Textiles
The textile industry is divided into five sub-sectors, namely fibers; spinning; fabrics; bleaching, dyeing, printing & finishing; and clothing. These industries are linked and form as a complete process of clothing production, beginning with the spinning of fibers into yarn, and weaving or knitting of the yarn into fabrics, then bleaching, dyeing, printing and finishing of the fabrics to the required color and design for use as raw materials of clothing.
The textile industry remains vital to the country's economy and employment although it has been hit by the diminishing purchasing power, both locally and overseas, and keener price competition. In 2000, the exports of textile products totaled Bt. 199.768 billion or US$ 4.974 billion, the second top earner after computers & peripherals, leading Thailand to enjoy a trade surplus of Bt. 127.752 billion or US$ 3.181 billion. Clothing, in particular, contributed to as high as Bt. 129.467 billion in trade surplus. Meanwhile, cotton fibers and knitted fabrics suffered a trade deficit of Bt. 18.833 billion and Bt. 6.383 billion respectively. The employment of about 1 million people was generated by the whole textile industry.
Exports and trade balance of textile products during 1998-2000
(Bt. million)
Item 1998 1999 2000
Export
Trade balance Export Trade balance Export Trade balance
Cotton fiber 184.9 -18,371.6 119.9 -14,852.2 80.3 -18,832.5
S ...