Bangladesh's cotton import will creep up to 7.1 million bales in 2017-18, further consolidating its position as the world's largest importer of the fibre, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. In 2016-17, 7 million bales are expected to be imported. One bale equals 480 pounds or 218 kg, and the cotton year begins on August 1 and ends on July 31. Local growers can only supply less than 3 percent of yearly demand, leading to the imports worth over $3 billion. Banglades

All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) has urged the Pakistan government to improve liquidity of the textile industry by releasing the pending benefits by August 14, 2017. Around 60 per cent of the country's foreign exchange is earned through the exports of the items related to the textiles, said the vice chairman of APTMA, Zahid Mazhar. In order to revive the production of cotton crop in the country, the government should ensure that there is easy availability of raw materials withou

Knitwear apparel exporters from the Tiruppur cluster are keen on developing and marketing wool-based products, considering that there is a huge potential for them in the global market, according to The Woolmark Company. The company recently conducted a secondary level workshop to impart knowledge about merino wool to exporters and manufacturers. The Woolmark Company had also conducted a workshop in Tiruppur on the natural properties of merino wool in June last year. A few companies from the c

The Ministry of Trade and Industry revealed that the country imported 3.3 million USD worth of fabrics in the first four months of 2017, up 6.75 percent from the same period last year, largely because Vietnamese-made fabrics are still below the standards of foreign markets. The fabrics were mostly originated from Asian countries, with China accounting for 52 percent of the imports. Once the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement comes into force, the EU will eliminate tariffs on textile and garme

Of the total export earnings in the July-May period of FY 2016-17, the RMG sector grew by 2.16% to contribute $25.62 billion, or 80.59% A fall in global demand for Bangladesh’s lucrative ready-made garments (RMG) sector caused a slowing in the rate of export earnings growth in the last fiscal year, data from the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) has revealed. Although Bangladesh’s overall export earnings rose 3.67% rise in the first eleven months of Fiscal Year 2016-17 to hit $31.79 billion, t

The chairman of the All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) on Sunday called for a more competitive business environment in the country to boost the country’s exports. “We want to compete with regional competitors such as India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Vietnam," said the APTMA’s Secretary General Anisul Haq, adding enhancing the country’s exports would help achieve economic stability and growth. According to Mr Haq, Pakistan needed an export led growth for economic stability in

The AWI Wool Exchange Portal working group (WEP-WG) has endorsed the construction and implementation of a digital wool exchange platform for the long-term benefit of the Australian wool industry. The business case developed by the group has identified $38 million in consolidated industry benefits over the first 15 years of the digital selling platform. WEP-WG chairman, Will Wilson has presented the group's findings to the AWI Board -the main recommendation being to move to the "discovery pha

The six-nation East African Community (EAC) comprising Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda has agreed to a three-year tax waiver of duties and value added tax (VAT) on textile raw materials, fabrics and accessories that are not available locally. This step is expected to reduce the cost of production and also boost local manufacturing. The three-year tax waiver was suggested in a report on the textiles and footwear sector, commissioned by the EAC. As per the EAC direct

Farmers have been advised to root out weeds from cotton fields to get good yield, said Agriculture Assistant Director Naveed Asmat Kohloon here on Saturday. He said that cotton is the most profitable and important fibre crop. The cotton contribution could be much larger but for weeds can infest cotton crop and reduce its yield by 13-45 per cent, he added. He further said that weed control through herbicides, mechanical or manual methods leads to environmental pollution and high production cost.

While Switzerland is mostly known in China for its luxury watches, young Swiss designers are also looking to build their names here. So, InnoFashion 2017, an event that celebrates fashion, design and textile innovation in China and Switzerland, was recently held at the Swiss embassy in Beijing to coincide with Swiss President Doris Leuthard's visit to China. The event showcased seven Swiss and Chinese brands: Julian Zigerli, YVY, Wuethrichfuerst, Akris, Wang Changrong, Roderic Wong and Pro