FW
Affected by sluggish economic recovery in the country's single-largest destination for overseas sales, exports from Bangladesh to the United States saw the momentum slowing down in the first half of the calendar year compared to the year-earlier, reveals a new study. The study, conducted by the United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA), also revealed that the US-based fashion companies are more cautious about sourcing goods from Bangladesh.
Bangladesh roped in $2.84 billion from the US marking a 1.33 per cent growth in the January to June period this year compared to the corresponding period last year, the data from Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA) affiliated with the US Department of Commerce indicated. Export earnings grew by 4.14 per cent during the first quarter of 2016, the data revealed. Out of the total receipts, the readymade garment (RMG) fetched $2.72 billion in the same period.
On the other hand, Chinese apparel exports witnessed negative growth of 5.20 per cent to $ 11.95 billion in the first half of this year. Meanwhile, garment exports from Vietnam grew by 3.24 per cent to $5.10 billion and India's slight 0.86 per cent to $2.02 billion during the same period.
The study on "2016 Fashion Industry Benchmarking Study," jointly conducted by USFIA and the University of Delaware, was launched in June last. It surveyed 30 executives from the US based fashion companies between March 2016 and April 2016.
FESPA Mexico scheduled from August 18 to 20 in Mexico City will display new technologies in wide format, digital and screen print, garment decoration, signage, software and consumables. For instance, Bordeaux Digital will showcase a newly developed EDEN PG pigment suitable for printing processes on various fabrics with textile applications in fashion, home textiles, upholstery, drapery and soft. Roland DGA will display the new TrueVIS VG signage. printer/cutter with four improved FlexFire heads and a new eco-solvent printer, the Roland DG SOLJET EJ-640 and Texart XT-640 and RT-640 textile digital printers.
Fassi Digital will demonstrate its dye-sublimation Mogk Calandra MTC-1800 which sublimates at a speed of 6 metres per minute. The MHM SPM 5000, the latest screen printing model will display high speed setup along with increased print production rates and a direct-to-garment printer with industrial speeds of up to 950 metres per hour. While Caldera will present its latest TextilePro software edition designed to make production of decorative or industrial products quick, precise and profitable.
The show will see 160 manufacturers and suppliers exhibiting over 12,000 sq. mt. of space at which over mainly 9,000 industry professionals are expected to attend.
Recognising the progress made in line with the Sustainability Compact, the European Commission has asked the Bangladesh government to ensure workers' rights in the country's readymade garment sector.
The commission also suggested in a new report addressing the concerns noted by the ILO Committee on Application of Standards regarding the freedom of association and protection of rights to organise as a matter of immediate priority.
The European Commission recently released its third annual report on the progress achieved in the Bangladeshi garment sector through the Sustainability Compact for Bangladesh-an international response to the 2013 tragic collapse of the Rana Plaza factory complex.
The report reflects the views of the European Commission, based on information from a number of sources, including the Compact partners, in particular their latest follow-up meeting held in Dhaka on January 18 as well as Bangladeshi and international private sector and civil society, including the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and Human Rights Watch.
The European Commission has released its third annual report on the progress achieved in the Bangladeshi garment sector through its Sustainability Compact for Bangladesh – an international response to the 2013 tragic collapse of the Rana Plaza factory complex. Since the launch of the initiative, the Compact has contributed to tangible improvements in workplace safety. However, workers' rights remains a challenging area with a particular urgency on freedom of association, says the report.
While some improvements can be noticed, sizeable efforts still need to be made to ensure that real change takes place and is sustained over the long term, according to the report. As regards legislative improvements, the EU expects further development of labour-related legislation and enforcement of the existing rules in full compliance with the fundamental rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining, as defined by the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
On administrative aspects, the report points at the need for a new strategy for safety inspections and re-mediation, ensuring effective coordination between key Bangladeshi regulators with competences in that area. The EU also calls for further reinforcement of administrative capacities through recruitment and training of inspectors and for a full transparency as regards the outcomes of factory inspections.
Further to that, the EU report underlines the need for continuous education, training and capacity building on issues such as labour rights, and occupational safety and health.
The report, along with recommendations also formulates the wish for a strong longer-term engagement of international private companies involved in business operations in Bangladesh, which have been key in bringing progress on the ground over the last years.
In spite of a big decline in acreage due to the whitefly attack last season, the yield of cotton in Punjab is expected to stay normal during the current season. According to reports, the fear of one more whitefly attack, cotton acreage in this season in the state slid to 2.56 lakh hectares compared to 3.39 lakh hectares in the previous season. However, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) vice chancellor B S Dhillon expressed optimism by noting that seeing the present growth of the cotton crop, they expect a normal yield.
Dhillon, who also heads the inter-state monitoring committee on whitefly, said PAU scientists and the state agriculture department were putting in full efforts to control the pest. He also said the Punjab government has provided Rs 70 lakh for research on the pest and recruited 500 scouts and 50 field supervisors to prevent damage to the crop. In the last cotton season, the whitefly attack had impacted 1.36 lakh hectares, of the overall cotton acreage in Punjab, leading to an output drop by 40 per cent.
