Pakistan urged to up textile trade with ECO countries

Pakistan has been called on to utilize its political and diplomatic ties to boost its trade with the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) nations to support its domestic value added textile industry.

The ECO is an intergovernmental regional organization for promoting economic, technical and cultural cooperation among its ten Member States, viz. Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

Currently, Pakistan’s textile item exports to ECO countries are not satisfactory and they stood at just US$ 49.81 million during 2010.

Dr. Shahzad Arshad, Chairman of Pakistan Cotton Fashion Apparel Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PCFA) said the Pakistani value added textile industry is enduring difficult times as while exports volumes are dropping, inflation and fiscal deficit are mounting.

Thus, it has become vital for the domestic textile industry to find access to new markets so as to ensure its sustenance, and ECO nations could play a vital part in this, he added.


For more detals please visit : Pakistan urged to up textile trade with ECO countries @ Fibre2fashion

Read more »

IFF Announces 2011 Student Scholarship Awards

The Industrial Fabrics Foundation (IFF) student scholarship award winners for 2011 were recently announced at the Industrial Fabrics Association International Expo Americas 2011 in Baltimore, MD.

The scholarship awards provide tuition expenses at an accredited college, university or technical school for students who are interested in a career in the specialty fabrics industry. The scholarship awards are as follows:

IFF Student Scholarship recipient Vinitkumar Singh is a student at Texas Tech University. Singh is pursuing a Master's Degree in environmental toxicology. He is a research assistant in the Nonwovens and Advanced Materials Laboratory at Texas Tech.

He holds a Master's Degree in environmental toxicology, and hopes to develop specialty nonwovens for chemical and biological protection. Singh's scholarship is funded by the Industrial Fabrics Foundation.

IFF Student Scholarship recipient Morgan Bennett is a student at Auburn University, and is pursuing a degree in polymer and fiber engineering. She is senior warden for the Lambda Chapter of the Phi Psi Professional Textile Fraternity, as well as the Emergency Services Officer for the Civil Air Patrol's Auburn Composite Squadron.

For more details please visit : IFF announces 2011 student scholarship awards @ Fibre2fashion

Read more »

Karnataka plans to increase area under sericulture

The government of south Indian State of Karnataka plans to increase the area under sericulture in the State from the present 155,000 acres to 200,000 acres over the next few years.

BN Bache Gowda, Minister for Sericulture, said the government would give incentives to sericulture farmers in the State to encourage them to increase their area under sericulture.

He informed that about 49,000 sericulture farmers were given cash incentive in 2011 under the Suvarna Bhoomi scheme.

He stated that a great portion of land in the traditional sericulture areas of the State was lost to urbanization and industrialization, and hence, the government had made plans to encourage sericulture in non-traditional areas.

He added that sericulture is being taken up by people in some districts of north Karnataka.

On the question of silk import from China, the Minister said India produces 21,000 tons of silk against the demand of 30,000 tons per annum. Hence, private enterprises import Chinese silk, which is sold to powerloom operators in the country.

For more details please visit : Karnataka plans to increase area under sericulture @ Fibre2fashion

Read more »

Indonesian govt to promote Banyumas batik art

The Banyumas batik art belonging to the southwestern part of Central Java province in Indonesia will be promoted by the Government and for the purpose a gallery would be built using state funds.

The Government has allocated a sum of IDR 1.78 billion to construct the gallery on an area of 3,000 square metres, which is likely to conclude in four months time.

All kinds of traditional Banyumas batik would be put up for display and sale at the gallery. Moreover, the gallery would also impart training to enthusiasts in batik art and would also provide space for production of Biron, a kind of batik.

While majority of the residents in Sokaraja district of Banyumas regency were engaged in batik art as a profession during 1980s, now there are just 95 people in the area who engage in the art.

For more details please visit : Indonesian govt to promote Banyumas batik art @ Fibre2fashion

Read more »

Orient Textile Mills to Set Up Fabric Processing Plant

Karachi-based Orient Textile Mills, part of Ebrahim Group of Companies, is diversifying its portfolio by setting up a complete state-of-the-art fabric processing plant, including dyeing and printing, and stitching facility.

