The key aspect of the conference is to develop a clear and comprehensive policy and frame an action plan for the textile and apparel sector. The key aspect of the conference is to develop a clear and comprehensive policy and frame an action plan for the textile and apparel sector. It will suggest a 10 year roadmap for the sector's growth. Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani, Power Minister Piyush Goyal, MSME Minister Kalraj Mishra, senior bureaucrats and several top industrialists, especially from Gujarat, will be among those present in the conference, officials said. The participants will deliberate upon how India can be made a global sourcing hub and an investment destination; explore the growth potential of technical textiles; identify productivity and product diversification challenges for natural fibres; skilling requirements in high value chain; and carving a niche market world-wide for Indian handcrafted goods. "The key aspect of the conference is to develop a clear and comprehensive policy and frame an action plan for the textile and apparel sector. "We aim to bring together national and international industry stakeholders to participate in focused discussion on the present status of the industry, current challenges and emerging global trends," a senior official told. The conference is being organised by the Ministry of Textiles and will also see participation from different states as well as prominent Indian and international industry stakeholders.
Source: Economic Times
The Indian government may disinvest in the National Textile Corporation owing to Niti Aayog's recommendation of immediately staking sales in twelve central public sector enterprises (CPSEs). The move needs to be approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs and will then be started by the department of investment and public asset management (DIPAM). Niti Aayog has suggested strategic sales in more than 40 CPSEs in the last few months. The government of India will continue to push for strategic sales of loss-making CPSEs, an official told a leading daily. The government aims to raise Rs 72,500 crore by disinvestment in FY18 as compared to FY17's revised estimate of Rs 45,500 crore. The target for FY18 will be achieved by raising Rs 15,000 crore via strategic stake sales, Rs 46,500 crore via minority stake sales and Rs 11,000 by listing of insurance companies. Meanwhile, the National Textile Corporation is slated to get Transfer of Development Rights (TDR), that is, compensatory floor space index instead of Indu Mills land. As per the TDR policy, the Corporation will get 2.5 times the FSI for the surrendered land.
Source: Fibre2Fashion
The 3rd Defence- ITTA Joint Exhibition and Conference on Technical Textiles is scheduled to take place in New Delhi on 22nd and 23rd May 2017 It may be recalled here that 1st & 2nd Editions of Defence- ITTA Joint Exhibition and Conference were successfully held on 26-27th Feb 2015 and 15-16th June 2016 respectively. Indian Defence sector is one of the largest consumers of technical textile products in the country who in addition to a range of conventional technical textile products are consuming specialized functional textiles many of which are imported. The exhibition showcase the entire technical textile and Footwear products developed by various manufacturers showing the possible improvements of the different products used by the Indian Army. The connectivity created during the 1st & 2nd Editions of the Exhibition and Conference between the Defence officials and the leaders of the technical textile manufacturers in India have resulted in to the product quality improvement reduction in imports and new product development for Defence during the post event period. With the grand success of the last 2 Editions 3rd Exhibition and Conference on ‘technical textiles’ is being planned now. During the 3rd Edition of this Conference various users from the Indian Defence sector would interact with the Technical Textile Industry and Indian Technical Textile Association (ITTA) members. Indian Defence sector will present their requirements of Clothing and Footwear procurement procedures etc while indigenous manufacturers will get opportunities to showcase products and capabilities to create a new era of manufacturing and sourcing of these products from India. Eminent speakers from Indian Defence sector ITTA and Technical Textile Industry will present the important topics of interest to the Indian Defence sector and the Textile Industry during the two-day Conference
Source: Tecoya Trend
Euro-area economic confidence unexpectedly slipped this month, an indication that the region’s recovery may not be as immune from political uncertainty as anticipated. An index of executive and consumer sentiment in the region dipped to 107.9 from 108 in February, the European Commission in Brussels said Thursday. While that’s lower than the 108.3 median estimate in a Bloomberg survey of economists, it’s still close to the highest level since 2011. The latest health check on the economy follows a string of positive data suggesting the 19-nation bloc is coping with challenges in a potentially tumultuous year with U.K.’s trigger to leave the European Union and elections in France and Germany, the two largest economies in the region, later this year. So far political uncertainty has done little to hurt growth, with a gauge for consumer confidence rising in March and unemployment on a downward path. Sentiment in industry and services declined this month, while construction improved, Thursday’s report showed. The European Union’s statistics agency will release March inflation data on Friday, with economists expecting a deceleration to 1.8 percent from 2 percent in February. The European Central Bank acknowledges the recovery is firming but not strong enough to fuel self-sustaining inflation and allow for an end of extraordinary monetary support. It holds its next policy meeting on April 27.
Source: Bloomberg
The rupee showed signs of fatigue after a three-day stellar rally and ended almost flat at 64.92 against the US currency. A renewed demand for the greenback from importers alongside the dollar's gains against other currencies overseas predominantly put pressure on the rupee. Despite a firm start, the home currency succumbed to some volatility, though the undertone remained extremely bullish on the back of abundant capital inflows from foreign investors. However market reaction to the formal announcement of Brexit was relatively muted. Meanwhile, domestic equities maintained their upbeat trend as investor sentiment turned highly buoyant after the Lok Sabha approved four legislations to give shape to the much-awaited tax reform -- Goods and Services Tax (GST) amid improved economic prospects. The local currency resumed firmly higher at 64.87 from Wednesday's closing value of 64.91 at the Interbank Foreign Exchange (forex) market and gained further ground to 64.84 on sustained dollar selling. But it soon reversed the uptrend and turned weaker on fresh dollar pressure to touch an intra-day low of 64.99. After trading in a tight-range most of the day, the home currency finally settled little changed at 64.92, showing a mere loss of 1 paisa. In last three days, it had appreciated by a whopping 61 paise against the dollar. The RBI, meanwhile, fixed the reference rate for the dollar at 64.9325 and for the euro at 69.8739. Globally, the dollar regained some lost ground to trade at a nine-day high against a basket of currencies with the euro sagging as the European Central Bank showed no signs of stepping away from monetary easing anytime soon and also ahead of US Gross Domestic Product (GDP) data. The US dollar index, which measures the greenback's strength against a trade-weighted basket of six major currencies, was trading higher at 99.94 in early trade. In cross-currency trade, the rupee also retreated against the pound sterling to finish at 81.00 compared to 80.86 per pound yesterday. The home unit, however, hardened further against the euro to settle at 69.75 from 70.02 and also edged higher against the Japanese Yen to conclude at 58.44 per 100 yens from 58.54. On the equity front, the Sensex rose 115.99 points to end at 29,647.42, while broader Nifty firmed up 30 points to finish at a record high of 9,173.75. In the forward market, premium for dollar declined owing to fresh receivings from exporters. The benchmark six-month premium for August dropped to 130.5-132.5 paise from 134-136 paise and the far-forward February 2018 contract also moved down to 284-286 compared to 287-289 paise on Wednesday. On the global commodity front, crude oil prices regained some lost ground after overnight US crude inventory data showed a smaller increase than the expected.
