A high-level Lesotho delegation is set to travel to the United States this weekend in an effort to reduce tariffs that are squeezing the country’s textile industry, Bloomberg reports. The mission will bring together cabinet ministers, labor union leaders, and industry representatives to press Washington for tariff relief.

Trade ministry spokeswoman Lihaelo Nkaota said the delegation aims to restart negotiations “at zero, because it is where we were before the new US policy,” adding that they hope tariffs can be reduced below 15% to protect both workers and employers.

The 15% levy, introduced in August, has disrupted the sector, which is Lesotho’s largest private employer. The industry directly employs approximately 12,000 people and supports an additional 40,000 indirectly, supplying major US retailers such as Walmart Inc., JC Penney, and Levi Strauss & Co. Factories have already begun trimming staff as orders decline. At the same time, unions and street vendors plan a protest march on the prime minister’s offices on September 17.

Previously, most of Lesotho’s exports to the US—its second-largest trade partner—entered duty-free under the African Growth and Opportunity Act, which has since been discontinued. The tariffs follow earlier threats of a 50% levy under the Trump administration, highlighting the ongoing uncertainty facing the sector.

The delegation will be led by Trade and Industry Minister Mokhethi Shelile and Labour and Employment Minister Ts’eliso Mokhosi, alongside representatives from the Lesotho Textile Exporters Association and labor unions.