“The new plant is being set up inside Landhi industrial area. It is being established on an area of 750,000 sq ft and is expected to get completed by June 2012. The plant will have an installed capacity to produce 100,000 metres of fabric per day. The stitching unit has 450 stitching machines equipped to produce up to 50,000 pieces a day,” Mr. Abdul Wahid Tumbi, Director of Sales and Marketing, Orient Textile Mills told fibre2fashion.

Briefing about investment, he revealed, “Apart from the cost of land, Orient has invested US$ 50 million on the plant as an initial investment.”

“The new plant will help generate 2,000 jobs. In addition, the expansion would result in significant profits for the company, as value-added products fetch higher prices in international markets,” he informed.


For more details please visit : Orient Textile Mills to set up fabric processing plant @ Fibre2fashion

Read more »

Fourth Silk Mark Expo Opens in Chennai

The fourth edition of the Silk Mark Expo organized by the Chennai chapter of Silk Mark Organisation of India (SMOI) opened on December 7 in Chennai.

The aim of the expo is to generate awareness regarding the Silk Mark, a quality assurance label, and to promote the silk industry. The exhibition will continue till December 12.

Several authorised users of the quality mark from 16 States are exhibiting their silk products prepared from Tussar, Muga, Mulberry and Eri varieties of silk through over 60 stalls set up at the Expo, Mr. PM Pandi, Deputy Director (Insp.) and Senior Executive, SMOI Regional Development Office, said.

In a move to generate awareness amongst buyers and to help people learn about genuine silk, a number of contests are being organized during the event whereby people would be asked to identify samples of mixed silk, non-silk and pure silk. Besides, silk testing facilities are also being offered at the Expo, Mr. Pandi said.

 For more details please visit: Fourth Silk Mark Expo Opens in Chennai @ Fibre2fashion

Read more »

South Africa’s Clarion Raises Fabric Printing Capacity

Looking forward to ensure that it can cater to the retail sector’s ever rising demand for fabric printing, South Africa based fabric printing and finishing firm Clarion Printed Products has enhanced its fabric printing capacity.

Installation of the new 3.2m dye sublimation machine to its already significant fabric printing machinery division has repositioned the firm as Western Cape’s biggest graphic printer.

The company already had two 3.2m dye sublimation machines operational, and hence the establishment of new machine has raised the capacity of the company by 50 percent.

The dye sublimation technology within the fabric division is meant to ensure better colour output and production of premium quality retail graphic prints.


Read more at : South Africa’s Clarion Raises Fabric Printing Capacity @ Fibre2fashion 

Read more »

APTMA Criticizes Monetary Policy for High Interest Rates

Seth Muhammad Akber, Acting Chairman All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA), has criticized the Monetary Policy stating that the textile industry of the country, which is incurring huge losses due to unprecedented power crisis, was looking forward to a reduction in interest rates to single digit.

He added that maintaining a mark up at 12 percent would lead to increase in Non-Performing Loans (NPLs) and shoot up the redundancy ratio in the private sector.

The APTMA official also condemned the State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) move of trying to hold back inflation by raising the mark up rate, and said it was the Government which was the leading borrower of the banks and not the private sector.

The Government was borrowing at a higher pace to the detriment of development of the private sector, which was losing its competitiveness owing to high cost of raising finances, he said.

Mr. Akber said lack of extra liquidity in the market was the main factor which was responsible for sluggish move of investment in the textile industry.

 For more details please visit: APTMA Criticizes Monetary Policy for High Interest Rates @ Fibre2fashion

Read more »

Valencian Textile Finishing Industry to Raise Rates

The textile finishing sector of the Spanish autonomous region of Valencia will increase rates between 6 and 8 percent next year due to the rising prices of labour, raw material and energy, coupled with reduced demand.

Textile Employers Association of the Valencian Community (ATEVAL) said the increase in rates will, in turn, impact the final price of textile items sold to the retail consumer.

ATEVAL said the textile finishing sector in the Valencian region, which is mainly concentrated in L'Alcoy, the Comtat and Vall d'Alba regions, is currently finding it difficult to remain competitive.

The labour-intensive textile finishing sector in Valencia has 111 companies that employ around 1860 workers and have a turnover of more than 196.5 million euros.

During the last five years, these companies have lost 37 percent of turnover, 52 percent of employment and 40 percent of firms, ATEVAL said. It added that the last two years have witnessed a decline of 30 percent in sales.

For more details please visit: Valencian textile finishing industry to raise rates @ Fibre2fashion

Read more »