Source: Press Trust of India
The anti-profiteering clause in the GST Bills passed by the Lok Sabha on Wednesday are meant to apply only during a short transitional period, revenue secretary Hasmukh Adhia said, adding that the government hoped it won’t have to use the “enabling provision” much. Speaking to a TV channel on Thursday, he said most services would likely fall under 18% GST rate, while a few on which the effective tax rate is lower than the marginal rate (including cesses) of 15% due to abatements, might come under lower rates of 12% and 5%. Instances of rate shocks from GST would be few, he said, as the fitment process would be a “mechanical” one, with the principle that items vgshould come under the GST rates nearer to current tax incidence on them. The official said bringing real estate under the GST involved many questions including those related to land, including farm land, coming under it and carving out separate regimes for businesses where real estate could be an input and self-occupied property. “We have discussed the issue in the GST council and decided to take it up at a later date,” he said. Since instances of rate tax shocks due to GST would be few – most commodities and services would move to the nearest GST slab-, there would be little scope for businesses to profiteer by not passing on the reduced liability from GST, he said. While he admitted that the possibility of businesses increasing the price of commodities now, in anticipation of the July 1 roll-out of GST was a cause for worry, he said that most items (90-95%) were in the competitive market domain which doesn’t allow sudden price hikes. But for the items that are produced by monopolies, prices rise for profiteering was a possibility, he said. The secretary reiterated that all investment-linked indirect tax sops (such as area-based tax concessions) will take the form of refunds — rather than exemptions — for whatever residual periods they need to be retained in the GST regime for units set up on the promise of these sops being available for fixed periods. This, he said, was because the GST Council had adopted the principle that during the phase of grandfathering of the tax reliefs given by states, the beneficiary businesses will have to pay the taxes and then get refunds. The idea is that the GST chain — the continuity of which is necessary to ensure that cascading of taxes does not take place — is not broken.
Source: Financial Express
The 13th sitting of the GST Council will take place on Friday in the backdrop of four key Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bills — the Centre GST, the Union Territory GST, the Integrated GST, and the compensation law — getting Parliamentary nod. At the Council meetings, the Centre and the States finalise draft rules for various aspects of the GST and review the preparedness for the roll out of the new tax regime. At Friday’s meeting the Council will finalise rules on four issues relating to composition, transition, valuation and input tax credit. The Council has already approved five sets of rules relating to refunds, registration, invoices, payments and processes. “This is now the last lap of discussions. Once the rules are finalised, the committee of officials will work on the fitment of commodities,” said an official. With the passage of Bills in Parliament, the ball is now with the States, whichare expected to ensure timely passage of the State GST Bill in their respective Assemblies. “The exercise should be ideally be completed over the next two-three months,” said a source. The Council is also likely to review the preparedness for the introduction of the GST, including that of the administration and migration of assessees to the GST Network. However, despite demands by some sectors of industry as well concerns of a few States, the Government is unlikely to push the rollout date of GST beyond July 1. “As of now, the July 1 date is achievable. All efforts are towards it,” said the official. Some sections of industry have suggested that GST should instead be rolled out from September 1 to ensure that there is adequate preparation and awareness about the levy.
Source: Business Line
Despite the government’s assurance that refund of Goods and Services Tax (GST) to exporters will happen smoothly and on time, exporters are apprehensive that their liquidity will get hit and costs would go up once the regime is in place in three months time. The main problem stems from the fact that there is no exemption under GST for exporters or a clear cut time-line on its refund. “We know how long it takes to get refunds, especially from State governments. The Value Added Tax paid by exporters in Delhi was stuck for the last six-seven years. There is no reason for us to expect things to change under GST,” said Tilakraj Manaktala, an exporter of home furnishings and a member of the Delhi Exporters Association. Smooth flow of goods The GST regime, that promises to smoothen flow of goods and services across the country by replacing multiple indirect taxes with a single tax (five slabs including zero duty) at the Central (Central GST), State (State GST) and inter-State (integrated GST) levels, is likely to be implemented from July 1. Manaktala said that since many input taxes will get subsumed in GST, the duty drawback that exporters claim in lieu of input taxes paid on exported goods will shrink. Once GST is in place, the drawback rate will include just the basic customs duty and the Central GST portion of the total GST. “The drawback money is an assured source of duty refund for exporters. This unfortunately will reduce while there is no certainty on when and how much will get refunded under GST,” Manaktala said, adding that the DEA has been pushing the government for exemption. While at present exporters are exempt from payment of additional customs duty and excise on imports of inputs used in exports, both will get subsumed in GST and will be no longer eligible for exemption. “As per a study that we had done, costs for exporters could go up by up to 1.25 per cent (FOB value) once the GST is implemented,” said Ajay Sahai from the Federation of Indian Export Organisations. While the Centre has promised that 90 per cent of the GST value will be refunded to exporters within a specified time-frame from the date of completion of application, there is no clarity on what ‘date of completion’ is, Sahai added.
