Uncertain future

摘要

Peru's textile and clothing sector is centred in an area in Lima's La Victoria district, home to around 20,000 textile businesses manufacturing and retailing clothing. Known colloquially as 'Gamarra,' it is the largest such concern in South America. The businesses established there encompass a range of micro to macro enterprises where price competitiveness is acute. The main fibres used are cotton and synthetics, and the emphasis is on light and sporty confections to suit Lima's warm and humid climate. The unbroken and steady growth historically enjoyed by Gamarra's entrepreneurs has, during recent years, been severely dented by globalisation and the flooding, or dumping, of cheap imports into Peru. Since 2012, there has been a marked increase in the amount of clothing imported into Peru, and, according to Carlos Choque, president of Gamarra's Federation of Businessmen, it's down to a matter of dumping.