India's industrial production (base year 2011-12=100) improved at five months high pace of 4.3% in August 2017 over August 2016, while showing sharp improvement in growth from 0.9% increase in July 2017. The manufacturing sectors production improved 3.1% in August 2017, snapping decline in output for last two straight months. The electricity generation increased at improved pace of 8.3% and mining output also gained 4.3% in August 2017. The growth for July 2017 has been revised downwards to 0.9% from 1.2% reported earlier. As per the use-based classification, primary goods output improved 7.1% in August 2017 over a year ago, while the output of capital goods rebounded after four months of decline at 5.4% in August 2017. The output of consumer durable goods also improved 1.6%, snapping decline for last two months. The output of consumer non-durable durables improved 6.9%, while that of Infrastructure/ construction goods moved up 2.5%. However, the intermediate goods output continued to decline for third straight month at 0.2% in August 2017 over August 2016.In terms of industries, 10 out of the twenty three industry groups in the manufacturing sector have shown positive growth during the month of August 2017 as compared to the corresponding month of the previous year. The industry group computer, electronic and optical products has shown the highest positive growth of 24.9%, followed by 16.5% in pharmaceuticals, medicinal chemical and botanical products and 11.1% in other transport equipment. On the other hand, the industry group furniture has shown the highest negative growth of (-) 16.0%, followed by (-) 15.1% in tobacco products and (-) 11.4% in Printing and reproduction of recorded media. Some important items showing high positive growth during the current month over the same month in previous year include meters 63.3%, separators including decanter centrifuge 56.6%, digestive enzymes and antacids 33.7%, anti-pyretic, analgesic/anti-inflammatory api & formulations 29.6%, pipes, tubes & casing of steel/ iron 27.4%, axle 26.0%, telephones and mobile instruments 23.2% and full-cream/ toned/ skimmed milk, whether or not chilled 22.4%. Some important items that have registered high negative growth include anti-malarial drug (-) 68.4%, jewellery of gold (-) 46.0%, plastic jars, bottles and containers (-) 42.0%, tooth paste (-) 39.9%, other tobacco products (-) 38.2%, electrical apparatus for switching or protecting electrical circuits (-) 33.7% and palm oil refined (-) 29.3%. Industrial production rose 2.2% in April-August FY2018, compared with 6% growth in the corresponding period last year. The manufactured product sector output improved 1.6%, while the mining and electricity generation moved up 3.3% and 6.1% in April-August FY2018.
Source: Business Standard
SURAT: The Synthetic and Rayon Textiles Export Promotion Council(SRTEPC) has stated that the reduction of GST on man-made fibres and yarns from 18 per cent to 12 per cent will provide a major relief in unblocking of the working capital due to the huge accumulation of non-refundable input tax credit (ITC). The man-made fibres and yarns were slotted under 18 per cent GST rate while the fabrics were slotted under 5 per GST slab with a condition of no refund ITC at fabric stage. This had created a huge accumulation of nonrefundable ITC with the weavers and blockage of working capital. Now, with reduction of GST to 12 per cent this problem will be subsided to a larger extent and more manageable. SRTEPC Chairman, Narain Aggarwal; said, “The reduction in GST would benefit both the spinning and power loom sector who are the manufacturers and suppliers of yarns to the textile industry. As soon as the benefit is passed on to the entire downward value chain of the textile industry, our textile items in the global market will be more competitive. It will also help in ensuring that the country’s poor are clothed at an affordable price”. Aggarwal also stated that the release of held-up refund of IGST paid on goods exported in July from October 10 onwards has come as a big relief to merchant exporters who have put in huge working capital. The refund of the huge amount will be again invested into increasing exports. “The merchant exporters will now have to pay nominal GST of 0.1 per cent for procuring goods from domestic suppliers for export” said Aggarwal. However, leaders in the powerloom sector believe the spinners and yarn manufacturers are going to be benefited with the reduction in GST from 18 per cent to 12 per cent on yarn and MMF. Both the segments will get ITC refund. The powerloom sector has also raised concerns on the increase in the basic price of yarn by almost 6 per cent next month. The ITC accumulated in the weaver GST ledger will be transferred to the spinners bank account.
