCHER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON ELAB ETRD BEXP KTEX TS
SUBJECT: TUNISIAN TEXTILE SECTOR ADAPTS TO POST-QUOTA 
REALITY 
 
REF: A. STATE 138090 
 
     ¶B. TUNIS 2418 
 
¶1. (U) Summary: This is the first of a two-part series on the 
Tunisian textile sector.  Part one addresses the impact of 
the end of the Multifiber Agreement on production and 
exports, as well as the sector's strategy for future 
competitiveness.  After the end of the quota regime that 
existed under the Multifiber Agreement, the Tunisian textile 
sector has seen its export share erode in its traditional 
European markets.  In spite of this, major textile 
organizations and enterprises assert that 2005 figures are 
much better than they feared.  Faced with increased 
competition from cheaper Asian textiles, the GOT and Tunisian 
textile manufacturers have been seeking to move away from 
mass produced textiles to value-added textile products.  End 
Summary. 
 
¶2. (U) Per Ref A request, Post has gathered the following 
statistics for the Tunisian textile sector for 2005: 
 
-- Total industrial production is estimated at 4.6 billion 
USD. 
-- Total textile production (including leather goods) was 3.7 
billion USD. 
-- Textile/apparel share of total imports is 16.51 percent. 
-- Textile/apparel share of total exports is 31.82 percent. 
-- Exports of textiles/apparel to US is 21.18 million USD. 
-- Imports of textiles/apparel from the US is 10.73 million 
USD. 
-- Manufacturing employment is 543,400 jobs. 
-- Total textile employment is 194,000 jobs. 
 
¶3. (U) The textile sector occupies a crucial place in the 
Tunisian economy, accounting for nearly 32 percent of 
Tunisia's total exports.  According to the GOT-founded 
Technical Center for Textiles (CETTEX), approximately 80 
percent of Tunisian textiles are produced for export.  Europe 
has long been, and continues to be, the main destination for 
Tunisian textile exports, with over 96 percent of Tunisian 
textile exports bound for Europe.  Nearly 83 percent of 
textile exports are to just four European countries -- 
France, Italy, Germany, and Belgium.  The textile sector has 
also been an important source of foreign direct investment, 
with nearly 1,000 of the sector's 2,100 manufacturers 
partially or fully owned by foreign groups, usually from 
Europe.  According to CETTEX, there are only 12 textile 
manufacturers with any U.S. investment. 
 
¶4. (U) According to CETTEX Director General Nejib Karafi, 
2005 results were "not as bad" as many industry experts had 
feared and the sector performed relatively well.  Karafi 
admitted that there had been factory closures and that 
several companies had left Tunisia, but reasoned that these 
companies were non-competitive.  Despite the relatively 
optimistic outlook presented by both CETTEX and the National 
Federation for Textile Employers (FENATEX), textile 
production in 2005 was 3.7 billion USD, down from 3.84 
billion in 2004.  The textile share in total exports has also 
decreased from 36.3 percent in 2004 to 31.82 in 2005.  In 
2005, Tunisia lost its position as the fourth largest 
clothing supplier to the EU, falling to sixth place behind 
Bangladesh (number 4) and India (number 5). 
 
¶5. (U) So far, 2006 results do not look any better, with a 
moderate drop in both the volume and value of exports. 
According to CETTEX, exports of textiles during the first 
eight months of 2006 have totaled 2.97 billion dinars 
(roughly 2.24 billion USD), down from 3.06 billion dinars 
(2.30 billion USD) for the same period in 2005. 
 
¶6. (U) Both the GOT and the major textile organizations have 
urged textile producers to abandon mass-produced basic 
 
TUNIS 00002464  002 OF 002 
 
 
products, for which the Chinese and other Asian producers 
have a comparative advantage due to lower labor costs, and 
move towards higher quality, value-added goods.  Karafi 
stressed that Tunisia must try to profit from its comparative 
advantages -- proximity to Europe and the production of 
finished goods.  Karafi expressed a desire to see Tunisians 
move into fashionable garments and to begin designing their 
own fashion lines.  FENATEX Secretary General Ali Nakai also 
saw this as a natural progression noting that Tunisian 
textile manufacturers need to move from sub-contracting, the 
current status quo, to co-production.  Both Karafi and Nakai 
emphasized the importance of expanding into new markets, such 
as Algeria, Libya, and other non-traditional European 
countries.  Although Karafi viewed the United States as a 
potential, and currently underexploited, market for Tunisian 
textile products, Nakai largely dismissed the U.S. market. 
Nakai cautioned that Tunisian manufacturers currently do not 
possess the production capacity to meet the needs of the U.S. 
market. 
 
¶7. (U) Given the importance of the textile sector to the 
Tunisian economy, the GOT has been active in trying to 
promote the sector and increase its competitivity.  CETTEX 
was created by the GOT to help textile companies adapt to 
this new situation by providing research, consulting 
services, and training.  In addition to their consulting and 
training services, CETTEX also has laboratory facilities to 
conduct the testing necessary to certify that textile 
products conform to certain quality standards.  In order to 
promote continued investment and job creation in textiles, 
the GOT has granted favorable tax and customs concessions to 
foreign investors such as Bennetton (ref B).  The GOT has 
also created several special zones designated for textile 
production, such as the El Fejja finishing zone located 25 
kilometers outside of Tunis, and the textile technology park 
in Monastir for textile production and research.  Companies 
in these zones benefit from favorable tax concessions as well 
as GOT infrastructure development. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Comment: Although the end of the Multifiber 
Agreement has had negative impact on Tunisia's textile 
industry, the sector has adopted a sound strategy for 
maintaining future competitiveness.  However, in the short 
term, the textile sector will continue to suffer losses as 
manufacturers abandon mass-produced, basic products and 
re-orient towards higher-quality garments.  End Comment. 
BALLARD