Kyrgyz women work in a newly opened garment factory February 8 in Osh. Women in the south are reviving the garment industry. [Bakyt Ibraimov] Garment making might become a road to prosperity for women in southern Kyrgyzstan. Osh women in early February opened up a garment factory to address two problems. The "For Sweet Moms" factory sews clothing for pregnant women and newborns and employs over 50 women. Trying to find clothes Altynai Urkunbayeva, the founder of the factory, said

Succumbing to pressure from industrial tycoons, the government decided on Wednesday to restore supply of natural gas to textile units, even though about 2,000MW capacity remained idle at power plants due to gas loadshedding. The decision was taken at a meeting presided over by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar a day after the Pakistan Textile Exporters Association launched a media campaign for diversion of additional gas to the sector. The meeting, also attended by Minister for Petroleum and Na

Business community expressed deep concern over indication that the government contemplating to increase Sales Tax (ST) rate on textile and leather industries from two percent to 5 percent in the first phase and 17 percent in next three years. They are opposing increase in the rate of sales tax and said the cost of doing business in Pakistan is going up day by day and Pakistani exporters are not getting a level playing field and may fail to get desired benefit of GSP Plus status. They emphasi

Pakistan Textile Exporters Association (PTEA) has demanded zero rated sales tax facility as it will help to restore the competitive edge in international markets for Pakistani textiles and will act to increase the exports of the country and strengthen the national economy. Talking to newsmen, Sheikh Ilyas Mahmood, Chairman and Adil Tahir, Vice Chairman PTEA said that zero-rating withdrawal has adversely affected exports at a time when huge amount of Sales Tax Refunds are already stuck up wit

“Indian textile companies need to go vertical and also set-up large scale apparel manufacturing plants, if India wants to increase its market share in the global textile trade”, Mr Sanjay Lalbhai, doyen of the Indian textile industry and CMD of Arvind Ltd informed delegates at a conference held in Ahmedabad. The Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI) recently held a conference in Ahmedabad titled - Textile Investment Conclave 2014, which sought to attract investments in the Gujarat

Cambodian Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Keat Chhon on Wednesday met with a delegation representing 30 global brands and global trade unions to discuss the current situation of garment sector. The delegation comprised 27 global brands including H&M Hennes & Mauritz AB, Gap Inc., Adidas, Puma, Levi Strauss and Co., American Eagle Outfitters, Inditex and three global trade unions, said a press statement from the Cambodian side. The meeting was called by the Cambodian government in r

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed on 18 February in Hanoi, confirming the extension of – a programme aiming to improve the export industries’ performance and competitiveness – in the country during the 2014-19 period. The Better Work Vietnam is part of a global joint programme between the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC). The initiative plays a key role in aligning private sector expectations with Viet Nam’s laws and core internat

A huge fire swept through a wool manufacturer in Hanoi on Wednesday, causing damage estimated at hundreds of billions of dong (VND100 billion = US$4.7 million). There were no reports of human casualties except for one firefighter who was reportedly injured during the fire. The fire broke out at some 11:30am at Ha Dong wool company in Van Phuc Ward, Ha Dong district. Witnesses said the flame erupted at the company’s warehouse and quickly burnt down silk, machines, and other inflammable

The Government of India has reduced the Central Excise Duty by 2 percent on textile machinery and also increased the allocation under the Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (TUFS), to boost modernization of the textile industry. “To stimulate growth in the capital goods and consumer non-durables, I propose to reduce the excise duty from 12 percent to 10 percent on all goods falling under chapter 84 and chapter 85 of the Schedule to the Central Excise Tariff Act for the period up to 30.6.2014,

Around 20 jute mills were shut down in the last 7/8 months due to a depressed international market and currency devaluation in India, industry people said. Another major reason behind the closure of the factories that used to make sacks, bags and yarn is the government's failure to implement a packaging law for compulsory use of jute sacks to pack food grains and other items. The domestic demand would get a boost if the law was implemented properly, they said. “The current adverse situa