Garment Industry experts believe that Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s announcement of setting up seven mega textile parks over the next three years could prove to be the much-needed push for India’s textile and apparel export industry, which has lost out to Asian peers over the past few years.

Sitharaman had in her budget speech said mega investment textile parks will enable the industry to become globally competitive, attract large investments and boost employment generation.

The plug-and-play model announced by the Centre will eliminate a huge requirement of capital expenditure and funds, said Rahul Mehta, chief mentor, Clothing Manufacturers Association of India.

The move is a big boost for the textiles industry in India. China is the largest supplier of garments to the world. Bangladesh and Vietnam have also come up really well because of low-cost structures and trade agreements. With the help of 7 plug-and-play parks, India could emerge as a strong global player in textile and garments exports, said Sanjay Jain, Chief Executive Officer, PDS Multinational Fashions

Setting up of textile parks along with the production-linked incentive scheme for technical textile and man-made fabric producers and reduction in customs duty for caprolactam, nylon chips and nylon fibre to 5 per cent will help apparel exporters enhance their share in global markets over the medium term, added Hetal Gandhi, Director-Textiles, CRISIL Research.

Emma Minto, Chief Executive Officer, Nike has joined footwear brand Crocs as its senior vice president and general manager, overseeing all operations for the Americas. As per a Retail Dive report, Minto has 16 years of experience at Nike in various leadership roles, most recently as vice president and general manager of Nike Women's, North America.

Crocs’ full year 2020 revenue estimates increased 12 per cent to a record $1.38 billion, more than its previous expectation for growth between 5 and 7 per cent. However, demand for office wear and occasion wear increased. The brand expects this demand to continue in future and revenue from casual wear to increase 25 per cent.

Crocs. is an American company that manufactures and markets the Crocs brand of foam clogs . The company has since established a considerable following with American middle school and high school students, with many opting for Crocs as school shoes.

After acquiring Shoe Palace in December 2020 for $325 million, JD Sports is now buying American sportswear and footwear retailer DTLR for $ 495 million. Of the total purchase amount, around $ 100 million will be used to repay existing debts. Peter Cowgill, Executive Chairman, JD Sports Fashion Plc,, believes the purchase will help JD Sports expand its presence in the north and East US. It is one of the few retailers that recorded good sales in the second half of 2020, which made the retailer increase profit guidance by a good number. DTLR has stores in the UK, Europe, Asia and Australia, and generates revenue of £4,717.8 million.

Established in 1982, it has 247 stores across 19 US states. Its purchase will help JD sports explore additional funding options to enhance its flexibility to invest in future opportunities. The acquisition is likely to conclude during the first quarter of 2021.

Getting a boost from consistently cold weather total sales of Uniqlo increased 1.8 per cent while its comparable sales (including online) rose 2 per cent year-on-year. The good results came despite four of the company’s Japanese shops remaining temporarily closed and as many as 159 were working for shorter hours due to the pandemic. The company’s business heavily depends on the weather conditions. Cool weather during summer and warm spells during winter strongly affect its sales. However, Japan witnessed a favorable weather during most of the pandemic period which helped the company boost business.

However, customer numbers and average purchases per customer were a little lower during January than they have been for the year to date. Uniqlo is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fast Retailing A Yamaguchi-based company it was founded in March 1949 in Ube, Yamaguchi.

In May 1984, it opened a unisex casual wear store in Fukuro-machi, Naka-ku, Hiroshima, under the name ‘Unique Clothing Warehouse’.[5] Initially, the brand was going to be registered as a shortened contraction of ‘unique clothing’.

Sanjay Jain, Chairman, ICC National Textiles Committee feels, 10 per cent basic customs duty on cotton imports will increase the cost of cotton shirts, dresses and home textile linen in India by around 5 per cent. As per Confederation of Indian Textile Industries (CITI), India imports up to 15 lakh bales of cotton annually vis-a-vis around 390 lakh bales of crop size cultivated in the country.

However, the reduction of 5 per cent BCD on caprolactum, nylon chips and nylon fiber and yarn will make saris, dupattas, kurtis and other apparels made of nylon yarn cheaper. In India, Surat alone produces 6,000 metric tons nylon chips – 37 per cent of total national production.

Rakesh Choudhary, a nylon chip manufacturer said, the reduction of BCKD on nylon chips, caprolactam and nylon yarn will reduce working capital requirement of weavers. It will also reduce the cost of production in tyre, fishnet, automobile and other technical textile sectors where nylon chips are used.

T Rajakumar, Chairman, Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI) feels the 2021-22 Union Budget will propel future growth of India’s textiles and clothing industry. However, the 10 per cent import duty on cotton is a severe blow to future prospects. Rajakumar also hails the government’s decision to set up seven textile parks within three years under Mega Investment Textile Parks (MITRA). It will help create world class infrastructure with plug and play facilities to enable create global champions in textile exports.

The Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for man-made fibres and technical textiles will not only make the textile industry globally competitive but also help it attract large investments and boost employment generation, adds Rajakumar further advising the government to reduce the customs duty on caproolctam, nylon chips and nylon fiber and yarn upto 5 per cent.

Rajkumar also welcomed rationalisation of exemption on import of duty-free items as an incentive to exporters of garments, leather, and handicraft items. The decision to allow women to work in all categories and also in night-shifts with adequate protection, as well as the modified definition of small companies: implementation of the 4 labor codes, minimum wages to all categories of workers, and all will be covered by the Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) are steps in the right direction, Rajkumar said.

