WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO), which includes the entire U.S. textile supply chain from fiber and yarn to finished fabrics and sewn products has expressed its strong support for the recently announced reciprocal trade agreement between the United States and Guatemala.
Kim Glas, President and CEO of NCTO, stated, “The U.S.-Guatemala trade agreement represents a vital step toward enhancing the U.S. textile supply chain. We commend the administration for its decisive move to eliminate reciprocal tariffs and for extending preferential treatment to qualifying textile and apparel products from Guatemala under the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR).”
Glas added, “NCTO and the broader U.S. textile industry are grateful to President Trump, U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer, and the administration for successfully concluding this agreement with Guatemala, particularly following the recent trade agreement with El Salvador.”
“Guatemala is an essential ally within the CAFTA-DR region, facilitating $2 billion in two-way trade in textiles and apparel. Together, this region operates as an integrated co-production platform that is critical to the U.S. textile supply chain. In 2024, the production network generated $11.3 billion in two-way trade and supported more than 470,000 American jobs in the domestic textile sector.”
“The U.S.–Western Hemisphere textile and apparel supply chain remains a vital alternative to China and other Asian producers. We look forward to continued collaboration with the Trump administration to further strengthen this significant regional partnership and genuinely appreciate this important announcement.”