FW
The Federal Government of Nigeria has reaffirmed its commitment to revive the lost glory of the country’s cotton, textile and garment industry for sustainable economic development. Aisha Abubakar, the Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment reaffirmed this at the Textile and Garment Manufacturing Conference organised by Africa Fashion Week Nigeria (AFWN) 2016 in Lagos. The minister said the government was passionate about promoting growth in the industry and across its value chain. Her government would continue to create an enabling environment to promote the ease of doing business and active participation of the private sector to boost production, she added. According to her, the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) and the Bank of Industry (BOI) have been repositioned to implement the National Enterprise Development Programme (NEDEP) goals to boost SME development in the country.
She also is said to have stressed that government initiatives toward stimulating growth in the industry included tax incentives, harmonised tax, infrastructural development and financing.
Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (TEVTA) at the government Institute of Emerging Technologies, township in Turkey is making all necessary arrangements are being finalized to establish garment Institute next month by the. Garment related courses including industrial stitching machine operator, denim washing expert and denim dry finishing expert short courses would be offered after finalisation of arrangements.1500 students will be trained in these courses annually.
Technical assistance in the shape of latest machinery and equipment for successful launch of the garment courses is being provided by Turkish Cooperation and Co-ordination Agency (TIKA). Chairperson TEVTA Irfan Qaiser Sheikh says after installation of machinery/equipment, TEVTA would be able to provide training of garments sector on international standards in Lahore and fulfill the demand of skilled manpower and contribution towards export in the said sector.
A new edition of the ICA Bylaws & Rules has gone live. The ICA Bylaws & Rules were originally created in 1863 to regulate the sale and purchase of raw cotton. They can be applied to contracts covering the purchase and sale of cotton between any two companies anywhere in the world. They are continuously updated in line with current industry practice and are published in a variety of languages.
Today, it is estimated that the majority of the world’s cotton is still traded under ICA Bylaws & Rules and, whilst they have changed with time, their aim remains the same – to create a safe trading environment and protect the legitimate interests of all those who trade cotton, whether buyer or seller.
The platform provides a wide range of mediation and training support for trade associations and individual mills to ensure safe trading under ICA bylaws. Apart from that ICA has education programs on quality, risk management and so on. The aim is to educate the parties and bring added value to the industry.
During fluctuation of cotton price the ICA plays a vital role in ensuring that both the buyers and sellers of cotton are protected and respect contract sanctity.
According to ratings agency ICRA, government’s latest package for the textile sector is likely to improve competitiveness of the country's exports but achieving target of $43 billion of apparel exports by 2018 still remains a challenge. Recently, the Centre approved Rs 6,000 crores special package for textiles and apparel sector to create Rs 1 crore new jobs in three years by attracting investments of $11 billion and generate $30 billion in exports.
These steps will lead to increased competitiveness of India's apparel exports and improve employment generation in the garment sector given its labour intensiveness. While the financial year incentives under the package will improve capacity additions and increase the competitiveness of India's exports, however, achieving the target of $43 billion of apparel exports by 2018 appears to be a challenge, said ICRA Assistant Vice President Anil Gupta.
In ICRA's view, the increased benefit of 25 per cent of capital subsidy under amended Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (TUFS) for new garment units will further reduce investments requirements for new units by 7.5 per cent.
In addition, the proposal would also benefit new garment units by way of savings of up to 3.7 per cent on labour costs and 1 per cent on total manufacturing cost of apparel due to Government's contribution towards employer's share of Employees Provident Fund contribution, the report said. India's garment exports grew at 4 per cent in 2015, whereby they increased to $17.1 billion from $16.5 billion in the previous year.
India's textile and apparel exports are expected to touch $50 billion this fiscal. Elaborate marketing plans have been devised to boost exports. While hope is that key markets like Europe and US will continue to grow, India is also looking at exploring new markets such as Iran, Russia and South America to expand reach and diversify products. With the opening of new markets, the country is hopeful of achieving its export targets.
India is ready to capitalise China’s falling share in textile exports in international market. China’s market share has slipped to 38 per cent from 40 per cent due to the high wage rate and its entry into high-end tech products. The industry hopes free trade agreements with EU, Australia and Canada are finalized and that a concessional tariff with China is negotiated in order to protect domestic suppliers.
India exports $10 billion worth of textiles and apparels to the European Union of which nearly 23 per cent goes to Britain. With Britain’s exit from the EU, Indian exporters hope to enter into a preferential trade agreement with Britain. A Rs 6000 crores package has been approved for the sector with an aim to create one crore new jobs in three years and attract investments of $11 billion while eyeing an additional $30 billion in exports.
The next round of negotiations of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) trade deal with the US will begin in Brussels on July 11, despite the turmoil surrounding Brexit. This was declared by Cecilia Malmstrom, trade commissioner of the European Commission. The trade commissioner said that they are committed to the trade agenda and are negotiating a lot of other issues with many countries besides the TTIP. And they will do whatever it needs to make as much progress as possible in the coming months possibly before the end of the Obama administration. This part has been confirmed by member states.
Also sooner or later the EU will have to make decisions about TTIP once the UK and its next prime minister define its trade relationship with the EU and rest of the world. But for now, negotiators will negotiate as a 28-member bloc with the UK, she averred. US and EU negotiators have been negotiating TTIP for more than three years seeking to forge a deal that would eliminate tariffs on imports, streamline regulations, remove burdensome technical barriers and eliminate redundancies in areas such as customs procedures, product safety testing and certification and labeling requirements.