Source: Business Line
Logistics players hope that Goods & Services Tax (GST) regime will ease inter-State movement, and ensure more online processes. Container train operators have sought a five per cent rate under the GST for all rail-related containerised movement services, an issue that has been agreed upon by the Railway Ministry, and suggested to the GST Council. “With an aim to increase the share of rail services, a move that will also be environment friendly, ACTO has sought a five per cent slab for container movement and all allied services —large chunk of loading, unloading, packing, repacking, use of reach-stackers, among others,” Kamlesh Gupta, President, Association of Container Train Operators, told BusinessLine. Shashi Kiran Shetty, CEO and Chairman, Allcargo Logistics, wondered about the number of registrations and number of return filings that the logistics companies have to do in the Centre and States. He also hoped that most of the interactions between industry and government will be online with minimal human interventions. In the road transportation space, firms see reduction in inter-State movement. The Road Transport Ministry, which had made a strong case for removal of check posts in the GST Council meeting, is in the process of forming a committee to ensure the same, as advised by the GST Council. Raghav Himatsingka, CEO and Founder, Truckola, said, “Currently every State has its own taxation system. Every time a truck passes through a State border it involves heavy taxation and paper work. Warehouse location is kept in accordance with the State taxation and amount of business from a particular area.” He added that GST will be one without any tax boundaries. While the logistics industry is going to have an instant boost, the advent of the GST Bill will also work in favour of manufacturers as they no longer would have to worry about the cumbersome processes and overheads related to cargo and transportation. Re-location business is always pan-India or global. Multiple States mean multiple tax structure which has been a great pain for the transportation industry, said Interem Relocations’ CEO Rahul Pillai. “Our sector is eagerly waiting for GST to become a reality. GST will not only bring a transparent method of doing business, but will also help in the overall growth of the sector,” he said. Meanwhile, SP Singh, Senior Fellow, IFTRT, felt that many stakeholders are nervous about the date of implementation and have started making louder noises about implementation from October 1. He also added that many firms have started increasing prices in advance.
Source: Business Line
The international crude oil price of Indian Basket as computed/published today by Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC) under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas was US$ 51.36 per barrel (bbl) on 30.03.2017. This was higher than the price of US$ 50.73 per bbl on previous publishing day of 29.03.2017. In rupee terms, the price of Indian Basket increased to Rs. 3334.79 per bbl on 30.03.2017 as compared to Rs. 3295.10 per bbl on 29.03.2017. Rupee closed stronger at Rs. 64.93 per US$ on 30.03.2017 as compared to Rs. 64.96 per US$ on 29.03.2017. The table below gives details in this regard:
|
Particulars |
Unit |
Price on March 30, 2017 (Previous trading day i.e. 29.03.2017) |
Pricing Fortnight for 16.03.2017 (Feb 25, 2017 to March 13, 2017) |
|
Crude Oil (Indian Basket) |
($/bbl) |
51.36 (50.73) |
53.70 |
|
(Rs/bbl |
3334.79 (3295.10) |
3583.94 |
|
|
Exchange Rate |
(Rs/$) |
64.93 ( 64.96) |
66.74 |
Source: PIB
Lorries remaining idle at Coimbatore North Railwasy Station premises on Thursday. Several hundreds of lorries were stationed at Naripallam and Moolapatrai in Erode in view of the indefinite strike announced by operators from Thursday. According to the police, about 10,000 of the 11,000 lorries registered in the district were off the roads. Lorry drivers and cleaners were found relaxing at the sheds. Vegetable and fruit traders said that there will be a sharp rise in prices causing difficulties to common man in the coming days if the problem escalates.
Coimbatore
Thousands of lorries kept off roads in Coimbatore on the first day of the indefinite strike called by the South India Motor Transport Association (SIMTA) on Thursday. In Coimbatore Corporation limits alone, around 4,500 lorries remained idle on Thursday. Office-bearers of the lorry owners association here said that the strike would have resulted in a financial loss of ₹150 crore. Lorries lined up at Lorry petta at Ukkadam, the main hub of lorries in the city, and the goods yard at Coimbatore North Railway Station. According to N. Murugesan, secretary of the lorry owners association said that around 15,000 lorries operating in Coimbatore district stayed off road on Thursday. Tirupur About ₹ 75 crore worth of trade was affected in Tirupur district as lorries keep off road on Thursday. Nearly 8,000 lorries in the district and the ones that came from other parts of the country in the last few days kept off the road. The movement of apparels, coconut oil, fabrics, garment wastes, and copra, among others were severely affected. The lorry owners had stopped the booking of goods from the district from March 27. "We know that the business and livelihood of around 20,000 lorry drivers and cleaners in the district will get affected. But, there has been no other way to express our displeasure over the arbitrary decisions taken to increase the premium for third party insurance by 54 %, and toll charges with effect from April,” said C.N. Ramasamy, president of the Tirupur Lorry Owners Association.
Source: The Hindu
India should scale up to ride the new wave. Handloom is witnessing one of its biggest revivals in its history thanks to three factors: preference for unique designs and fabrics by consumers, e-commerce and proactive government support. Further, handloom making is eco-friendly and, mostly, organic. For the sector to see a boom, a few areas need to be upgraded to industrial-scale levels.
Looms:
Imagine thousands of looms in a factory somewhere outside Mangalgiri in Andhra Pradesh, employing lakhs of weavers and allied resources. Such an industrial scale loom setup is needed to produce for global supply. Although there is a lot of cluster level loom activity across India, there is very little synergy between clusters with respect to product design, loom design, yarn procurement and market linkages. There is need for industrial scale handloom to ensure there is synergy around all these functions— so that we get consistent quality fabric, high quality consistent dyeing, bulk buying discounts, mass scale handloom fabric and more concentrated market linkages for uniform demand across the year.
