Bangladesh will need between $74 billion and $100 billion in the next decade to improve infrastructure which, coupled with political stability, is key to attaining $50 billion in annual apparel exports in seven years from now. Experts, policymakers and entrepreneurs shared a common view yesterday at a discussion on “Infrastructure -- the Road to Chittagong & Beyond” at Dhaka Apparel Summit. Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association organised the three-day summit at Ban

Garment entrepreneurs yesterday demanded a reduction in lending rates along with other measures to help manufacturers grab a larger slice of the global apparel market. “If interest rates are not reduced, many factories would fold,” Atiqul Islam, president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, said. Islam's comment came at a panel discussion during the Dhaka Apparel Summit, organised by the BGMEA at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in Dhaka. He

Textiles have been a small part of the Kenyan economy, but the sector has the potential for growth, according to Adan Mohamed, industrialization minister. The government is trying to entice textile manufacturers with a hefty new subsidy, this year slashing the cost of power from Ks18 ($0.20) a kilowatt hour to Ks9. Mohamed believes the sector can create 300,000 jobs if the country can only give it the fillip it needs to grab a larger slice of the global clothing market , estimated by the Int

The small and Medium Enterprises (SME) textile sector is the majority sector and plays an important part in the economy of Pakistan. Hence the Union of Small and Medium Enterprises (UNISAME) has urged the federal minister for textiles and industries Abbas Khan Afridi to sharpen the forthcoming textile policy to facilitate the SME sector and address the issues of the majority sector conscientiously. He said that the ministry should consult the SMEs in the making of the textile policy as a non-

Driven by a large fall in the area planted to cotton, the production of white gold in Australia is forecast to fall by almost half in 2014-15, according to the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES). In its Australian Crop Report, released this month, ABARES says “Less than favourable seasonal conditions during winter and spring in Queensland and northern New South Wales depleted soil moisture levels and irrigation water availability, resulting in unfav

Mexico is set to host the third edition of ExpoProducción, at the World Trade Center in Mexico City, from February 4th to 6th, 2015. ExpoProducción is expected to be the event of the year for everyone involved in apparel, home textiles, and technical textile sectors. During three days, attendees and exhibitors will gather in one place and discover the latest products, services and technologies.The leaders in equipment and machinery companies, along with national and international manufacturers

China & Asia Textile Forum and China Green Textile Summit will be held in Beijing Marriott Hotel Northeast on Feb 2nd-3rd 2015, which is co-hosted by ECV International and China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Textile (CCCT), as well as receiving the support from United States Fashion Industry Association and Taiwan Textile Federation. This forum will bring together the top executives of textile and apparel associations from Asia, Europe and the United States, textile manufac

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association will launch Center of Excellence for Bangladesh Apparel Industry (CEBAI) to improve productivity through research and development. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to inaugurate the project simultaneously with the opening of the two-day Dhaka Apparel Summit on Sunday next at Bangabandhu International Conference Center. The project is aimed at improving RMG productivity by creating skilled and semi-skilled workers through

Fluctuating costs and demand cycle impacting their books, several textile companies have either seen a decline in their net profits or seen a marginal rise for the second quarter ended September 30, 2014. Be it textiles, polyester yarn, fabrics or apparel players, several factors including stiff competition in certain products, low capacity utilisation, high inflation, high interest rates and weakened rupee impacted the textile industry. For instance, Raymond Ltd posted a 26 per cent decline

The government has revised downward cotton production target for the second time and set it at 13.48 million bales for the current season (2014-15) against the initial target of 15.1 million bales. The second meeting of Cotton Crop Assessment Committee (CCAC) for the cotton crop season 2014-15 held under the chairmanship of Arshad Farooq Faheem, Senior Joint Secretary Ministry of Textile Industry. The meeting was attended by representatives from Pakistan Central Cotton Committee, Pakistan Co