The workers of all state-run jute mills across thecountry went on a 24-hour strike simultaneously to meet their11-point demand from Wednesday morning. Earlier on Tuesday, the jute mill CBA (collective BargainingAgent) leaders had a meeting with state minister for Textileand Jute Mirza Azam at his secretariat office but they failedto reach a positive outcome. Then, the workers leaders called the strike for 24 hours inall state-run jute mills to realize their demands, said CBApresident of P

Shandong Ruyi Group of China would invest US$ 119 million for providing technical assistance to aid establishment of Punjab Apparel Park in Pakistan’s Punjab province. This was announced when a Chinese delegation led by chairman of Shandong Ruyi Group, Yafu Qiu, met Chief Minister of Punjab, Shahbaz Sharif, who welcomed the investment support. Mr. Sharif said the setting up of an avant-garde apparel park in the province would strengthen the country’s textile sector by allowing it to fully

Relocation of tanneries from Hazaribagh to Savar Leather Industrial Estate is likely to start from next month as the government finally approved the extended deadline for setting up the Central Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP). The tannery owners could not start transfer of their industries earlier, as the contracting firm failed to set up the CETP within the stipulated timeframe. Later it applied for extension of the deadline. Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu on February 24 directed the

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