Source: ETRetail.com
Three months into the GST regime, textile traders in Surat have devised a new way to avoid paying GST on the goods. Dainik Bhaskar's Surat edition reports that traders in the textile hub are using the services of private buses to transport their goods to different places like Delhi, Rajasthan and elsewhere. The buses are meant to carry passengers, but in the busy and sprawling Surat textile market, the slew of private buses are loaded with heaps of clothes and are sent across states sans payment of any cess under the GST regime. Bhaskar reports that instead of sending goods in trucks with the requisite documentation, they are sending cloth worth Rs 10 crore every day through buses. Bus operators carry the goods without any need for GST number, Form 402 or any other document. Goods are loaded from 8 am in the morning to 10 pm at night. Bus operators have devised their own receipt system to identify goods. This illegal channel is resulting in huge loss for business owners across thousands of Surat’s small-scale trading, weaving and dyeing units, which together churn out around 40 million metres of fabric each day. Parcels weighing 40 to 50 kgs are loaded in the buses an hour and a half before departure. Bus operators have also seen their income double as a result. They charge anywhere between Rs 300 to Rs 400 for these parcels. Traders say that in the past, only urgent shipments were dispatched through buses but this has reached a different proportion since GST was implemented. The equivalent of 50 trucks of goods is sent in 100 private buses every day. Bhaskar says that nearly Rs 10 crore worth of goods are moved through this channel. A representative of a trade association told Bhaskar that the government is aware of this modus operandi but is not taking appropriate action and that is hurting honest traders who are still paying taxes.
Source: Business Standard
While the State government is gearing up to execute a textile modernisation plan, domestic textile majors are learnt to be making a beeline for the traditional Khadi and handloom production hubs in the State with lucrative offers for outright procurement of their products. Industry sources told The Hindu here that the key players were coaxing the Khadi and handloom production units in Kannur and Thrissur, to begin with, to sell their products at competitive prices and also seeking an assurance that they would consistently meet the demand for a fixed tenure. The offer sounds rosy for the units as it ensures regular employment to scores of workers and also a higher price for the producers for a fixed period. But it is fraught with the danger of the industry losing its identity and clout in the market. Also, on establishing monopoly, the companies are likely to determine the prices and even the working conditions in the units. The Central government had already given the authority to such buyers to fix the prices in the Khadi sector and hence market manipulation would be easy too, sources said.
Kerala brand
The only option to insulate the industry from such overtures of monopolists is to expedite the implementation of the modernisation package approved in principle by the government and establish a Kerala brand in the market without compromising on quality. The government has already approved a modernisation plan submitted by an expert committee headed by P. Nandakumar. “We are aware that the traditional sector is prone to such incursions from monopolists and now the government has expedited execution of the modernisation plan that calls for a comprehensive development of the sector, with a renewed accent on building the Kerala brand,” Mr.Nandakumar says.
Job potential
Compared to other industries, textile has the potential for engaging legions of workers, mainly women, and providing jobs consistently, with minimum investment. As a first step, the mills at Komalapuram and Pinarayi will start functioning soon and that would lead to a major boost in the sector, says Mr. Nandakumar.
