Taiwan’s An Shen Company has decided to invest in a US$40 million leather shoe factory in Dong Thap province’s Tran Quoc Toan Industrial Zone. This is a joint venture project between Vietnam’s Tien Hung Company and An Shen to be built on an area of 7ha. The US$10 million first phase will build workshops and recruit around 3,000 local workers by the end of 2014. The factory hopes for an annual production of around 9 million products by 2016, employing 9,000 workers. An Shen Representa

China’s currency appreciation and its shift towards value-added garments may prompt retailers to locate in Bangladesh. China’s shift towards manufacturing higher-end garments – combined with the recent appreciation of the yuan – could make Bangladesh an even more attractive option for garment buyers, experts say. But recent political turbulence could ruin those dreams. “If major retailers are not sure we can honor orders, it will be an opportunity missed,” says Mustafizur Rahman, execut

The Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association has asked the government to import cotton seeds from China instead of India due to uncertain situation at borders. The PCGA chairman Mukhtar Baloch said that the continuous tension between Pakistan and India had been affecting the business environment at a large scale. He said the cotton crop had been passing through a critical situation due to unavailability of germinated seeds at the right time. Mukhtar Baloch said that the future of cotton might be

Introduction of new taxes in total disregard to the living standards has made it difficult for the poor to buy even second-hand or used garments to brave extreme weather conditions in the winter season. The prices of sweaters and jackets, which were earlier between Rs100 and Rs200, are now being sold between Rs200 and Rs400, depending on the quality of the material. Similarly, shoes, which were earlier sold between Rs50 and Rs200, are being sold between Rs150 and Rs500. “The government has

Global buyers of Bangladesh readymade garment products are mulling to shift their work orders to factories located in Chittagong from Dhaka as the factories in the port city enjoy less disruption in transportation of their products to the port for shipment amid general strikes and blockades. Some international buyers have already expressed their interest to place orders with the factories located in Chittagong instead of Dhaka and its adjacent areas, factory owners of Chittagong told New Age

Cambodian soldiers stand guard in front of a factory in Phnom Penh on Jan 4, 2014. A clutch of popular global clothing and accessories brand names have sent an open letter to Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen and his Cabinet expressing "deep concern'' over the violence of last week, when troops fired at rioting garment industry workers killing five and injuring more than 30. -- PHOTO: AFP A clutch of popular global clothing and accessories brand names have sent an open letter to Cambodian p

Vietnam's footwear export hit a record high of $8.3 billion in 2013, up 15.2 percent year-on-year, said Vietnam's General Statistics Office (GSO) on Tuesday. Vietnam's turnover for footwear export was 3.75 percent higher than the set target of $8 billion for 2013, said the office. In December alone, Vietnam earned 880 million US dollars from selling footwear products to overseas markets, up 18.92 percent- year-on-year, said the GSO. Statistics by Vietnam Leather, Footwear and Handbag As

Garment products being made at a knitting textile and garment company in Phu Bai Industrial Zone. The textile and apparel industry expects strong growth this year. — VNA/VNS Photo Danh Lam The Viet Nam Textile and Apparel Association (VITAS) expects the export value of the textile and apparel industry to show strong growth this year, an official of the association said. Le Tien Truong, VITAS' deputy chairman, told online news ven.vn that according to the global economic forecasts by the Wo

Despite the Chinese textile industry showing slow growth rate due to weak recovery in major economies abroad, the industrial textiles segment turned out to be the fastest growing in 2013, mainly because of the policy support for the use of industrial textiles in national infrastructure building, environmental management, health care and other sectors. The Textiles Industry data from the National Bureau of Statistics shows that from January to August 2013, the growth rate of industrial textile

Exports of jute products from India is expected to reach Rs. 28 billion in value during the 2013-14 fiscal year, owing to the increasing demand for jute from the West, said Beela Rajesh, executive director, Handloom Export Promotion Council of the Ministry of Textiles. Ms. Rajesh who was speaking at speaking at a buyer-seller meet organized by the National Jute Board in association with Federation of Indian Export Organizations, said the global jute import market, which went through a lean pe