Exports of textile and clothing declined 8.93 per cent to $6.269 billion during the first half (July-December) of 2015-16 from $6.884bn in the same period last year, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics data showed on Wednesday. The fall in exports was witnessed despite a duty free access to European markets under GSP+ scheme. Commerce ministry has developed a three-year strategic trade policy framework 2015-18, but the government has yet to announce it. On the other hand, the textile polic

Six months after the European Union member states agreed to ban nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPE) widely found in clothing because it poses an “unacceptable risk” to the environment, the amended Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation will come into force from Februaty 2, 2016, and companies will then have five years to to remove the chemical from their products and supply chains, according to the EU Official journal. This means there should be no N

In the US, Pakistani textile exporters are losing their share to other exporting countries such as India, Vietnam and other competitors. Although in the US market the overall import demand for textiles and apparel increased during July-September 2015, Pakistan had not been able to firm up its exports, according to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) in its first quarterly review released a day ago. It said that following the trend in previous years, the demand for cotton textile, which constitut

According to the report issued by the Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association on Monday, Seed cotton (Phutti) equivalent to 9.475 million tonnes or 9,475,729 bales have reached ginneries across Pakistan as of January 15, 2016 registering a shortfall of 33.5 per cent compared to 14.251m bales a year earlier. This shortfall would inflict a loss of around $6 billion on GDP — of which $1.5bn would be suffered by cotton growers and $4.5bn by the industry and exporters, experts say. Tariq Saud, the

Vietnam attracting a flood of overseas investment, among them is Japanese textile companies as many of these manufacturers are hoping to get a boost from the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement -- to which Vietnam is a party -- and is ramping up production and exports in the Southeast Asian country with an eye toward boosting U.S.-bound shipments. For textile companies, the excellent technical capability of Vietnamese workers is a big drawing point, even if the labor costs

Chinese economic growth decelerated to the 25-year low of 6.9 percent in 2015, down from 7.3 percent in 2014, according to data released Tuesday by the National Bureau of Statistics. The GDP growth rate was reported as 6.8 percent in the fourth quarter, down from 6.9 percent in the third and 7 percent in the first two quarters last year. The growth rate is still within a reasonable range as it achieved the government's annual growth target, described as "around 7 percent", said economists.

FOR Chinese, online shops are quickly evolving from simply a means to get a bargain to one where movers and shakers can splash out on pricey clothes and accessories. According to a study published by auditor KPMG earlier last week, Chinese buyers of luxury items are increasingly favoring online retailers over brick-and-mortar stores, which will account for half of Chinese luxury spending by 2020. Surveying 10,150 Chinese consumers of luxury goods in 2015, KPMG found that nearly one third o

Ministry of Commerce China, Weihai and the All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (Aptma) have agreed to explore the potential of joint ventures and Chinese investment in textile sector of Pakistan. Ministry of Commerce China, Weihai has also invited the APTMA to visit China in May 2016. A 20-members Chinese ministerial delegation, headed by Zhang Buwen of Shandog Hushan Group, visited APTMA Punjab, here on Saturday. Chairman Aptma Punjab Aamir Fayyaz received the delegation. Chairman Aptma

Cotton made in Africa (CmiA), an Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF) initiative helping small farmers in Africa grow cotton in fair and sustainable way, has signed an agreement to sell its produce to a leading American textile manufacturer in home and hospitality segment, 1888. The partnership agreement, signed at the Heimtextile fair in Frankfurt on January 13, is a step towards protecting the environment and to supporting the small-scale cotton farmers, a press release of the ABT foundation said

China imported 84,500 tonnes of cotton in November, down 8.3 percent versus the same month last year, the China Cotton Association said on Wednesday. Imports of the fibre to China, the world's top textile manufacturer, have dropped 41 percent in the first 11 months of the year to 1.29 million tonnes, according to data on the association's website. Lower Chinese cotton prices have made imports uncompetitive and fewer low-tariff import quotas from the government have limited foreign intake. So