Ashwin Chandran, Chairman, The Southern India Mills’ Association (SIMA) appealed for the withdrawal of the 10 per cent import duty on cotton and cotton waste in order to sustain the global competitiveness of Indian textiles and apparel industry and prevent job losses, fall in the exports, and curb cheaper imports of value added products from the SAFTA countries like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, etc.

Chandran opined, the duty will not benefit the cotton farmers as the normal import of 12 to 14 lakh bales per year accounts only around 3 per cent of Indian cotton production and consumption and such cotton is not produced in India. He added, the duty also defeats the government’s policy of addressing an inverted duty structure in the GST especially in cotton which attracts 5 per cent GST.

The import parity pricing policy being adopted by the indigenous fibre manufacturers during the two decades and the recent removal of ADD on PTA curtails the growth of the MMF textile value chain, he adds. It also affects the competitiveness of predominantly MSME based cotton textiles and apparel industry.

Chandran further stated, the MSME and decentralized nature of the yarn, fabric and garment manufacturers in the country are not in a position to take advantage of Advance Authorization Scheme which benefits only the vertically integrated units that account less than 10 per cent of the exports.

The Government had withdrawn the import duty on cotton during July 2008 consequent to the severe recession faced by the industry and also a Nation-wide bandh by the entire cotton textile value chain. When the import duty was there, the multinationals used to cover major volume of cotton and export and thereafter the industry had to import cotton at higher price and thereby the foreign exchange also got affected, he added. Therefore, he urged the Prime Minster to withdraw the 5 per cent BCD and 5 per cent AIDC and also 10 per cent BCD on cotton waste to sustain the global competiveness of the cotton textile value chain and make Aatmanirbar Bharat vision, a reality.

Chandran hailed the announcement of MITRA scheme aiming at developing seven mega textile park with plug and play facility and facilitate 40 to 50 leading textile players to become global champions. He has stated that Tamilnadu being the largest textile manufacturing State, is planning to develop three mega parks under MITRA, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana State are already having one such park each. He has stated that this would facilitate attracting large scale investments including FDI and JVs.

Welcoming the allocation of Rs700 crore for TUF Scheme and Rs.80 crore for SITP, Chandran hoped that the additional allocations would be made liberally based on the claims filed by the Ministry of Textiles.

The 15 Percent Pledge and Gap Inc announced that Gap Inc. is the latest in a series of major companies to commit to using their financial power to create more equitable industries and profit structures. Gap Inc will be working in lock-step with the Pledge to develop its own unique strategy for reaching the company’s commitments, with additional updates to come over the next few months.

Gap Inc, the nation’s largest specialty apparel company and collection of purpose-driven lifestyle brands including Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic, and Athleta, has joined the 15 Percent Pledge as an advocacy partner, aligning with the Pledge’s mission of creating a more equitable industry. Gap Inc. will increase their pipeline programs by 15 percent to drive access and opportunity for the Black community within the Gap Inc. family of brands starting with early empowerment programs, including internship, externship, apprenticeship, and training. Gap Inc. is proud to donate $200,000 to the organization to further support their mission. In February, Gap Inc. will share the company’s progress to create for all, with all.

The 15 Percent Pledge is a 501c3 non-profit advocacy organization urging major retailers to commit 15 per cent of their shelf-space to Black-owned businesses. It offers large corporations accountability, support and consulting services with the goal of advocating for and supporting Black-owned businesses.

A Sakthivel, Chairman, AEPC opines the Union Budget for 2021-22 will ensure robust economic recovery going forward. He believes the Budget will promote production and export of MMF based garments. The Rs 10,683 crore production linked incentive scheme for MMF garments and technical textiles, along with new Mega Investment Textile Parks scheme for setting up seven textile parks in India over three years will bring in huge investment in the MMF sector, he added.

Sakthivel further said, the mega textile parks with plug-and-play facilities by the government will create world class infrastructure in the textile sector, bring in investment, increase exports and provide employment. The reduction in custom duty on nylon will further promote the MMF garments while the doubling of budget provision to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sector with the allocation of Rs 15,700 crore in the coming fiscal will strengthen the sector crucial for employment, manufacturing and exports.

Sakthivel also lauded the announcements related to the shipping sector wherein an allocation of Rs 1,624 crore has been made. He said the scheme to promote flagging of merchant ships in India will help in reducing our shipping costs,” he said. He welcomed the government’s decision to increase the capital expenditure to Rs 5.54 lakh crore in FY’22 from revised estimate of Rs 4.39 lakh crore in FY’21, saying it will prop up the economy by improving aggregate demand.

The ongoing military coup in Myanmar is prompting some US investors to pull out of the country. Prominent amongst them are luggage maker Samsonite and privately owned apparel maker LL Bean along with retailer H&M and Adidas. Myanmar’s army has usurped power and declared a year-long emergency. The move was condemned by many Western leaders while the US government threatened to impose renewed sanctions.

Lucas Myers, Analyst, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, said the coup would further strain trade relations between US and Myanmar while William Reinsch, Trade Expert, Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank, feels the move could lead to US. companies pulling out of Myanmar, given new developments and the Biden administration’s vow to focus more on human rights.

Stephen Lamar, President, American Apparel & Footwear Association, said many of the trade group’s members did business in Myanmar and found the coup deeply concerning. He urged for the full and immediate restoration of democratic rights in the country.

In the first 11 months of 2020, the total trade in goods between Myanmar and the United States amounted to nearly $1.3 billion, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. Of this, apparel and footwear accounted for 41.4 per cent of total US goods imports, followed by luggage, which accounted for nearly 30 per cent, said Panjiva, the supply chain