The textiles manufacturing sector is one of the main foreign-revenue earners for the Indian Ocean island, along with sugar, tourism and financial services.

The island's once-thriving textiles industry has been contracting since 2002, a process hastened by the end of global textiles quotas in January last year, which has brought competition from larger, low-cost producers like China.

The island's EPZ sector imports raw materials and processes them into ready-made products which are exported mainly to European and American markets.

Other EPZ exports include polished precious stones, jewellery, toys and energy drinks.

Textiles and apparel made up around 66 per cent of Mauritius' manufacturing export sector.

Around 66 931 of Mauritius's 1,2 million people are employed in the EPZ sector.

- Nampa-Reuters

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