US Commerce Dept Says Aug Textile & Apparel Imports -6.4%

    WASHINGTON --U.S. imports of cotton, wool, silk blends, 
man-made fiber, and non-cotton vegetable fiber textiles and apparel 
decreased 6.4% in August to 4,683.1 million square meters equivalent 
from the previous year, the U.S. Department of Commerce's Office of 
Textiles and Apparel reported Friday. 
    In millions of square meters equivalent. Source: U.S. Commerce 
Department. 

                      --Aug--                  ---Jan-Aug-- 
TOTAL IMPORTS     2008     2007   % Chg       2008     2007   % Chg 
 Total          4683.1   5002.8    -6.4    33643.0  35501.7    -5.2 
  yarn           274.0    272.0     0.7     1986.1   2300.3   -13.7 
  fabric         670.4    726.2    -7.7     5421.2   5841.1    -7.2 
  apparel       2183.5   2371.9    -7.9    14817.0  15441.8    -4.0 
  misc          1555.2   1632.7    -4.7    11418.7  11918.5    -4.2 
COTTON 
 Total          1973.5   2091.6    -5.6    14532.6  15265.2    -4.8 
  yarn            57.4     53.8     6.7      349.4    449.1   -22.2 
  fabric         118.8    118.2     0.5      865.3    991.6   -12.7 
  apparel       1218.9   1315.6    -7.3     9178.3   9509.0    -3.5 
  misc           578.4    604.0    -4.2     4139.6   4315.5    -4.1 
WOOL 
 Total            52.5     58.5   -10.3      205.1    217.0    -5.5 
  yarn             3.5      3.4     2.9       20.8     22.0    -5.3 
  fabric           1.8      2.4   -22.1       18.0     19.9    -9.6 
  apparel         44.5     49.1    -9.4      144.9    151.5    -4.4 
  misc             2.6      3.6   -27.6       21.4     23.5    -9.2 
MAN-MADE 
 Total          2589.8   2785.6    -7.0    18297.0  19380.4    -5.6 
  yarn           211.6    214.0    -1.1     1611.0   1817.6   -11.4 
  fabric         535.4    599.0   -10.6     4428.8   4765.3    -7.1 
  apparel        890.6    973.0    -8.5     5150.2   5387.6    -4.4 
  misc           952.2    999.6    -4.7     7107.0   7409.8    -4.1 
SELECTED COUNTRIES 
 China          2066.7   2128.2    -2.9    13531.1  13965.9    -3.1 
 Taiwan          100.5    106.9    -5.9      708.3    766.0    -7.5 
 Hong Kong        34.7     41.6   -16.5      230.9    268.6   -14.0 
 S Korea         146.6    164.2   -10.7     1131.5   1348.3   -16.1 
 Canada          112.2    147.7   -24.0      943.4   1361.5   -30.7 
 Mexico          228.5    267.3   -14.5     1831.4   2095.3   -12.6 
 CBI             305.9    334.1    -8.4     2502.3   2480.2     0.9 
 ASEAN           547.9    559.9    -2.1     4055.5   3889.1     4.3 
 South Asia      710.4    737.3    -3.6     5234.9   5459.8    -4.1 
 EU 15           102.7    153.6   -33.1      918.7   1164.9   -21.1 
 Turkey           46.6     61.1   -23.7      357.2    437.4   -18.3 
 Israel           41.3     40.1     2.9      368.4    305.6    20.6 
   -By Sandi Alexander; Dow Jones Newswires; 202-646-1880; 
    csstat@dowjones.com