Dyeing:
The biggest issue in handloom is consistent fast dyeing, which does not bleed and is natural, but does not cost a lot. Unless we set up industrial-scale dyeing centres across India for natural dyeing, it would be difficult to provide consistent quality fabric at scale to global customers.
Sericulture:
Sericulture or silk farming is very important in the cocoon to saree journey. Silk is a major fibre used in almost all the handloom clusters. But for cotton, there are only clusters such as Tant or Polavaram. Although India is the largest consumer of silk and second largest producer of silk globally, high quality bivoltine silk production is very low in India and consumption far exceeds the production, leading to imports from China. India contributes to just 10 per cent of global exports, in spite of being the second largest producer of silk. Chinese silk production is five times more than India’s because of bivoltine silk, which has a high productivity of cocoon per acre, better twisting machines and usage of dried cocoon reeling method.
Design centres:
One of the biggest advantages of handloom is that each finished product can be unique. We can leverage that advantage by creating a model where we have a large pool of designers who know the power of handloom weaving. These designers can churn out unique designs for each handloom weaving type and therefore create a rapid supply of fashions in handloom. Unique fast fashion supply on a mass scale is unheard of globally. Handloom has that capacity.
Skill enhancement centres:
With an increase in number of handlooms across India, there will also be a need for weaving talent in locations where the industrial scale handloom parks are set up. Handloom can be a great way for reverse migration from urban to rural India. Handloom can be one of the biggest levers for government to solve unemployment issues. It can be a revenue based employment lever rather than cost based employment lever such as MGNREGA.
There is no doubt that handloom is going to play pivotal role in global fashion. How big is the impact we can create as a nation in handloom would depend how deep we reform the sector.
Source: Business Line
Summary: It can be gauged from the high demand for hand woven and handloom materials in an effort to look edgy. Gold and copper jewellery are out as youngsters are opting for silver jewellery this summer. Over the years, the demand for handloom materials has increased. People are opting for skin-friendly materials like khadi or cotton. In latest twist, Madhubani paintings, warli art and prints have also made an appearance on Indo-western dresses.Shreya said with summer shades of yellow are in, Ox blood red has made a comeback. PATNA: The city seems to be going along with Union textile minister Smriti Irani's last year's #IWearHandloom campaign. It can be gauged from the high demand for hand woven and handloom materials in an effort to look edgy."One just wants to wear breathable materials in summer months. Cotton or mul fabric maxi dresses, paired with canvas shoes and silver junk jewellery for a boho chic look, are finding many takers this season. Block prints and 'kalamkari' are also being well loved," said designer Jayshree, who runs a boutique on Boring Road."Georgette and chiffon have already been tried and tested previously and this time cotton is leading the fusion front," she added.Floral motifs and stripes are always a big hit in summer months. Branded shops around the city seem to be overflowing with bright colourful shades along with ivory and pastel colours.Shreya, a third year student of NIFT-Patna said brands have adopted handloom fabrics like khadi and cotton and fused them with western designs. In latest twist, Madhubani paintings, warli art and prints have also made an appearance on Indo-western dresses. Shreya said with summer shades of yellow are in, Ox blood red has made a comeback.
Source: TOI
If a decision is taken to put a rate for petroleum products under the Goods & Services Tax (GST), it will require reassessment of State compensations, experts said. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, during debate on GST Bills in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, said that the Constitution provides that these petroleum products would attract GST, though the rate has been kept at zero. Going forward, it would require only an executive decision on setting a rate on petroleum products. Analysts who spoke to BusinessLine note that the tax administration on petrol and diesel under the GST will continue to be shared by the Centre and State for a while. In the long-term however, the GST roll out on fuel is essential since the Centre aims to bring the product under a single tax slab across the country. The Centre has assessed the total compensation to States for GST roll out, sans petroleum products, at around ₹50,000 crore. With the addition of petrol and diesel to this, the component will be pushed upwards. According to Petroleum Policy and Analysis Cell, the contribution of Sales Tax and VAT on petroleum, oil and lubricants for fiscal 2015-2016 stands at ₹1,42,848 crore. The total tax on petrol and diesel stands upwards of 40 per cent. Barring a few States, this revenue is almost equally divided between the Centre and the State.
‘Sin Products’
The States will be reimbursed by the Centre for any revenue loss after GST roll out. This compensation kitty will be met from a higher tax incidence on ‘Sin Products’ such as alcohol and tobacco. Commenting on this, Partner, Indirect Tax at KPMG India, Harpreet Singh, said, “Today each State has a different tax incidence on petrol and diesel. GST will enable a uniform incidence across the country. The compensation that the Centre will have to make is so huge that it cannot come from the existing Sin Products alone. We can expect more products to be pushed to the higher tax slabs to compensate for the revenue loss.”
