The imposition of 29% additional tariffs on our exports to the USA will be highly disruptive to our exports to the USA even if they are removed or reduced after a couple of months.

Consider the type of tariffs and the structure of our trade. The bargaining strength of the two sides is not matched and we have few options for our sales.

The fact is that the USA is the biggest buyer for most of our textile items. In most categories they take as much as 30/40% of the world wide exports.

The other big importer is the European Union (EU) and they combined import as much as the USA. For any industry to suddenly find one third of its customer base put on hold is catastrophic.

The other factor is the nature of the trading companies. Most of the firms from our side are medium sized or small by world standards. Many of them specialize in selling their products to the USA. Very often their products are designed to the tastes and preferences of the US consumer.

None of our exporters who sell to the USA can boast of the USA being a peripheral market. For a vast majority of them the US market will be of vital importance. Hence, to start with, the bargaining position of our exporting firms is weak.

The importers on the other side are large firms who have worldwide stakes and connections. Many of them, like Walmart, are among the top companies of the world in their field. They carry a vast........

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