FW
Venkatagiri sari industry is suffering since powerlooms in South India are copying their designs and bringing out them quickly to market. And the impact is despite Venkatgiri sari receiving Geographical Indication tag some six years ago.
These handwoven saris are backed by the 300-year-old history created by artisan cluster situated in Nellore district, which earlier was under the dynasty of Venkatagiri. The sari is made of pure cotton adorning elaborate zari work using gold and silver on borders. The craftsmanship of the weavers was recognised and the sari became the 18th Indian sari to get Geographical Indication (GI) tag from the registrar of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR).
The GI tag is supposed to protect the product against misuse of designs, while boosting exports to other countries. However, due to lack of marketing and publicity support from the government wings, weavers of Venkatagiri sari have not been able to increase sales. In fact, they are now victims of design replication by powerloom clusters.
Sustainable technology firm Jeanologia has launched its latest innovation – software designed to help brands and garment finishers minimise their carbon footprint. The Environmental Impact Measuring software is meant for the garment finishing industry and assesses the environmental impact of the finishing process in the areas of water and energy consumption, chemical product used, and worker health.
The new launch is a ‘revolutionary tool’ that will allow both laundries and brands to implement sustainable processes in their manufacturing centres and control its development, regardless of what country they are in, to produce ecological collections based on the same parameters anywhere worldwide.
Currently, popular apparel brands such as H&M has used the software for its conscious denim collection, and Jack & Jones for its low impact collection. Denim giant G-Star is also using the technology.
The company, with more of 20 years of experience, is the world leader of sustainable technologies development. It caters to the customers spread across five continents. Jeanologia products and solutions are currently being used in more than 45 countries including: México, Colombia, Brazil, USA, Germany, Italy, Portugal, India, China, Russia, Japan, Morocco and Bangladesh.
www.jeanologia.com
Export of value-added cotton textile products such as dyed and printed fabrics and made-ups to African countries will be affected as the new foreign trade policy has removed the benefits extended so far on these exports, says R K Dalmia, Chairman of the Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council (Texprocil).
Dalmia said recently the newly-introduced Merchandise Exports from India Scheme has allowed duty credit scrip of two per cent, three per cent and five per cent to exports of notified products to specific countries. However, it does not include export of products such as the dyed and printed cotton fabric and made ups to African countries. The share of textile exports to African region is less than five per cent now and the potential is huge.
The products usually exported to African countries are materials that are used in traditional dresses and are manufactured by small and medium-scale units. And according to Dalmia, these units need support to tap the potential in African market. The early foreign trade policy granted duty credit scrips at four per cent of the FOB value of exports in general for export of cotton fabrics and made ups to many African countries, he said.
www.texprocil.org
New Zealand ended its 2014-15 wool season with the smallest volume of the clip sold through auctions in least seven years. This is because more farmers were attracted to premium prices and protection from commodity price volatility offered in private sales. The auction system's share of wool is likely to continue to shrink. An estimated 4,64,000 bales are expected to come up for auction in 2015-16 year, down from 4,80,000 bales in 2014-15 and 4,93,000 bales in 2013-14.
New Zealand has probably rounded out its smallest annual wool clip in six years this season, reflecting the lowest sheep flock in more than 70 years, dry conditions and an increased focus on meat producing breeds of sheep. The amount of wool that is going through the nation’s auction system is also declining, as farmers are seeking higher returns from direct contracts.
There has been a shift in how farmers are looking to sell their wool and some farmers are choosing to move their wool away from the auction system. A small shift away from auctions began in the 2013-14 season, whereas in 2014-15 there has been a huge shift. In recent years, sheep numbers are declining and an increased amount of wool is circumventing the auction system.
The GSP Plus status has had an extremely positive impact on Pakistan's exports to the EU, which has increased by 20 per cent in the last year. If Pakistan’s exporters were provided uninterrupted power supply their exports to the EU can increase further. Power outages are a challenge for Pakistani exporters because they make their products a little more expensive and if they could get more electricity their margin of profit would increase.
Energy restrictions are limiting the capacity of textile exporters. After GSP Plus lowered tariff on Pakistani exports, exports of Pakistani goods and textiles and leather garments had registered a significant increase since 2014.
Pakistani exporters are smart at circumventing many difficulties they face which is not easy. They are very good at finding solutions where they can work at any time. If the energy crisis were to be resolved their capacity to export more would be increased. Pakistani textile businessmen are known for their expertise. The real challenge for them is to meet commitments on time and in business, precision is important and companies are good at doing that. Pakistani exports to the European Union have earned it $1.3 billion in foreign exchange.
ICAHT 2015, the international conference on apparel and home textiles, will be held in New Delhi, October 31, 2015. The conference will cover all aspects of the apparel industry, including problems of small-scale enterprises in the developing world, barriers which are hindering the growth of this industry, the strength and weakness of manufacturers in different region, globalisation issues, resource and manpower scarcity, quality of the product, trade laws, adopting new techniques to improve productivity, managing global supply chain and finally changing apparel industry trends with ever-changing fashions.
