A new report titled, 'The Fibre Year 2014' states that worldwide fibre demand in 2013 exceeded 90 million tons or 4.4 per cent more than 2012. The per capita use of textile materials for clothing, home textiles, carpets, and technical textiles was earmarked at 12.7 kg. Continuing its growth, chemical fibres increased 5.7 per cent to 54.4 million tons on the back of strong growth of polyester and polyamide, whereas the volume growth of cellulosic fibres amounted to 10.4 per cent or about 6 million tons.
On the other hand, cotton demand increased marginally by 0.9 per cent to 23.6 million
tons. For the first time, worldwide stocks went over the 20 million ton mark, covering 85 per cent of demand. Wool continued its growth in the fourth year with a growth of 1.2 per cent.
The annual textile survey points out that massive investment is creating overcapacities and enormous challenges which will have to be met by non-integrated enterprises, in China and elsewhere. Those hit in the first line will be interim products for Polyester (PES), Paraxylene (PX) and Terephtalasid (PTA). The overcapacities, according to the survey, will lead to uneconomical capacity ratios putting pressure on prices and influencing other fibre segments.
As per latest WTO figures the Chinese industry has been consolidating its lead in fiber capacity investments. Total Chinese fiber exports increased 11.4 per cent to $284 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of $257 billion in 2013. Turkey and Bangladesh too saw aggressive growth. Vietnam saw good growth rate of better than 18 per cent to $20 billion. The Vietnamese industry will be in the textile sector through the TTP Trans Pacific Partnership negotiations led by the US.
The Fibre Year 2014, a world survey on textiles and nonwovens reports actual development of all important natural and chemical fibres as well as raw materials and nonwovens and with projections up to 2017. In addition there are 20 country profiles of leading producing and consuming nations, giving a true worldwide picture of the latest development in the textile industry, along with a chapter with an outlook and projections beyond 2020.
