The country’s jute production fell for third year to 74.36 lakh bales in 2013-14 season as sliding export hit the price of jute, discouraging farmers to cultivate the cash crop. In 2010-11 season jute production had hit a record high of 84.60 lakh bales as the export of jute and jute products was recorded worth US$ 1.1 billion in the year, according to Department of Agriculture Extension and Export Promotion Bureau data. Agriculturists and jute experts said the jute growers had turned thei

Initial inspections of Bangladesh garment factories organised after the collapse of the Rana Plaza complex have found safety problems including overloaded ceilings, exposed cables and locked fire escapes, an industry-backed group said on Monday. Working conditions in the $22 billion industry have been under scrutiny since April, 2013 collapse of Rana Plaza in which more than 1,100 workers were killed. A November 2012 fire at another factory also resulted in 112 deaths. Rana Plaza, the w

A footwear factory at Adamjee EPZ caught fire on Tuesday night, burning down huge materials. Fire service officials said the fire originated at Super Protective Shoe Factory around 10pm. On information, four firefighting units from Adamjee EPZ, Demra, Narayanganj and Hajiganj fire stations rushed in and extinguished the blaze after half an hour of hectic efforts. The reason behind the fire and the extent of losses caused by it could not be known yet. Source: UNB Connet.

The Government of Indonesia needs to frame a batik law to protect the country’s cultural heritage of batik weaving, Romi Oktobirawa, chairman of Gabungan Koperasi Batik Indonesia (GKBI or Indonesian Batik Cooperatives Association), has said, Antara news agency reported. Speaking on the sidelines of an event ‘Deklarasi Busana Indonesia’ (Indonesian Clothing Declaration) in Jakarta last week, Romi said there needs to be a batik legislation which clearly states that whenever the Government refer

F’s Matthijs Crietee delivered a speech at Dialog’s Textil Bekleidung’s (DTB) and MODINT’s biannual Sourcing Convention held March 6th, 2014 in Düsseldorf, Germany. He explained the elements of the ‘2nd phase post MFA’ sourcing pattern following the first drop in imports of apparel from China in 2013. The main beneficiary of a withdrawal from China is Bangladesh, clearly visible in the EU import figures over 2013. Other elements, such as near shoring and pioneering in new production countrie

Helicon Ltd, a sweater factory employing around 1,400 workers in the Dhaka Export Processing Zone (DEPZ), was declared shut indefinitely following worker agitation yesterday. The workers say they came to know of the shutdown after going to the factory to report for work in the morning, where they found a closure notice hanging on the factory's main gate. The Helicon management usually paid worker wages on the sixth of each month, but failed to do so on Thursday due to a fund crisis, which

The International Trade Centre (ITC), the joint agency of the World Trade Organization and the United Nations, under the supervision of Nepal’s Ministry of Commerce and Supplies will be launching a project next week to boost Pashmina exports of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Nepal. The project titled Pashmina Enhancement and Trade Support (PETS) has been developed under the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) for least developed countries (LDCs), which has given US$ 1.8 million financ

There is good scope for development of industrial textiles in China, according to industry experts. Last year, China’s industrial textiles sector showed rapid and healthy development and industrial added value grew by 13 percent. The main business revenue and profits of large-scale enterprises also increased. According to experts, industrial textiles are more used in high-tech products, and are closely linked with environment-friendly, new materials, new energy and other strategic emerging

China, the largest supplier of American flags, is unlikely to suffer heavy losses from a new ban on made-in-China flags in US military installations, Chinese manufacturers and industry observers have said. "We have been actively expanding the domestic market for our products," said Huang Baolian, manager of a craftwork company in Yiwu, the eastern Chinese city famous for its commodities market. "Besides, we also produce flags for a lot more countries." Statistics accessed from the United S

India’s exports are expected to hit $40 billion in 2013-14 from $34 billion, a rise of 17.6% in the current fiscal from a year before, mainly on higher shipments of garments, cotton yarn, fabrics and man-made fibre but will still miss the target of $43 billion regardless of rupee depreciation, sources said on Thursday. According to the provisional data, textile and garment exports hit $20.43 billion in April-December, up 13.4% from a year before. This is because the rupee depreciated 11.6% b