The US and EU have long touted the TTIP as an agreement that can bring regulatory cohesion to a thicket of diverse regulations that often impede trade across the Atlantic and the fashion industry associations of both the US and Europe have pressed TTIP negotiators to streamline, simplify or eliminate duplicative and burdensome labeling and product safety requirements.
After a busy and successful show, Premium Exhibition closed its doors. Despite the fact that the first and last day was quiet, the second days was lively and busy. Visitors crowded show halls and pavilions catching up with new trends and forecasts for s/s 2017. The general atmosphere pervading the event appeared easy-going and smooth.
From both, the exhibitors’ and buyers’ side, the show continues to be an important event for the industry. Stefano Colombo, marketing manager, Colmar, commented that they were satisfied and encouraged by the positive feedback that they got from Middle European markets. Premium is a strategic show for them especially for the German speaking countries.
Though, not only exhibitors showed their satisfaction with the event but also buyers. Berit & Jan Petersdorf, Angelo's, Hamburg, said that they like the new layout of the show. It seems there is more space, it's airier and the walk ways appear very clear.
Despite the recent news of the Brexit, most insiders and exhibitors didn’t seem to be worried about UK willing to leave the EU. According to many the first effects of such a change will only be noticeable in about one-two years. In addition, for many the UK market includes only a few multibrand stores, and therefore still represents a small market quota for many companies exhibiting at Premium.
A cotton and textile fair will be held in Uzbekistan on October 12 and 13, 2016. The aim is to expand and diversify Uzbek cotton’s export destinations, increase efficiency and optimize shipment of Uzbek cotton to the world market and become the basis for mutually beneficial cooperation between participants of the world cotton and textile industry. The cotton fair is expected to stimulate further development of market mechanisms in cotton trading and improve business relations between Uzbek producers and customers.
Participants will enjoy an opportunity to sign contracts for Uzbek cotton, set up long-term cooperation in cotton trading, as well as to be familiar with the quality of Uzbek cotton and the latest innovations in trade and logistics. Round tables and bilateral negotiations between Uzbek cotton exporters and consumers will be organized. Guests will have an opportunity to participate in the cotton trading session on the Uzbek commodity exchange.
Topics to be discussed include world cotton and textile market: demand and supply, prices and factors; current state and prospects of production and marketing of cotton in Uzbekistan; new technologies to increase cotton competitiveness; present and future of the world cotton textile market. Uzbekistan is one of the world’s largest producers and exporters of cotton. The first such fair was conducted in 2005.
Manufacturers of waterproof textiles are currently aiming at the creation of a light and thin waterproof material which offers insulation, are wind resistant and are waterproof.
While traditional waterproof textiles are composed of two layers and a third layer is put as a liner to improve resilience, the new approach is to create single-layered waterproof textile. This is because the inclusion of three layers makes the fabric heavy.
Manufacturers are now devising different techniques to make waterproof textiles light weight by making them single layered. This trend is expected to impact the future of the global waterproof textiles market. <br> </br> Waterproof textiles are used to manufacture garments that provide protection from wind and rain. Garments made from waterproof textiles also prevent the loss of body heat. In most cases, waterproof textiles are ventilated to provide an escape passage for sweat. They prevent the penetration or absorption of water and are also referred to as waterproof breathable textiles.
Waterproof textiles are widely used to manufacture outdoor equipment and sportswear. According to a report published by Transparency Market Research (TMR), the rising demand for high-performance and comfortable apparel such as sportswear is driving the global waterproof textiles market.
Another trend that would certainly capture the global waterproof textiles market in the future is the use of recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles in the manufacturing of these textiles. Conceived as a initiative to fight environmental pollution owing to the high use of plastics, recycled PET bottles are used to produce polyester fiber which is then used to manufacture waterproof textiles.
The eco-friendly nature of these textiles will appeal to an expanding segment of the urban society that possesses an increased awareness about environmental conservation. This will propel the global waterproof textiles market.
North America currently leads the global waterproof textiles industry due to a high demand from Canada, Mexico and the US. The growth in the sportswear market is primarily responsible for the high demand for these textiles in North America. Europe is proving to be a lucrative market for waterproof textiles, with high demand from the U.K., Germany, and France. Similarly, the rising demand for waterproof textiles from India, China, and Japan is driving the market in Asia Pacific.
Leading players in the global waterproof textiles market include Columbia Sportswear, APT Fabrics, Clariant, Lowe Alpine, General Electric, Dow Corning, Huntsman Textiles Co. Ltd., Archroma, WL Gore & Associates, Inc. and Heartland Textiles Co. Ltd.
Worries loom over cotton spinning mills as multiple global factors play out to influence the demand for and the price of yarn as well as that of cotton. So far, in the last four-six quarters, it was a stable ride up the profitability graph for yarn mills. Demand for yarn was moderate and cotton prices were stable.
The biggest problem is the recent and sudden spurt in cotton prices, which is higher than that of yarn. The price of the benchmark Sankar-6 variety of cotton has jumped by 19 per cent, whereas that of 30s-count yarn is up 11 per cent (inclusive of duties) since January.
The mills, especially the mid- and small-sized units, will take a beating on margins if the trend continues. The larger mills are tiding over the problem through imports. According to K Selvaraju, secretary general of the Southern India Mills’ Association (SIMA), large mills have started buying West African cotton as costs are lower. At current price levels, imported cotton works out cheaper by Rs 2,000 per candy of 355kg. Experts say that the cotton imports for the season will surpass projections.
Some say that the acreage under cotton cultivation is down, after two seasons of deficit rainfall as the reason for domestic cotton prices ruling high. So, cotton production is likely to fall to a five-year low of 35.2 million bales (a bale is 217.7kg) for the 2015-16 season ending September, or perhaps even lower.