Source: The Hindu
Surat: Amid claims by the central government of resolving most of the demands of the textile sector related to GST, there seems to be widespread anger prevailing among the traders and powerloom weavers. Barring a couple of textile markets, majority of the market associations have stayed away from illuminating the buildings to mark a protest against the central government for not considering the key demands related to simplification in the GST. Unlike every year, this time around the markets will be celebrating 'dark Diwali'. Similarly, most of the industrial estates across the city housing the powerloom weaving units have also decided not to illuminate the premises to mark their protest. A day earlier, Union minister of State for Road Transport and Shipping, Mansukh Mandaviya claimed that the GST Council has largely remained successful in resolving majority of the demands put forth by the textile sector. Traders, weavers and the textile processors had welcomed the important changes made by the council in the existing GST law. "Two out of 10 demands have been accepted, that too half-heartedly. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said there is early Diwali, immediately after the GST council announcement on October 6. The announcements were such that we won't be able to celebrate the festival this year," said textile trader, Ganpat Jain, whose market association has decided not to illuminate the building. Manoj Agarwal, president of Federation of Surat Textile Traders Association (FOSTTA), said, "Barring a few markets, majority of the markets will not be decorated this Diwali. Traders are angry and unhappy. The business turnover is less than 30% and many shop owners have down their shutters." Ashok Jirawala, president of Federation of Gujarat Weavers' Association (FOGWA), said, "We never demanded reduction in GST of 18% on yarn to 12%. The decision is taken to benefit spinners and yarn manufacturers. Our demand for input tax credit (ITC) refund is not accepted. Hence, there will be no Diwali celebration in the industrial estates."He further claimed, "The yarn prices will increase by almost 6% after Diwali."
Source: The Times of India
According to Angel Commodities, Cotton futures are expected trade sideways to higher on reports of lower than expected crop size , cci procurement and improved exports demand for Indian cotton. MCX Cotton Oct futures continue to trade higher on good demand for new season cotton and reports of good exports demand for Indian cotton from the Asian countries . Moreover, wet weather in the states like Telangana may damage ready to harvest cotton which may further cut down on production. Cotton futures are expected trade sideways to higher on reports of lower than expected crop size , cci procurement and improved exports demand for Indian cotton. However, expectation of good production and carryover stocks for the next season may keep domestic prices steady during the arrival seasons.
Outlook
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Source: moneycontrol.com
MUMBAI: With farm workers scared by the death of 35 due to pesticide poisoning, spraying in cotton farms has slowed down across the state. "There is a scare among farm labourers. There are some who are still willing to spray pesticide, but are asking for huge amounts," said an agriculture officer from Vidarbha. Officials from Marathwada agreed. They said farm labourers are paid according to the number of gallons of pesticide they spray. "They can safely spray 10-12 gallons a day depending on the size of the farm and density of the crops. But to earn more, a lot of them end up spraying more than the prescribed amount," said the agriculture official. The slowing down could hurt cotton farmers as the crop is most vulnerable to pests at the fag end of its cycle. If the issue is not sorted out, cotton farmers across the state may be staring at huge crop losses due to pest. "There is reluctance among farm labourers to carry on with spraying. It has been affected considerably," said Vijay Jawandhia, farmer activist and a cotton farmer fromWardha. The issue is significant since Maharashtra is the largest cotton growing state in the country. Nearly 41lakh hectares is under cotton, nearly 35% of the total cultivable area in the state. About 96% farmers use BGII Bt cotton seeds for cultivation, the one which is failing to keep pink bollworm, a major pest, at bay.
Health Check-Up
The agriculture department, with the public health department, will start health check-up camps at the tehsil-level to screen all farmers and labourers in Yavatmal from Monday. It has issued aset of guidelines to try and prevent further cases of poisoning.