Source: Business Line
Though many may argue otherwise, the domestic textile industry has begged to differ. Industry sources perceive that after the closure of the Technology Mission on Cotton (TMC), the golden fibre has lost its sheen. Despite being acknowledged as the largest producer and net exporter of cotton, Indian productivity dropped below 500 kg of lint/hectare in 2015-16, largely due to pink boll worm infestation, from a high of 566 kg/hec in 2013-14. The productivity during 2016-17 appears to have bounced back to touch a record level of 568 kg/hec and sources attribute this to good monsoon this season as compared to the last. But the production, which stood at 398 lakh bales in 2013-14, has slipped to 342-346 lakh bales in 2016-17. On the other hand, the national average yield in Australia, Brazil, China, Turkey Mexico and Israel is more than 1,500 kg/hec. India’s poor productivity is attributed to obsolete technology and insufficient fund support for cotton research. “Production might slide below 300 lakh bales in the absence of immediate policy intervention by the government,” said M Senthilkumar, Chairman of the Southern India Mills’ Association (SIMA). The association has drawn the attention of Union Textile Minister Smriti Irani to the present situation, besides advocating bringing back the TMC in a revised format. A few States have already started advising farmers to avoid cultivation of cotton due to uncertainty in production. Industry sources further contend that the Union Agriculture Ministry and the agricultural departments of various State governments do not give adequate importance to cotton. “A declining trend in production, productivity and quality is an offshoot of this development,” Senthilkumar said, pointing out how countries such as Australia, the US, Brazil, Turkey and China ramped up their yield to more than 1,500 kg/hectare. “The existing Bt technology that helped India increase its cotton yield potential expired a few years back. Farmers are suffering due to technology obsolescence,” said J Thulasidharan, President, Indian Cotton Federation. “The Central Institute of Cotton Research (CICR) has developed 21 varieties of desi cotton that yielded excellent results. Farmers who meticulously followed the institute’s (cultivation) practices managed to increase their income two-fold. But the scientists could not make further progress due to paucity in fund allocation,” he said, reiterating the need for a TMC in a revised format. “We will need to focus on short duration (140-160 days) varieties and follow best practices that primarily would depend on the local climate, varietal adaptability, soil type and nutrient status, major insects and pests and, of course, market demand. The critical reproductive phase has been compressed in many countries, but India continues to have a long critical window. This should therefore be our first consideration,” Thulasidharan said, referring to crop duration. Meanwhile, it is reliably learnt that a committee has already been constituted and report preparation work is under way on TMC II with the help of CICR, the industry, and other stakeholders. Industry sources said such a mission would help double the income of the cotton farmer and fuel the growth of the textile industry.
Source: Business Line
Looms operated with the aid of electric power for manufacturing of cloth are called as Powerlooms whereas the handlooms are looms operated without aid of power. The Handlooms (Reservation of Articles for Production) Act, 1985 protects the interests of the handloom sector from the encroachment of the powerloom industry by way of reserving 11 textile articles with certain specifications for exclusive production by handlooms. Whenever any violation is detected, suitable action is initiated under the Handloom Act, 1985. Government of India has introduced Handloom Mark and India Handloom Brand to identify the origin and quality of the handloom products. Also, 57 handloom products have also been registered under the Geographical Indication (GI) of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999. The above information was given by the Minister of State, Textiles, Shri Ajay Tamta today, in a written reply to a Lok Sabha question.
Source: Business Standard
|
Item |
Price |
Unit |
Fluctuation |
Date |
|
PSF |
1132.17 |
USD/Ton |
-0.64% |
3/30/2017 |
|
VSF |
2496.58 |
USD/Ton |
-0.29% |
3/30/2017 |
|
ASF |
2220.80 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
3/30/2017 |
|
Polyester POY |
1151.77 |
USD/Ton |
-0.19% |
3/30/2017 |
|
Nylon FDY |
3338.45 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
3/30/2017 |
|
40D Spandex |
5297.98 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
3/30/2017 |
|
Polyester DTY |
2394.98 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
3/30/2017 |
|
Nylon POY |
1407.96 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
3/30/2017 |
|
Acrylic Top 3D |
3657.78 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
3/30/2017 |
|
Polyester FDY |
5820.52 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
3/30/2017 |
|
Nylon DTY |
1407.96 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
3/30/2017 |
|
Viscose Long Filament |
3149.76 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
3/30/2017 |
|
30S Spun Rayon Yarn |
3048.15 |
USD/Ton |
-0.47% |
3/30/2017 |
|
32S Polyester Yarn |
1734.54 |
USD/Ton |
-0.33% |
3/30/2017 |
|
45S T/C Yarn |
2699.79 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
3/30/2017 |
|
40S Rayon Yarn |
2322.40 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
3/30/2017 |
|
T/R Yarn 65/35 32S |
1915.98 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
3/30/2017 |
|
45S Polyester Yarn |
2264.34 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
3/30/2017 |
|
T/C Yarn 65/35 32S |
3207.82 |
USD/Ton |
-0.90% |
3/30/2017 |
|
10S Denim Fabric |
1.35 |
USD/Meter |
0% |
3/30/2017 |
|
32S Twill Fabric |
0.85 |
USD/Meter |
0% |
3/30/2017 |
|
40S Combed Poplin |
1.18 |
USD/Meter |
0% |
3/30/2017 |
|
30S Rayon Fabric |
0.67 |
USD/Meter |
0% |
3/30/2017 |
|
45S T/C Fabric |
0.67 |
USD/Meter |
0% |
3/30/2017 |
Source: Global Textiles
Note: The above prices are Chinese Price (1 CNY = 0.14515 USD dtd. 30/03/2017)
The prices given above are as quoted from Global Textiles.com. SRTEPC is not responsible for the correctness of the same.
Uzbekistan has decided to focus on developing its textile industry. The country is paying special attention to deep processing of cotton fibre, manufacturing goods for exports keeping in view the world market and creating new jobs. Creating facilities for processing of cotton fibre will reduce cost of production and also provide source of income to people. This was announced by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev during a visit to "Toshrabot" mahalla in Qiziltepa district, where he looked at several projects aimed at developing textiles in the region. The country is trying to attract foreign investments to implement these projects costing more than $70 million. The factories are to be equipped with highly-efficient modern machines, manufactured by Rieter, a Swiss company, Mirziyoyev said. As a result of implementation of these projects, the country will be able to fully process cotton fibre. Increase in the output of finished industrial products is of great importance for raising the standard of living of people, he said.
