Thailand's textile and garment exports continued to grow in the first quarter of this year, increasing by 9 percent to 1.67 billion U.S. dollars, according to the Department of Foreign Trade.

Rachane Potjanasuntorn, the department's direction-general, was quoted by the Thai News Agency as saying Monday that the country's exports of garments were worth 868.3 million U.S. dollars and that of textiles worth 803.1 million U.S. dollars during the January- March period.

the United States still became the largest textile and garment export destination worth 523.2 million U.S. dollars, up 12.3 percent. the EU and Japan came second and third worth 326.3 million U.S. dollars and 69.4 million U.S. dollars, up 15,1 and 4. 8 percent respectively.

The country's textile imports in the first quarter of this year totaled 697.1 million U.S. dollars, down 2 percent from the same period last year.

Most imports were used as raw materials for local production.

Key import destinations included China, Taiwan, Japan and the United States.

Rachane said the textile and garment exports continued to rise in the first quarter because local textile industry operators could adjust themselves more efficiently to production and export competition on the world market.

As well, they could expand the export base on the European and Asian markets, including Turkey, Pakistan, Cambodia, Laos and the United Arab Emirate.

However, he conceded, the exports of the Thai products might decline in the second quarter of this year due to rising oil prices that could fuel local production costs.

Source: Xinhua