Bangladesh and Vietnam will collaborate on apparel development and reaping mutual trade benefits.

The two countries also have had discussions about possible avenues of working together to unlock their mutual trade potential through meaningful collaboration and seizing the opportunities that lie ahead.They lay emphasis on the exchange of experience and expertise in the apparel industry of Bangladesh and Vietnam.

Bangladesh has been strongly focusing on diversifying from low-priced basic apparel items to high-end products, especially manmade fiber-based garments, in which Vietnam has vast experience and could share its expertise. On the other hand, Bangladesh has made exemplary strides in the areas of workplace safety and environmental sustainability that could be shared with Vietnam.

The countries have expressed interest in facilitating sharing of knowledge and expertise in the apparel and textile industry through collaboration between Bangladesh University of Fashion and Technology and Vietnamese apparel trade associations and fashion institutes. Interactions between designers and technical experts through exchange of faculties and students are expected to develop knowledge and skills and benefit both countries.

Export-import activities between Bangladesh and Vietnam faced a sharp decline in 2020, thanks to the Covid pandemic. Now, both nations have realised that there is a large untapped potential in the domain of bilateral trade, which can unleash a plethora of opportunities.

Argentina has launched an anti-dumping investigation into synthetic fabrics originating in China.

The product involved is synthetic fiber warp knitted fabric (raschel), with an elastic yarn content greater than or equal to five per cent (excluding rubber thread), width less than or equal to 30 cms, non-straight side bands on one or both sides, synthetic fiber material, elastic yarn content greater than or equal to five per cent (excluding rubber thread).The main export provinces and cities of the goods involved are mainly Zhejiang, Guangdong and Shanghai.

Dumping is an unfair trade practice, because the lower export prices are not a result of efficiency on the part of the exporting producers, but of distorted market conditions illustrated by the segregation of the domestic market. Dumping limits effective competition and creates uncertainty, which hinders a predictable investment climate. If it is established that dumping has caused material injury to domestic players, an anti- dumping duty may be imposed. Dumping affects gross margins.Anti-dumping duties are levied to provide a level playing field to local industry by guarding against cheap, below-cost imports.

Growing imports and dumping of goods from China have always been an area of concern for Indian companies too.

Dr A Sakthivel is the new chairman of the Apparel, Made-Ups and Home Furnishing Sector Skill Council (AMHSSC).

As a visionary industry leader for the Indian apparel sector, he has actively and strongly represented the issues of apparel exporters and has played a vital role in the tremendous growth and overhaul of the apparel sector in India, especially micro, small and medium units.

He has an experience of over three and a half decades in the apparel sector and currently also serves as the president of Federation of Indian Export Organizations (FIEO).The new chief is also honorary chairman of the Tirupur Exporters Association. His contribution to the growth of Tirupur exports has been outstanding as the sector saw a growth from a mere Rs 15 crores to over Rs 30,000 crores. He has been instrumental in bringing Tirupur on the global map by getting it recognized as an apparel cluster hub.

Over the years, he has also strongly promoted the manufacturing and export of synthetic garments. He has expressed motivation and commitment to give a further impetus to entrepreneurship, job creation and to strengthen the value chain of the apparel industry by providing skilled youthful manpower to the industry and making India as the world’s skill capital.

Pakistan’s textile industry is running out of cotton stocks. So says the All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA).

As a consequence, mills are in danger of shutting down. Exporters are turning away orders as they are not sure of the availability of raw materials to fulfill the orders. The damage to Pakistan would not only be lower exports this year but also the permanent shift of the orders to other countries which would be very difficult to reverse.

A dollar spent on the import of cotton yields $3 in exports. The estimated cost of ten million bales of cotton at today’s price is $4 billion, which would translate to minimum exports of $12 billion. The country’s textile sector consumed 15 million bales in the last year which indicates that approximately ten million bales would need to be imported in order to retain exports at the same level as last year.

Pakistan’s economy largely depends on textile exports for foreign currency and employment. A dicey international economic situation and catastrophic floods have pushed the country’s economy to the brink. Since banks are willing to entertain only small and limited letters of credit for companies that are direct exporters, says APTMA, this excludes 80 percent of the basic industry and ignores the fragmented structure of the industry. The raw material (cotton) is not available to the entire sector.

The interest benefit under the Interest Equalisation Scheme should be raised to five per cent across the board. So says the Tirupur Exporters Association (TEA).

Raising the interest benefit under the Interest Equalisation Scheme would, it is felt, help protect the knitwear industry. Some export units in Tirupur have been finding it difficult to fulfill their export obligation for capital goods imported under the Export Promotion Capital Goods scheme and raw materials imported under the Advance Licensing Scheme within the stipulated period due to the impact of the pandemic, a rise in yarn prices and the Ukraine-Russia war.As the exporting units have to pay the interest apart from normal customs duty to regularise the case,

TEA says an amnesty scheme to settle export obligation defaults would be helpful. Since knitwear exporting units in the Tirupur cluster are now facing a severe threat to their existence due to issues like low orders, delay in receiving payment, non-acceptance of booked orders, and deferment of shipment, TEA has suggested that the Export Refinance Scheme be extended to banks to augment export credit, and banks may be encouraged to provide export credit in Indian rupee to exporters and the same amount can be refinanced by the Reserve Bank of India at the repo rate.

