The Kingdom of Lesotho is a unique country in Southern
Africa. Completely surrounded by its only neighbour
South Africa, land-locked and geographically small, Lesotho
is classified as a Least Developed Country (LDC) by the
United Nations. Together with Botswana, Namibia,  South
Africa and Swaziland, Lesotho forms the Southern African
Customs Union (SACU) – the oldest customs union in the
world. 
Historically, Lesotho’s export capacity has been small, and
most of its exports were traditionally destined for the
South African market. However, over the years, Lesotho
has pursued an export-led development strategy as part of
its overall goal for economic development and eradication
of poverty. Part of this strategy involves utilisation of trade
preference arrangements such as the United States’ African
Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and the European
Union’s Everything But Arms (EBA) initiative. These have
contributed to the diversification of export markets,
especially to the US.

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The formal garment industry started in Lesotho in the early 1980s. This was primarily as a response by South African-based clothing companies to avoid the sanctions imposed on South African manufactured goods by the US and Europe. Also, the Lesotho National Development Corporation offered incentives to the South African industrialists who set up in Lesotho.

Most of these industrialists originally came from Taiwan in Southeast Asia. These entrepreneurs brought valuable capital, skills, and knowledge of the international textile market. Increasingly, South African companies are also investing in Lesotho, providing diversity of markets and products.

How is Lesotho doing when it comes to manufacturing and exporting of denim garments to US . Lets see the data for the last 10 years .

Exports of denim apparel from Lesotho to US.

The exports of denim apparel to US have not shown a fall in shipments during 2011 over 2010. This is phenomenal considering that the total shipments of denim apparel to US fell by over 14%. This shows the increased importance of Lesotho as an upcoming export centre.

Also , it needs to be noted that on an average over 70% of denim apparel shipped to US are in the Mens/Boys category reflecting that the buyers are more inclined to place Men’s jeans and apparel orders into Lesotho.

Lets see who are the major exporters of denim garments from Lesotho and to whom are they exporting .

C&Y Garments (Pty) Ltd

Contact Person: Factory Manager: Mr Leon Wang / Sales: Mr Jimmy Chou
Tel: +266 22 316 621
Fax: +266 22 322 752
Email: jimmychou@nienhsing.com.tw
Website: www.nht.com.tw

Profile:
Category: Denim bottoms (also twill and corduroy).
Capacity: Approx 35,000 dozen per month (420,000 units).
C & Y is a part of the Nien Hsing Textile Co. of Taiwan. Located in 15,000m², the factory employs approximately 2,000 workers. Most of the factory’s production is for the USA market, and main customers are Levi Strauss, The Children’s Place, Dress Barn, VF , Indigo Sportswear, Indigo Sportswear(LA) etc.

CGM Group /Presitex Enterprises (Pty) Ltd)

Contact Person: CEO: Mr Dalvi
Tel: +266 22 32 6452
Fax: +266 22 326 458
Email: dalvi@cgmgroup.co.ls

Website: www.cgmgroup.com

Profile:
Manufacturers Denim bottoms (also twill, corduroy and other woven fabrics).
Capacity: About 42,000 dozen per month (500,000 units).
CGM Industrial (Pty) Ltd, the biggest Jeans Manufacturer in South Africa, is a multi-national organization with vertical infastructure over 8 countries and area — the headquarters in Maseru, Lesotho and jeans manufacturer mainly in Maseru and Dimbaza as well as a fabric mill and sourcing office in Durban, South Africa,Located in 23,400 m², the factory employs approximately 4,200 workers. The company produces for both the USA and South African markets. Main US customers are Levi Strauss, Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Jones Apparel, Squeeze, Paco and Pepe; SA customers are Woolworths, Edgars, Mr Price, Ackermans and Pep.

Global Garments Co. (Pty) Ltd

Contact Person: Factory Manager: Mr David Huang / Sales: Mr Jimmy Chou
Tel: +266 22 312 544
Fax: +266 22 312 445
Email: jimmychou@nienhsing.com.tw
Website: www.nht.com.tw

Profile:
Category: Denim bottoms (also twill and corduroy).
Capacity: 40,000 dozen per month (480,000 units).
Another factory which is a part of the Nien Hsing group , it is Located in 22,000m² the factory employs 2,300 workers. Most of the factory’s production is for the USA market, and main customers are Levi Strauss, The Children’s Place, Fi-Fun, Paco, Primark, Contempo and C&Y.

Nien Hsing International Lesotho (Pty) Ltd

Managing Director: Mr Chin Yi Lin / Sales: Mr Jimmy Chou
Tel: +266 22 326 655
Fax: +266 22 326 649
Email: jimmychou@nienshing.com.tw
Website: www.nht.com.tw
Profile:
Manufactures :Denim bottoms (also twill and corduroy).
Capacity: About 42,000 dozen per month (504,000 units).
Nien Hsing Mexico is a part of the Nien Hsing Textile Co. of Taiwan. Nien Hsing Textile Co., Ltd. manufactures and sells denim fabrics, jeans wear, and casual wear in Taiwan.The company serves retailers, importers, and brand owners. Nien Hsing Textile Co. was founded in 1986 and is based in Taipei, Taiwan. Located in 20,000m² the factory employs 2,400 workers. Most of the factory’s production is for the USA market, and main customers are Gap Inc, The Children’s Place, Zana-di, Paco , C&Y .

Shipments of Denim Fabric From India to Lesotho

We are giving herewith details of the shipments made of denim fabrics by Indian denim mills to Lesotho buyers. The Image below gives an idea on the volume and prices of shipments made by Indian denim mills to Lesotho.. On an average over about 3-4 million mtrs of denim fabrics gets shipped to Lesotho from India annually . If we look at the trend, we will find that the average prices of fabrics shipped was highest in the second and third quarters of 2011 . However the prices slid back to about $3.3 showing the impact of reduced denim prices .

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