An indigenous Bt cotton variety Bt Bikaneri Narma developed through a collaborative effort can no more be used for cultivation. A probe conducted by a five-member team, headed by Jawaharlal Nehru University Vice-Chancellor S.K. Sopory has termed the development of the strain ‘invalid’. The indigenous cotton variety was jointly developed by the National Research Centre on Plant Biotechnology, New Delhi; the Central Institute for Cotton Research, Nagpur and the University of Agricultural Science

The ability to spin a good yarn recently kept an international team of researchers focused on Gossypium raimondii, the simplest cotton genome. The researchers, including Jeremy Schmutz, faculty investigator at HudsonAlpha and head of the plant program at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Joint Genome Institute, compared the high quality draft assembly of the G. raimondii genome against other cotton species. The team’s findings are presented in the Dec. 20, 2012 edition of Nature. "By accumulati

Networking reception and expanded Trend Forum highlight the upcoming winter edition of Texworld USA. The fourteenth edition of Texworld USA features a record 236 companies and associations from 16 countries, making this the largest winter edition to date. The show takes place the 14th to 16th of January at the Javits Convention Center in New York City. First-time exhibitors from Belaruse, Turkey and Taiwan will be showcased. Participation from key partners Lenzing and CCPIT TEX has increas

In an endeavour to celebrate and promote the textile heritage of India, Cottage Emporium is organizing a 'Handloom Month' from December 19 to January 27, in Delhi and its five branches in different states, titled "Timeless Threads". "This exhibition-cum-sale of textiles comprising of a series of seven-day exhibitions dedicated to the authentic textiles from specific states namely Kashmir, Varanasi, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat," M.D. Central Cottage Industries Corporation o

Prices softened overall in this week's wool sale, the last for the year. Interest from China generated more demand for the finer end of the offering of almost 19,000 bales of South and North Island wool. Overall, however, prices softened, with those at the coarser end dropping the most, as more supplies come onto the market. Wool Services International reports mid micron fleece generally remained firm but fine cross-bred shears were up to 2% cheaper. Coarse cross-bred wool prices fell by

The Textile, Garment & Leather Employees Union (TGLEU) has stated that government must waive some of the taxes local textiles companies pay to enable them thrive. According to the Union, it will begin negotiations with government early next year on the matter after submitting a presentation on the issue. Its latest move follows the closure of two textile manufacturing companies Akosombo Textiles Limited (ATL) and Akotex Synthetics Limited by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) last week for

A worker examines fabric at a textile factory in Faisalabad, Pakistan. – AP (File Photo) Industrialists attached with the textile sector announced on Monday that they would run their factories forcibly from Tuesday (today) and would not follow any gas closure schedule in future. Entrepreneurs also staged a demonstration outside the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited offices on Sargodha Road and blocked traffic for more than two hours. Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers Association Vice-Chai

China will not lose its competitiveness in the manufacturing sector any time soon despite the rising labor cost, said Zheng Yongnian, director of East Asian Institute, National University of Singapore Tuesday. Speaking in Singapore on Tuesday on the investment opportunities in China's inland west, Zheng said that, while some companies relying on cheap labor are indeed moving out of China, most manufacturing firms leaving the coastal east are actually moving within China to the central provinc

The Apparel Export Promotion Council, representing industry bodies in apparel and textile sector, on Tuesday said it is "disappointed" with the Reserve Bank mid-quarter monetary policy review. The apex bank today kept the key interest rates unchanged but hinted at easing rates in January stating that with decline in inflation, the focus of monetary policy would shift to the task of removing impediments to growth. Overlooking demands of the industry and the bankers, RBI left the short-term