In order to give a boost to garment industry in the country and corner a larger pie of global textile market, India will have to focus on enhancing production capabilities of textile machinery. “There is a need for capacity enhancement in production of textile machinery in the country under Make in India initiative,” stated Smriti Irani, Textiles Minister, at the annual conference of state textiles ministers in New Delhi yesterday. Calling for a well-coordinated cohesive governance approach to

Indian textile and apparel exports to the US are likely to remain unaffected after Republican Donald Trump assumes presidency early next year. Trump, who is chairman and president of business conglomerate Trump Organisation, won 276 electoral votes, six more than the 270 needed to win the presidency, in the election results declared Tuesday night. “During the electoral campaigns, Trump had said that he will maintain strong relations with India. Let us hope that he puts it into action. Exporti

Seasonally-adjusted import prices for cotton dominant apparel decreased in September by 1.4 per cent month-over-month, the lowest since January 2011, according to a recent report. Year-over-year import prices were 3.8 per cent lower on an average and the retail prices for apparel reached their lowest rate in six months in September declining by 0.7 per cent. The Executive Cotton Update by Cotton Incorporated for the month of November says that consumer garment prices took a marginal hit of 0

Pic: Synthetic leather made with Elastollan Car seats can now be more comfortable thanks to synthetic leather made with BASF’s thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) Elastollan®. The ultra-soft synthetic leather is highly abrasion resistant and helps manufacturers meet the stringent volatile organic compound (VOC) standards for applications such as car seats and furniture. Suzhou Ruigao New Material Co. Ltd, a leading manufacturer of synthetic leather, has adopted Elastollan grade B50A12CF in t

The Centre’s decision to scrap the currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 from Tuesday midnight has been welcomed by the textile industry. In a drastic step to curb corruption and counterfeit currency economy in India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made the announcement that the old Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes will no longer be valid in the country. Dr KS Selvaraju, secretary general of The Southern India Mills’ Association (SIMA) terms the decision as a brave step by the government. Speaking to F

Vietnamese leather and footwear firms are implementing new production and business strategies to make the most of the opportunities provided by free trade agreements (FTAs), especially with Eurasia. The agreement between the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and Viet Nam came into effect last month. A representative of Ladoda JSC said the company had imported leather, equipment and machinery from India at zero per cent duty and was seeking foreign partners, including from Mexico. Ladoda had b

Steady conditions prevailed on the cotton market on Monday where buyers, after staying away for a week, entered the trading ring once again to book quality cotton. Phutti (seed cotton) arrivals during the previous fortnight (Oct 15 to Nov 1) were higher, with some estimates placing the crop size bigger than last year’s production, but excessive heat and unstable weather are feared to affect lint quality, brokers said. Consequently there was a rush for quality cotton and spinners booked big

China based yarn manufacturer Zhejiang Huafu Melange Yarn has been awarded the STeP by Oeko-Tex certification by Switzerland based Testex AG. The Chinese yarn manufacturer has been a customer of Testex since 2008, when it first certified its yarns based on Oeko-Tex Standard 100 and in 2009, was awarded the Oeko-Tex Standard 1000 certification. The STeP by Oeko-Tex certification is mainly for sustainable textile production and is tailored to the needs of textile production facilities of all pr

A new textile factory will be set up in Ghana's Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) zone at a cost of $300 million. SADA and the China National Textile and Apparel Council (CNTAC) have signed a MoU in this regard. For cultivation and processing of cotton, the main raw material for the factory, CNTAC had already purchased 5,000 acres of land. The MoU was signed by ambassador Kwesi Quartey, secretary to the Ghana president and CNTAC vice-president Xu Yingxin, Ghanaian media repor

A representative of Ladoda JSC said the company has imported leather, equipment and machinery from India with a zero percent duty, and is seeking foreign partners, including those from Mexico. Ladoda has exported its handbags and backpacks to EAEU member countries, the representative said, adding that the company has also designed about 20 new models for other markets in 2017. Phan Thi Thanh Xuan, General Secretary of the Vietnam Leather, Footwear and Handbag Association (LEFASO), said the