Zara’s parent company Inditex, H&M, and Next paid clothing suppliers in Bangladesh during the pandemic less than the cost of production. So say the University of Aberdeen and Transform Trade.

Of the 1,000 factories in Bangladesh producing garments for the retailers, 19 percent of Lidl’s suppliers, eleven percent of Inditex’s, nine percent of H&M’s, and eight percent of Next’s said they were producing at less than the cost of production.The majority of suppliers to those four brands, as well as Tesco and Aldi, say they were still being paid at the same rate from March 2020 to December 2021.

Despite rising raw material prices and the need to implement Covid mitigation measures, factories were unable to pass on additional production costs to buyers during the pandemic. Larger retailers buying from 15 or more factories were more likely than smaller retailers to engage in unethical practices such as delaying payments or canceling orders.Such practices impact suppliers’ employment conditions, with nearly one in five factories struggling to pay the country’s legal minimum wage.Only when suppliers are able to plan ahead, with confidence that they will earn as expected, can they deliver good working conditions for their workers.

Spinners in Bangladesh are facing a shortage of waste cotton and textile scraps since a major portion of them is shipped abroad amid higher demand for recycled yarns and fabrics worldwide.

Bangladeshsees a huge volume of cotton textile scraps, but these wastes are usually dumped into a landfill, burned, exported, or recycled into low-quality fabrics.This means the country misses the opportunity to produce recycled yarn from the bi-products with a view to manufacturing the apparel products whose demand is rocketing globally.

Higher cotton farming is hampering the environment whereas the manufacturing of apparel involves more groundwater, especially during washing and dyeing.So many clothing retailers and brands prefer the reuse and recycling of garments to avoid environmental damage. But some traders in Bangladesh feel encouraged to export waste cotton and fabrics than sell them in the local market because of the price factor.

In some cases, imported recycled yarns are made from the wastes and scrap fabrics exported from Bangladesh. In 2019, Bangladesh produced approximately 5,77,000 tons of waste just from the readymade garments and fabric mills of which almost half was 100 per cent pure cotton waste.On the other hand, Bangladesh heavily relies on the import of textile fiber.

The online lingerie market is growing at eight per cent a year. The market is fragmented, with the presence of a few established players and many start-ups.

Many lingerie brands are entering the direct-to-consumer online retail space. They are also selling their products through third-party online retailers. Private brands largely or solely sell their products online, with the growing e-commerce industry and the online lingerie market. Many multi-brand pure-play online lingerie retailers have also entered the market. This will enable them to strengthen their position in the online lingerie market.

Thus, high rates of internet and smartphone penetration contribute to the market growth.The bra segment is growing at a significant rate. The growth of this segment is attributed to factors such as the high price and replacement cycle of bras when compared to other types of intimate apparel. The trend of customizable bras is also driving the market. Moreover the penetration of mobile tablets and smartphones globally has boosted the growth of the segment.

The cost benefits for retailers operating in the online space are driving the market growth. Online lingerie stores offer a wide range of products. They also offer easy return and exchange policies, thereby attracting more consumers. Online lingerie stores also help consumers purchase bras with the right fit through apps. These factors will fuel the market’s growth.

In the first six months of the current fiscal year Bangladesh’s garment exports to India grew by 50 per cent compared to the same period of the previous fiscal year.

Knitwear exports to India grew by 56 percent and woven exports grew by 44 percent. In these six months, Bangladesh’s total exports to India were four percent of the country’s total export earnings of the period and seven percent more than the same period of the last financial year.

In the same six month period Bangladesh’s apparel exports to the United States grew by only one percent. Apparel exports to Germany increased by three percent. Bangladesh’s apparel exports to Spain and France increased by 17 percent and 33 percent respectively. Exports to the United Kingdom and Canada increased by 11 percent and 28 percent respectively.

In addition to traditional markets, Bangladesh’s apparel exports to non-traditional markets increased by 32 percent compared to the same period in the last fiscal. Among non-traditional markets, exports to Japan rose 42 percent. Exports of Bangladesh have increased to all countries in the last two fiscal years, but the largest increase has been in India. Bangladesh’s product exports to India in the last fiscal year were 55 percent more than they were in the previous fiscal year.

Technotex will be held in Mumbai, February 22 to 24, 2023.This technical textiles flagship event will consist of exhibitions, conferences and seminars.

Technotex is one of the largest composite events of the technical textile industry of the Asia-Pacific region. The exhibition exemplifies the immense potential for bilateral trade and investment between India and foreign countries in the technical textile sector in a mutually beneficial way.

The event is expected to attract the participation of all major stakeholders from the global technical textile fraternity as well as institutional buyers from the army, navy, air force, CISF, CRPF, paramilitary force, police, hospitals, BRO, agriculture institutions, CPWD, PWD, municipalities, sports institutions, and others. The event will also be supported by all related industry associations.

The roundtable conference is expected to be attended by several senior central and state government officials. Top CEOs from various fields of the technical textile sector will be present at the event. Technical textiles are high performance textiles which find application not only in clothing but in areas such as agriculture, medicine, infrastructure development, automotive, aerospace, sports, protective clothing, packaging, etc. Technical textiles have seen an upward trend globally in recent years due to improving economic conditions.