Source: The Times of India
A Left-leaning farmers’ organisation has demanded tough action against US-based agricultural firm Monsanto and its Indian partner, Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Company (Mahyco), for alleged criminal negligence, resulting in large-scale cultivation of unapproved genetically modified (GM) hybrid cotton crop. Recent news reports, backed by laboratory tests and other empirical evidence, suggested that GM cotton seed with twin transgenic traits of herbicide tolerance and bollworm resistance — popularly known as Glycel Bt Cotton —was being cultivated across major cotton-growing states, including Andhra Pradesh, Maharahstra, and Telangana. However, it has no seal of approval from the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), nor is there a licensed seller. So far, only Bollgard I and Bollgard II hybrid cotton seeds with bollworm resistance trait are approved for cultivation in India. The Communist Party of India-affiliated All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) holds Monsanto and Mahyco responsible for the situation based on the assumption that the initial source of the leak was the field trials conducted by Mahyco on Glycel Bt or Round-up Ready Flex (RRF) cotton seed developed by the American company some time back. It points out that Rule 9 of the Rules 1989 of the Environment Protection Act prohibits deliberate as well as unintentional release of genetically engineered organisms/hazardous microorganisms or cells (without approval). “We request the GEAC to immediately initiate criminal proceedings against Monsanto and Mahyco for deterrent punishment, as the damage to the environment is huge,” the farmers’ body said. In two separate letters addressed to GEAC Chairperson Amrita Prasad and National Biodiversity Authority Chairperson B Meenakumari, AIKS Vice-President Ravula Venkaiah sought action from the statutory bodies that monitor the GM plant and food-related activities in the country. Incidentally, these letters were written around the same time when the Andhra Pradesh government appointed a committee on October 5 to establish the efficacy of the new hybrid cotton seed. The state government had said it was constituting the panel to establish the efficacy of the Glycel Bt crop as farmers had requested for the supply of a better-quality seed (with same GM traits) developed through research stations by normal breeding methods. “We will get to the issue as to what needs to be done on illegal cultivation of Glycel Bt or its efficacy later since we are planning to hold discussions with other ryot organisations over the future course of action and will subsequently approach the central and state governments with appropriate suggestions. But, first the authorities must punish the companies responsible for the release of this unapproved and hazardous herbicide tolerant trait into the environment,” Venkaiah told Business Standard. Citing a news report, the AIKS letter said an estimated 35 lakh packets of illegal herbicide-tolerant hybrid seed worth Rs 450 crore were bought and planted by the farmers in kharif-2017.
Source: Business Standard
Yavatmal: Vijay Watkar, a farmworker, gathers strength to jot down a few words in Marathi — 2 powder, 2 litre paani, 2 keetnashak (a couple of powder packets, two litres of water and two bottles of pesticides). Unable to speak due a tracheostomy, a surgery done on the windpipe to facilitate breathing, he tries to explain what went into the dangerous mix of pesticides. But he doesn't know the names except that he writes sakhar (sugar) for the powder, probably a local jargon for the powdered chemical he used on the fateful day. In his 30s, Watkar is among the six patients admitted in the ICU of Yavatmal Government Medical College and Hospital(GMCH). Five of them, including Watkar, have under gone tracheostomy and are still not out of danger. Next to him is Haribhau Kundakar's bed. Both fell prey to the pesticide mix after spraying it in the same farm at Bhari village. In his 50s, Haribhau's condition seems worse as he can barely move. Of the 450 patients admitted to the GMC for toxic inhalation while spraying pesticides, 11 have died so far. Six are in the ICU. All of them are farm labourers working for Rs300-400 a day. "For nearly a week, my husband complained about discomfort in the throat but continued to go to the fields. It got worse as he was unable to breathe properly and was rushed to the hospital," says Watkar's wife. "This year, the cotton crop is taller than me due to peculiar climatic conditions. If you spray, it comes back on your face," says his father Rajaram. "He did the job last year too but there was no hazard." "I normally cover my face, but that day I forgot," says Prashant Bhesekhar of Chincoli village.
Source: The Times of India
Tirupur: Salem divisional railway manager (DRM) Hari Shankar Verma flagged off a goods train service between Tirupur and Howrah on Thursday. The weekly train, named as 'Cotton Express', would travel through Salem, Chennai, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam and Bhubaneswar to reach Howrah in West Bengal. Since Tirupur is the knitwear hub of the country, the goods would be sent to many states. With the domestic market booming, the need for more transportation services was increasing. The industrialists in the city often have raised complaints that the goods could not be transported easily to many states like West Bengal. They also have demanded the Southern Railway to operate goods train to connect many northern states from Tirupur. Realising its importance, the Cotton Express was launched. As of now, the train will be operated as weekly service, said a railway official. The train has 20 goods compartments, each compartment could afford 23 tonnes of goods. The train was scheduled to be departed from Tirupur during evening hours of every Thursday and it will reach Howrah on Saturday, said the official. TNN
Source: Times of India
India and Mauritius are set to revive talks for a free trade agreement (FTA), following a revision of the bilateral tax treaty last year that gave India the right to impose the capital gains tax on investments routed through the island nation. More than economic significance, the trade talks are of strategic importance to strengthen New Delhi’s presence in the Indian Ocean region to counter China’s mega investment plans through its one-belt-one-road (OBOR) initiative. “Economically, we do not see much benefit as it is a small country with a population of a million people. What can they produce and what can they supply to us? Similarly, what can we supply to them?” a government official said, adding that the FTA, called the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement, was more of a friendly gesture. Nevertheless, Indian negotiators are going to pitch for the facilitation of services trade in the pact, with a focus on tourism, hotel industry and financial services. The official-level talks started last week, and the next round of discussions will be in Port Louis by the end of November.