The idea is to explore creativity and the creative process through the lense of imagination and innovation. ICAHT will discuss improving efficiency, cutting costs, shorter lead time, better understanding of customer value in the present situation and government help in forming policy to boost and motivate exports.
The conference aims to provide an environment for academics, researchers and practitioners to exchange ideas and recent developments in the field of apparel manufacturing. The conference is expected to foster networking, collaboration and joint effort among the conference participants to advance the theory and practice as well as to identify major trends in apparel manufacturing.
The global apparel manufacturing industry is expected to grow more in future. Apparel manufacturers are now adopting new techniques to increase their trade. New business models and competitive strategies are used to enhance profits and growth.
China is the world's largest user and second largest producer of cotton. That country’s actions relating to stocks and imports could be an overwhelming factor on improvement of cotton prices. China holds 60 per cent of the world’s cotton stocks, cotton leftover from previous years. Their policies affect how cotton is used, the way it’s moved into the supply chain and when it will have a big impact.
Also, a significant development is the monsoon season in India, the world’s largest cotton producer. The Indian government has forecast monsoon deficit, meaning the country’s cotton crop estimate could be lowered. India’s expected decrease in cotton production could be another factor in the direction that prices take in future months.
Cotton farmers prefer to see prices reach the 80 cent plateau, a mark not seen since June 2014. The US Department of Agriculture will release its estimate of actual cotton acreage planted in the US on June 30. Some years, when cotton prices are low, everything else is low. Then farmers just stick with cotton. Some years when cotton prices are low, other commodities, like corn and soybeans, are a lot better. Farmers shift some acres out from cotton and in to those other crops. That’s what has happened this year.
Several free trade agreements will turn Vietnam into a primary destination of global supply chain and open up huge opportunities for the domestic garment industry. In order to effectively grasp these opportunities, the garment sector should make greater efforts in calling for foreign and domestic investments. Closer links between garment producers and raw material suppliers are also necessary.
Many US companies are willing to seek supply sources from nations joining the TPP agreement once it takes effect and Vietnam is ranked highest in terms of the ability to draw new businesses. Nine years after joining the World Trade Organisation, Vietnam’s garment-textile sector has increased its market share in the United States to 10 per cent from the previous three per cent, second only to China.
Last year, the sector saw an impressive growth of 17 per cent in Europe, 12.5 per cent in the United States, 9 per cent in Japan, and 27 per cent in South Korea. Over the past six months, garment exports earnings of Vietnam were up 10.26 per cent year-on-year. The United States continued to be the largest importer of Vietnam’s textile and garment products, accounting for 42 per cent of the total export value, a surge of 11.01 per cent.
Several free trade agreements will turn Vietnam into one of the primary destinations of the global supply chain and open up huge opportunities for the domestic garment industry.In order to effectively grasp these opportunities, the local garment sector should make a greater effort in calling for foreign and domestic investments. Closer links between garment producers and raw material suppliers are also necessary.
Many US companies are willing to seek supply sources from nations joining the TPP agreement once it takes effect and Vietnam is ranked highest in terms of the ability to draw new businesses.
Nine years after joining the World Trade Organisation, Vietnam’s garment-textile sector has increased its market share in the United States to 10 per cent from the previous three per cent, second only to China.
Last year, the sector saw an impressive growth of 17 per cent in Europe, 12.5 per cent in the United States, 9 per cent in Japan, and 27 per cent in South Korea.
Over the past six months of this year, garment exports earnings of Vietnam were up 10.26 per cent year-on-year. The United States continued to be the largest importer of Vietnam’s textile and garment products, accounting for 42 per cent of the total export value, a surge of 11.01 per cent.
The value of Vietnam's textile and garment exports rose 10.26 per cent in the first six months of this year compared with the same period last year.The United States continued to be the largest importer of Vietnam’s textile and garment products, accounting for 42 per cent of the national total export value, a surge of 11.01 per cent. It was followed by the European Union, whose imports of Vietnamese apparel were up 8.2 per cent.
Exports to Japan and South Korea in the first half of this year are expected to grow 7.3 per cent and 8.33 per cent, respectively, against the same period last year. Vietnam is the second largest garment and textile exporter to Japan and South Korea after China.
After the signing of the Vietnam-Eurasian Economics Union (EEU) free-trade agreement, Vietnam can increase the export value of garment products to the EEU by 50 per cent in the first year and 20 per cent annually in the following years. In the coming three to five years, Vietnam expects to be one of the top five garment exporters to the EEU.
The value of Vietnam's textile and garment exports reached 12.18 billion dollars in the first six months of this year.