Source: Fibre2fashion
The U.S. textile and apparel industries have seen revenues slowly rise over the last seven years as free-trade agreements and rising Asian prices have given local textile and clothing makers a bit of a reprieve. In 2016, production of U.S. man-made fiber and filament, textiles, and apparel shipments totaled nearly $75 billion, an 11 percent increase from 2009, according to the National Council of Textile Organizations, which recently released its “2017 State of the Industry Address.” That slight annual increase in production is good news after the apparel and textile industries were walloped with major overseas competition in the 1990s and early 2000s. “It has been a fairly stable and strong environment for about five or six years,” said Auggie Tantillo, president and chief executive of NCTO, a Washington, D.C., trade group that represents about 85 percent of the textile companies in the United States. “But the market has been flat for 18 months due to sluggishness in the global and U.S. economies and the uncertainty in the retail sector.” Yarns and fabrics accounted for $30.3 billion, or nearly half the shipments sent out, while carpet, home furnishings fabrics and other non-apparel sewn products made up $24 billion in revenues. Apparel came in at $12.7 billion. One of the U.S. textile industry’s saviors has been free-trade agreements that require that regional yarns and fabric be used in production. If you look at the $13 billion man-made fiber, yarn and fabrics exported from the United States, a big chunk, $4.4 billion, is sent to Mexico, $1.6 billion is shipped to Canada, and another $1.3 billion is earmarked for Honduras. The Dominican Republic receives $759 million in shipments. All these countries are members of either the North American Free Trade Agreement or the Dominican Republic Central America Free Trade Agreement. Tantillo said the U.S. textile industry exports about 40 percent of its production and more than half goes to Mexico, Canada and Central America.Still, there are ways to increase U.S. textiles exports to free-trade partners. And President Donald Trump could have a big role in that. NAFTA—the free-trade agreement between the United States, Canada and Mexico—went into effect in 1994 but still has trade-preference levels written into it. Trade-preference levels allow a certain amount of yarns and fabric produced outside the free-trade-agreement region to be used in apparel production as long as the non-regional goods are cut and sewn within the free-trade countries. Currently, Mexico is allowed to bring in 45 million square-meter equivalents of yarn and fabric a year from places such as China, which it normally uses up halfway through the year. Canada has an annual allotment of 88 million square-meter equivalent units, although it most recently used only about 25 million of that. “That is a degradation of the yarn-forward requirement [for the free-trade pacts], and we think that is a problem,” Tantillo said. When Trump discusses changes to NAFTA, the U.S. textile industry would like to see these trade-preference levels eliminated. Doing away with these loopholes would undoubtedly boost U.S. textile exports, textile producers said. When NAFTA was being negotiated more than 25 years ago, Canada asked for a TPL because it did not have a strong textile industry. Still, the U.S. textile industry believes NAFTA is a pillar upon which the U.S. textile supply chain has been able to grow. Canada and Mexico are the biggest U.S. textile markets. Also, Mexico has a lot of apparel factories sewing clothing for retailers and manufacturers who need a quick turnaround on goods.
Domestic push
The U.S. textile industry would like to see several steps taken to encourage more domestic production. It also fully supports the Trump administration’s call to negotiate more bilateral free-trade agreements that would have yarn-forward regulations encouraging the use of American fibers, yarns and fabrics. However, the trade group is opposed to a free-trade agreement with Vietnam, now the No. 2 maker of clothing imported into the United States. Vietnam, which is turning into a cheap alternative to China, is a Communist-run country that has a non-market economy, NCTO maintains, and would heavily disrupt the U.S. textile industry if goods were allowed to enter the country duty-free. The U.S. textile industry is hoping to add to the 565,000 people employed in the industry last year—with 131,300 working in apparel manufacturing and another 113,900 employed in yarns and fabrics. The U.S. textile industry is recovering from some hard times experienced in the late 1990s through the early part of the 21st century, when business was dropping 10 percent each year. “There was a confluence of events starting in late 1999, when the Asian currency crisis occurred and practically every Asian currency collapsed by 30 to 40 percent, causing exports to surge to the United States. Then you had China joining the World Trade Organization in 2001,” Tantillo recalled. But things are turning around. Investments in U.S. textile fiber, yarn, fabric and other non-apparel textile production grew to $1.7 billion in 2015, a 75 percent rise from the $960 million invested in 2009. “I would say the feeling is upbeat, and there is a positive outlook for the industry,” Tantillo said. “There is a level of frustration with the slow economy and sluggishness in the market, but we all know markets are cyclical.”
Source: Apparel News
The fashion business might become more litigious, thanks to a recent Supreme Court decision, according to a discussion about the court’s decision at law firm Freeman Freeman & Smiley LLP in Los Angeles’ Century City district. The Supreme Court made a decision March 22 on the case Star Athletica L.L.C. v. Varsity Brands Inc. At issue in the case was whether Varsity Brands could copyright an element of a cheerleading uniform such as a chevron or a stripe. The court voted 6–2 in favor of Varsity Brands, a Memphis, Tenn.–headquartered company that is the dominant manufacturer of cheerleading uniforms. It had sales of $1.2 billion in 2014, according to a statement from company owners Charlesbank Capital Partners. On the day of the decision, Varsity Brands Chairman and Founder Jeff Webb said that the court ruling was a vindication for designers. “We were honored to serve as advocates and fighters for the basic idea that designers everywhere can create excellent work and make investments in their future without fear of having it stolen or copied,” Webb said in a statement. The Council of Fashion Designers of America wrote an amicus brief supporting Varsity Brands’ case. Todd M. Lander, an intellectual-property litigator with Freeman Freeman & Smiley, said that the decision would set the tone for fashion copyright for years. “I don’t see in the ensuing few years any real movement in the courts to restrict protection in textile designs,” he said during a March 23 discussion of the case at Freeman Freeman & Smiley’s office, which offers a panoramic view of West Los Angeles stretching to downtown. “If you are a manufacturer, you should assume that designs are protected irrespective of how generic or ubiquitous you believe designs are in the marketplace. If you lend money to manufacturers, this has become a cost of business. This will be part of the apparel industry for the foreseeable future.” Lander said that litigation over textile copyright has dramatically increased in the past 15 years. Robert Ezra, head of Freeman Freeman & Smiley’s Fashion Law department, said that the recent decision might result in an uptick of copyright litigation. “Copyright protection has been expanded,” Ezra said. “The more rights a holder has, the more likelihood that there is a violation of