Following State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s visit to Beijing in May, the Myanmar government is urged to form a Belt and Road taskforce. Photo: EPA From tackling illegal border trade to constructing Kyaukphyu SEZ, the to-do list for Belt and Road in Myanmar is very long. THE Myanmar government is urged to take a proactive role and form a taskforce to carve out its involvement in China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). An adviser to the National League for Democracy-led government stre

Technavio has published a new report, which states that the superhydrophobic coatings market is set for impressive growth through to the year 2021. Entitled Global Superhydrophobic Coatings Market 2017-2021, the report projects the market to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 33% between 2017 and 2021, making for strong growth over the forecast period. According to Technavio, the study covered the present superhydrophobic coatings market and its growth prospects, and lists

Ethiopia, east Africa's largest economy and most populous at 100 million people, is pursuing an ambitious industrialization development strategy. One of the main parts of Ethiopia's industrialization drive is the textile and garment sector, which the government hopes will substantially boost export revenue while creating mass employment opportunities for Ethiopians. Ethiopia's aim to earn 1 billion U.S. dollars from textile and garment production in several years' time may seem too ambitio

India’s cotton yarn exports have declined by 9.79 per cent in the April–July period of the current financial year due to slow pick up from China and Bangladesh, the two large destinations comprising around 50 per cent of overall shipments from India. Data compiled by the apex industry body Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council (Texprocil) showed India’s cotton yarn exports stood at 283.18 kgs for the first four months of FY18. In terms of value, however, India’s total cotton yarn exports s

Textile companies are expecting a revival in their fortunes in July-September on a rebound in customer footfalls and restocking by traders following GST (goods and services tax) compliance. Profit margins of textile firms remained under pressure in the first quarter of the current financial year due to traders’ destocking ahead of the GST implementation effective July 1. Primary textile players had stocks returned to them amid fears of the GST’s burden on unsold inventory. Not only small pla

With a view to strengthen the connections between textile and apparel firms and suppliers, partners and experts from the cotton sector, Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam will host Cotton Day 2017 on September 12. The event will give enterprises an opportunity to learn about cotton demand around the world and consumption trends of various brands. Cotton Day is being organised by the Vietnam Textile and Garment Association (VITAS) and the Cotton Council International (CCI). A conference will take pla

Ethiopia has earned $89.3 million and created 17,000 jobs in the textile sector during fiscal 2016-17 and the country plans to earn $271 million from textile exports and create 30,000 jobs in the current fiscal. The target warrants more efforts by private investors along with government incentives, according to state minister of industry Bogale Feleke. The Ethiopian fiscal year runs from July 8 to July 7. Addressing the annual meeting of stakeholders to evaluate the performance in variou

Indian Government agencies have portrayed ‘a rosy picture’ of the transgenic Bt Cotton that is far removed from the truth and the ‘duality of the claims about the increase in yield of cotton’ needs further examination, the parliamentary standing committee on science and technology headed by Congress party MP Renuka Chowdhury said in a recent report. Released last week, the report criticised the government for its ‘casual’ approach toward the need for a scientific study on the impact of trans

The Government of India has requested Uzbekistan to consider reduction of import tariff imposed by Uzbekistan, especially on fabrics and madeups. India’s commerce and industries minister Nirmala Sitharaman also urged the visiting Uzbek ministers to reduce duty on readymade garments and to simplify the procedure for registration and certification. Uzbek minister of foreign trade Elyor Ganiev and minister of foreign affairs Abdulaziz Kamilov held detailed discussions with Sitharaman on deepenin

Abdul Aleem Baig from Pakistan gave himself the Chinese name Yang Guang (Sunshine), which describes his mood when he runs his leather jacket business in China. On Sunday morning, his booth at the Shanxi Cultural Industries Fair in the northern Chinese city of Taiyuan was crowded with buyers trying on clothes or bargaining with him. Abdul, 28, first came to China five years ago, following his older brother who was doing well in the business. So far, he has been to similar fairs in more than