Italian prosecutors are preparing to open a manslaughter investigation over a fire that killed seven Chinese workers at a factory in Tuscany on Sunday, a disaster which highlighted rampant abuses in a sprawling network of illegal garment workshops. Officials said authorities were struggling to control the thousands of Chinese factories that had transformed the town of Prato in recent years, often employing unregistered workers in conditions unions describe as “near slavery.” “Most of the c

South Korean Textile Technologies Group (TTG) will invest $40 million in 2014-2015 in development of textile industry in Tashkent region, reported RIA Novosti referring to the State Joint Stock Company Uzbeklegprom. The Korean company for two years will provide additional capacity to produce 7.5 million square meters of cotton fabrics and 5 million pieces of garments per year. Korean Eximbank will provide a loan to finance the modernization. In 2011, the State Property Committee signed a

Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Resources has withdrawn summary of suspending gas supply to textile mills in Punjab during peak winter season, said reliable industry sources. It may be noted that the Federal Minister for Petroleum & Natural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Chief Minister Punjab had held a detailed meeting with textile industry leadership in Lahore. Chairman All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) Punjab S M Tanveer and Gohar Ejaz had led a 20-member delegatio

FIRST-HAND REPORT:TNAU scientists inspecting the damaged cotton crop near Perambalur on Monday. The Bt cotton crop standing on 13,000 hectares of land at several villages of Perambalur district has been affected by three distinct diseases, causing anxiety among farmers. A team of scientists from the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University Anbil Dharmalingam Agricultural College and Research Institute, Tiruchi, along with officials of the Agriculture Department inspected the cotton fields in v

A revival in textile and apparel exports is reflected in the performance of companies active in yarn spinning, fabrics and apparel. In the second quarter, textile companies saw a growth in top lines and bottom lines on strong export demand and rupee depreciation. In the quarter, the rupee hit a low of 68.83 against the dollar on August 28; the average rate was 62.07. Textile exports were $13.6 billion, compared to $12 billion a year ago. Exports in the past few months have shown a good pic

The exports of Nepal’s readymade garments (RMG), woolen carpets and Pashmina recorded double-digit growths during the first quarter of the current fiscal year that began on July 16, owing to the depreciation of Nepali currency against US dollar. The Nepali currency value on July 16 was Np Rs 95.012 for one US dollar, which was quoted on November 30, 2013 at Np Rs 100.044 for one US dollar. According to statistics from Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB), exports of readymade garments surged 31.2 perce

China will expand its cooperation program with the group of four major African cotton- producing countries, or the C4, trade officials from the two sides announced at the sidelines of the ongoing 9th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) here Tuesday. China is moving one step further in promoting the capacity of the C4 countries, namely Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mali, in production, processing and logistics cooperation of the cotton industry, said Chinese Minister o

A file photo shows an Uzbek woman picking cotton near Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan has made a proposal to Bangladesh for creating a hub of trading Uzbek cotton in the region by setting up a free warehouse in the country, officials of the commerce ministry said. — Reuters photo Uzbekistan has made a proposal to Bangladesh for creating a hub of trading Uzbek cotton in the region by setting up a free warehouse in the country under the much talked about cotton agreement between the two count

Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif has said that his government would take into account every option to ensure continuous supply of gas to the textile industry, which he termed backbone of the national economy and a major means to increase exports. While talking to a delegation of the industrialists here Monday, the Chief Minister said the PPP rulers ignored textile sector which caused irreparable loss to this industry. The CM said that due to timely and effective steps of present

Powerloom industry in Tamil Nadu has suffered 30 per cent production loss due to power cuts in the past one month, a top official of the Powerloom Development & Export Promotion Council (PDEXCIL) said today. There were 4.5 lakh powerlooms functioning in the state and they usually produce 50 lakh metres of cloth daily. But in the past one month, the industry along with others had been badly hit by power shutdown, bringing down the production by 30 per cent, PDEXCIL Vice-Chairman (South) V