those rights.” During the case, lawyers for Star Athletica, a St. Louis–area company that also makes cheerleader uniforms, argued that design details such as chevrons, zigzags and stripes could not be separated from cheerleading uniforms. These details have no separate identities and cannot be protected by copyright. If details are taken away, the cheerleading uniform would be nothing but a dress, Star Athletica’s attorneys said. According to federal law, details from a garment must be recognizable by themselves, or must be able to stand alone from the garment, in order to be considered worthy of a copyright. While Star Athletica said those stripes, chevrons and other details on cheerleader uniforms were generic and could not be protected by copyright, Varsity Brands’ lawyers argued stripes, chevrons and other markings defined and created points of difference between cheerleading uniforms. Take the details away, a cheerleading uniform could be identified as a cheerleading uniform. Other manufacturers could make a garment with the same cheerleader’s silhouette and have it be identified as a cheerleader’s uniform. But companies such as Varsity Brands can copyright art details and protect them, Varsity Brands’ lawyers contended. Justice Clarence Thomas wrote the opinion of the court. “Just as two-dimensional fine art correlates to the shape of the canvas on which it is painted, two-dimensional applied art correlates to the contours of the article on which it is applied. The only feature of respondents’ cheerleading uniform eligible for a copyright is the two-dimensional applied art on the surface of the uniforms,” Thomas wrote. Justices Anthony Kennedy and Stephen Breyer dissented from the opinion. Ilse Metchek, president of the Los Angeles–based California Fashion Association, said that the ruling strengthens current law and reinforces the value of a copyright. “You cannot copyright the shape and pattern work of a garment,” she said, adding that the new ruling doesn’t deviate from existing copyright law, which protects original artwork. “It reestablishes the principle that art is protectable.” Companies looking to protect themselves from litigation might design their own prints, Freeman Freeman & Smiley’s Ezra said. A company could also confirm that fabric suppliers own the prints they sell and possess registration for them. If a company is willing to secure those working with the print against legal responsibility, the company has confidence in using the product. “There is a lot of clip art that is not copyrighted,” Ezra said. “If you need a tulip, go find a tulip in clip art. There are a lot of clip-art designs in the public domain.”
Source: Apparel News
Draft text to be prepared before summer
A list of articles to be included in the proposed restriction of 286 carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic (CMR) substances in consumer textiles and clothing will be drawn up by the European Commission. Following a consultation last year, the Commission is preparing the draft restriction text, which is planned for discussion in the REACH Committee before the summer. The proposal sees the ban taking effect in two phases, with articles that come into ‘direct and prolonged contact with the skin’ covered first. As well as clothing articles and footwear, this would cover some textile articles such as bed linen, pillow cases and towels. But industry associations have said it is not clear which articles will be included. The Commission held a technical workshop in February, to discuss the scope of the restriction, possible exemptions, substances to be covered and concentration limits. Attendees included textile and clothing production experts, industry associations, NGOs and member state authorities. Textile trade associations Euratex, the Apparel and Footwear International RSL Management group (AFIRM) and the Federation of the European Sporting Goods Industry (FESI) were among organisations to submit comments on the workshop. AFIRM called for clarity on which materials are excluded from the restriction. It said there was “no justification” for including inaccessible parts of clothing, footwear and textile articles with no potential for skin contact under foreseeable use and abuse conditions. The association also asked for clarification on whether non-textile parts of clothing, footwear, and textile articles made from polymers and other materials, such as buttons, zippers, hooks, clasps, shoe outsoles, would be included. In response to concerns, the Commission has announced it will produce “a non-exhaustive list of articles (including borderline cases) covered in the restriction and include it in a Q&A that could be updated when needed.” A list of the specific substances, the proposed limits and the available testing methods are available on the DG GROW webpage for the workshop. The Commission has proposed a derogation for second-hand articles. It said that one for recycled fibres, or for parts of clothing and textiles re-used to produce new articles, would be difficult to enforce. This is because it could lead to "the use of restricted chemicals in the production process in new products containing recycled fibres or other materials” as it would be difficult to verify whether the chemical was already present in the recycled materials or added afterwards. Industry also want derogations for protective clothing potentially used by consumers, disposable clothing and textiles, and inner components of upholstery. The Commission said it is open to consider ad-hoc exemptions for specific substances and articles. Stakeholders are invited to send supporting information by April 28.
Source: Chemical Watch
Buhari's Push to Revive the Industry Western nations are not the only ones to have been hit by deindustrialization. Nigeria, for example, once had a robust textile industry that was growing annually at 67 percent during its golden years between 1985 and 1991. But today, of the 175 mills that once operated, only ten remain open with most of them running at half capacity. The industry blamed the decline on the flood of cheaper products from China and India. But when the government sought to ban textile imports in 2010, it only drove the trade underground. Shortly after his election, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari announced that he wanted to revive Nigeria's textiles by incentivizing investment in ailing factories. "I still recall with clarity that at some point, the textile industry in Nigeria was employing about 320,000 Nigerians," he said in 2015 before a group of foreign investors. (At its height, the industry was the country's second largest employer.) "But today, the same industry employs less than 30,000 people and the factories operate below capacity or they are completely closed...we should be making every effort to ensure that we reopen the closed ones and attract new ones to reduce unemployment." This gallery provides a look into the shuttered Unitex textile factory, which is still struggling to open its doors.
Source: Foreign Affairs
The Pakistan National Assembly Standing Committee on Textile Industry has given directions to the textiles ministry to make the Trade Cooperation of Pakistan (TCP) operational, to facilitate cotton growers. The committee also suggested increasing the strength of scientists at Central Cotton Research Institute, Multan to make research work more effective. "The committee also recommended that incentives should be provided to stakeholders in the cotton industry, to enable further development of the sector," a press release of the National Assembly Secretariat stated. It also suggested increasing education and awareness among cotton growers through electronic and print media to increase cotton output in the country.
