Mauritius is to organise a one-week seminar, from Monday, aimed at intimating local entrepreneurs on the opportunities arising fr o m the Third Country Fabrics provision under the African Growth and Opportunity A c t (AGOA).
Mauritian Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Arvin Boolell said th at Mauritius had a lot to gain from AGOA and the Trade and Investment Framework A greement.
He urged local enterprises to maximise opportunities from the Third Country Fabr ic provision.
Industry Minister Dharam Gokhool pointed out that textile accounted for 9.9% of total exports by export-oriented Mauritian enterprises valued at US$ 1.09 billio n in 2008.
Speaking on AGOA, an official at the Ministry said that AGOA significantly enhan ced US market access for 40 Sub-Saharan African countries.
“The Act originally covered the period October 2000 to September 2008. Amendment s brought in July 2004 further extended it to 2015. At the same time, a special d ispensation relating to apparel was extended by three years to 2007,” he added.
The US Congress approved Mauritius’ eligibility for the Third Country Fabric pro vision in October 2008 until 2012.
“This provision can help to mitigate the global economic crisis’ adverse impact on textiles by providing an opportunity to the manufacturing industry to increas e exports to the US market,” he declared.
About 27 countries, including Mauritius, have obtained approval for AGOA Visa Sy stem and are eligible for AGOA textile and apparel benefits after successfully i m plementing acceptable customs measures and procedures to prevent illegal trans-s h ipment.
