U.S. Mills See CAFTA Kick.(Central America Free Trade Agreement)

Byline: KRISTI ELLIS WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM ARTHUR FRIEDMAN

U.S. Mills See CAFTA Kick

CAFTA countries could be coming into their own, thanks to increasing cost pressures.

As the apparel and textile supply chain grapples with higher labor, raw material and transportation costs, markets closer to home, such as Central America and the Dominican Republic, are expected to continue to gain substantial business through imports and exports, mainly at the expense of China and other Asian countries.

The U.S. textile industry is banking on its rebounding export business with its six partner countries of the Central American Free Trade Agreement Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Honduras and the Dominican …