Source: Fibre2Fashion
AILING Bulawayo companies will process more than 100 000 tonnes of cotton that the country is likely to harvest this season. Industry and Commerce Deputy Minister Chiratidzo Mabuwa told Parliamentarians the move to process the cotton in Bulawayo was meant to rejuvenate the textile industries. She said the resuscitation of Bulawayo industries was important as spelt out by the Special Economic Zones law. Deputy Minister Mabuwa said the national Cotton to Clothing Policy was launched in Bulawayo to emphasise the drive to improve the textile industry, particularly in Bulawayo. “Looking at that, we assume that we will harvest a lot of cotton this season. Hon Made will probably give you the tonnage but we are expecting about 100 000 metric tonnes of cotton,” she said. The deputy minister said Bulawayo should have a place where this cotton should be processed from lint right through the value chain up to clothing. “The textile industry in Bulawayo has since been resuscitated and they are supplying Edgars with clothes manufactured in Bulawayo. I would like this House to know that there is no reason to import suits and shirts for men because we have them in Bulawayo,” said Deputy Minister Mabuwa. She said the city would also benefit from a policy to revamp the leather industry. “In the leather industry, we are looking forward to resuscitate the industry through the Cold Storage Company because that will resuscitate the leather industry in Bulawayo. We are also looking at the heavy industries in Bulawayo that supply mines throughout the country,” the deputy Minister said. She said the government would have a Bulawayo showcase programme just before this year’s International Trade Fair to market what is happening in the city. A majority of Bulawayo industries have shut down over the years, reducing the city from its one time lofty status of being the country’s manufacturing hub.
Source: The Chronicle
A new campaign to raise awareness on basic Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) issues in the apparel sector was launched yesterday. The radio-based campaign titled 'Safe Workplaces, Go Ahead Bangladesh' was initiated by the labour and employment ministry and Department of Inspections for Factories and Establishments (DIFE), in collaboration with the International Labour Organisation (ILO). The campaign has received funding from Canada, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. In order to create better recognition amongst garment workers, supervisors and managers, well-known TV celebrity Mosharraf Karim will support a number of campaign activities, said a statement from the ILO. “Efforts to improve workplace safety remain the highest priority for the Bangladesh government. This campaign will reach out to garment workers to help them better understand safety areas,” said Mikail Shipar, secretary to the labour and employment ministry, at the launch. “I also firmly encourage owners and managers to listen as they too have an equal responsibility regarding safety and health.” Srinivas Reddy, ILO country director for Bangladesh, said, “This safety campaign is certain to benefit a large number of RMG workers. It is vital however that the efforts to build a culture of safety in Bangladesh begin to go beyond the all-important RMG sector.” A series of 19 radio episodes will be broadcast on Dhaka FM 90.4 on Thursday and Friday evenings at 10pm, starting tonight. Each 30-minute episode will focus on a specific OSH issue under a drama format and will include songs and discussions. The first show will cover 'what to do in an emergency' while others will include electrical safety, earthquakes, good housekeeping and hygiene. A series of safety-related radio commercials will also be broadcast throughout the day over a period of two months. It will focus on five key areas -- the role of DIFE what to do in case of a fire maternity protection safety is everybody's responsibility and the role of safety committees, which comprise representatives of management and the workers. A popular song 'we want safety' has been produced to highlight key safety messages. A weekly contest linked to the radio programme will also give listeners the chance to win Tk 1,000 prizes, as well as a grand prize of Tk 50,000 at the end of the campaign.
Source: The Daily Star
Soorty, a leading vertically integrated denim manufacturer from Pakistan, has been recognised with Hightex innovation award for its new Denim Active concept at the new Keyhouse event, which took place as part of the Munich Fabric Start last month. According to the manufacturer, the new concept blurs the borders between casual wear and sportswear, combining the two lifestyles.
Denimfor athleisure
Made with Coolmax EcoMade technology, the Denim Active garment helps keep the wearer cool and dry by moving moisture to the outside of the fabric where it can quickly evaporate. And, since the Coolmax EcoMade fibre is made from 97% recycled resources such as plastic bottles, it means less material going to landfill. The addition of a special type of Lycra fibre aims to provide 360 degree stretch in this lightweight fabric, allowing the wearer to move freely. Therefore, Denim Active combines unique denim aesthetic with the softness and comfort of a specially engineered, second skin silhouette, making it suitable for a variety of activities, such as gym, cycling, shopping and more, the company reports. Specifically, reflecting tapes on the legs are designed for cyclists to be visible at night.
Keyhouse
The new Keyhouse is the innovation and competence centre for textiles, presenting future-oriented and business-related concepts in a concentrated manner. This interactive trade fair format forms a backdrop for smart textiles, future fabrics and technologies, with a high degree of integration in textile products and high fashion. Pioneering showcases, sustainability and new technologies are put in a spotlight in this trade fair are in the context of cross-sector macro trends, rounded off by expert workshops and seminars on trends, technology, finishing and research.
Source: Innovation in Textiles
For the fourth time, the Texprocess Forum will be held during the Texprocess trade fair in Frankfurt am Main from May 9-12, 2017. At this international conference, experts from science and industry will present the latest textile processing trends and knowledge in around 40 lectures and panel discussions spread over all four days of the fair. The main themes of the 2017 Texprocess Forum 2017 are digitalisation and Industry 4.0 (with SPESA, Lectra, Human Solutions, Hohenstein Institute and Gerber Technology), quality management (TÜV Süd, Takko Holding and Datacolor) and sustainability (with Bayern Innovativ). Additionally, a separate lecture block will focus on the use of digital textile printing for finishing and functionalising technical textiles (with Mimaki, Zimmer Maschinenbau and Coldenhove). Texprocess Forum will be held in Hall 6.0 and will be free of charge for visitors of Texprocess and Techtextil. The lecture programme has been compiled by DTB – Dialogue Textile Apparel, the International Apparel Federation (IAF) and the World Textile Information Network (WTiN). Additionally, the Texprocess lecture programme in the digital printing section will be supplemented by the European Digital Textile Conference, which WTiN is holding for the first time at the fair on May 10.
Source: Fibre2fashion