A breakthrough made by scientists at Delhi University has made it possible to increase Bt cotton’s resistance to pests.
They did this by combining two genes which improve production of Bt toxins. When the two genes are combined in a cotton plant, the amount of Bt toxins produced by it goes four to five times higher than the current variety -- a development that can prove crucial in dealing with insect attacks that may increase because of global warming.
Insects are notorious for developing resistance to chemical pesticides and Bt toxins expressed in the plants. Already pink bollworm has broken the protection provided by the current Bt cotton. So with global warming, insect attacks on crops are going to increase.
One Bt toxin protein is targeted at the cytoplasm while the other is targeted at the plastids that are the site of photosynthesis and many other biochemical pathways in the plant.
There is a general consensus among population genetics experts that development of resistance to Bt toxin can be slowed down by growing high dosage toxin plants and by keeping a refuge -- that is, growing some non-Bt plants surrounding Bt crops.
High dosage transgenic has been shown to prolong the life of transgenic cotton in managing American bollworm and other pests.
The Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety (ABWS), the platform of North American fashion brands and retailers, has removed the names of four more Bangladeshi readymade garment factories from its supplier list on charge of non-compliance with the safety standard. The factories are: Global Trousers and Uponti Apparels in Chittagong, V & R Fashions in Gazipur and The Dacca Dyeing Garments in Dhaka.
Out of the suspended four, two failed to submit design documents of the factory buildings and provide evidence of re-mediation while the other two were suspended due to closure. On the other hand, the Alliance withdrew its suspension of a factory as it started required re-mediation works. The platform, however, did not publish the name of the factory the name of which has been included in the supplier list after being suspended on March 8 this year.
With this of action the number of suspended factories by the Alliance currently stands at 91. It may be recalled that after the 2013 Rana Plaza building collapse which killed more than 1,100 people mostly garment workers, North American retailers including top brands Walmart and Gap formed the Alliance undertaking a five-year plan which set timelines and accountability for inspections and training and workers’ empowerment programmes.
The textiles sector in Ethiopia, the fifth fastest-growing garment producing country in the world, employs women in abundance.
The International Trade Centre (ITC) is the only development agency that is fully dedicated to support the internationalisation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
In tandem with its local partner, the Center for Accelerated Women’s Economic Empowerment, the ITC works to provide women with capacity building, training and support, enabling them to better meet international buyers’ requirements.
Interestingly, the textile sector makes up for the third largest manufacturing industry in the country after food and leather processing.
Uster case study focused on an Indian yarn manufacturer which originally invested in early-stage fiber cleaning in 2009, and has since upgraded to Total Contamination Control, combining the Uster Jossi Vision Shield and Uster Quantum 3. An experienced member of the Uster sales team in India, J. C. Kumaar has a strong relationship with his customers in the south of the country. His knowledge gained over 20 years has enabled him to assist an important client to implement step-by-step improvements in contamination control, in line with the company’s goal of continual enhancement of yarn quality.
This customer made its initial move into fiber cleaning in the blow room, with its purchase seven years ago of the Vision Shield MPIX by Jossi. Since then, the customer has stepped up its requirements, especially with regard to polypropylene contaminant removal, opting for the Uster Jossi Magic Eye in 2015. The company spins yarn for the high-quality segment, typically mixing Guntur and Giza cottons to produce yarn counts of Nec 50s, 40s and 26s. A medium-sized mill, its priorities were better contamination control without increasing waste or causing more yarn clearer cuts at the winding stage.
The first stage in the upgrading of the mill’s contamination control came in 2015. Kumaar explains that the decision was made to tackle the challenge at fiber cleaning stage. For better fiber cleaning results, the existing Jossi fiber cleaner was upgraded with the Uster Jossi Magic Eye.
Despite an excellent performance of the textile sector, sizing and weaving sectors are least developed and are unable to contribute their due role in the up gradation of the textile sectors, according to Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI) president Ch Muhammad Nawaz.
The FCCI president said that textile sector, despite its inherent pros and cons, was earning $13 billion foreign exchange per annum for the country.
He said that it was the only sector which had the potential to immediately double. He said that in addition to the Ministry of Science and Technology, many universities and R&D institutions were working for the development of science in Pakistan, but its practical benefits to the industrial sector were non-existent.
He told that the government had launched Industry-Academia Linkage Programme to bridge the gap between industry and academia and in this connection serious efforts had been made but still it could not give the required results.
Dr Mirza Habib Ali, Director Research Support, Ministry of Science and Technology, indicated that they must promote knowledge-based economy to get a due share from the international markets.
Muhammad Hasnain, Deputy Director Science Centre, gave a detailed presentation about the centre and informed that 16 different institutions were working for the promotion of science in Pakistan. He stressed the need for industry-academia linkages and said that industrialists should contact R&D related institutions for the practical solutions of their industry related problems.
The Science Centre was established in 2000 and so for 500,000 students, scientists and researchers had visited it. He also said that science foundation had added a unique model of dinosaur while a dome of planetarium was also under completion.