Mauritius is a major sugar producer, manufacturing 4,00,000 tonnes of sugar per annum. Besides, it has a significant marine economy.India’s exports to Mauritius grew 3 per cent in 2016-17 and made up 0.3 per cent of its overall outbound shipments at $881 million. Imports from Mauritius were insignificant at $18.4 million in 2016-17, accounting for 0.0048 per cent of India’s total purchases. However, Mauritius is the single largest source of foreign direct investment (FDI) to India. FDI inflows from Mauritius to India stood at $15.7 billion in 2016-17, making up 34 per cent of total FDI inflows to India. The FDI flow may have slowed after the amendment of the double taxation avoidance treaty in April. Another official added that New Delhi may give more to Mauritius in tariff reduction. “With Mauritius we will be a little liberal,” he said.For India, the pact will be of geopolitical and strategic significance to improve its presence in the Indian Ocean in view of China’s aggressive push in the region.“One has to keep in mind that China is influencing Mauritius and other countries in the region to a large extent by extending lines of credits and other investment instruments. India should also economically strengthen its interest,” said Ajay Sahai of the Federation of Indian Exports Organisation. He added that as for economic partnership, there could be products supplied by India to Mauritius, since it had a huge tourism sector. “Right now, products in Mauritius mainly come from Dubai. India could look at that space. Besides, in services, we could look at joint ventures in tourism and adventure tourism,” Sahai said. India extended a line of credit worth $500 million to finance civilian infrastructure projects in Mauritius. New Delhi is also supporting the National Coast Guard of Mauritius in enhancing its capacity. China is planning to invest billions of dollar to build infrastructure, including ports, railways, power grids, etc, across Asia, Africa and Europe through the Indian Ocean as part of its OBOR project. Biswajit Dhar, professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University, said that a conventional FTA with Mauritius did not make sense. “There is no sense of doing an FTA, unless there is a political and strategic dimension to it. It is part of a larger strategy to counter the growing involvement of China in the region,” he said. The FTA talks between India and Mauritius were suspended four years ago by New Delhi to build pressure on the latter to expedite the double taxation avoidance agreement. Earlier, tax evaders used to exploit loopholes in the tax treaty with Mauritius being a zero-tax nation, ensuring complete tax avoidance. After the amendment, India has got the right to tax capital gains on shares from April onwards. Firms routing funds into India through Mauritius now have to pay short-term capital gains tax at 7.5 per cent during a two-year transition period beginning April 2017, after which a full rate of 15 per cent will be imposed.
Source: Business Standard
New Delhi: The government had twin cause for cheer with industrial growth picking up pace to a nine-month high in August and consumer inflation remai- ning steady in September, exceeding expectations and raising hope the economy is set for a revival after slumping to a three-year low in the June quarter. The index of industrial production (IIP) rose 4.3% in August, reversing a contraction in June and faster than a 0.9% rise in July, according to data released by Central Statistics Office on Thursday. Inflation based on the consumer price index (CPI) was at 3.28% in September, unchanged from August, the statistics office said. Benchmark indices ended up 1.1% on Thursday with the Nifty closing a little over the 10,000-mark, led by Reliance Industries surging nearly 4% to a record high ahead of its second quarter results. Sensex ended up 348.23 points at 32182.22. Industry players contend the process of completing a full KYC can be even more onerous for captive wallet players such as Ola Money, PhonePe and Amazon Pay, where the scope of use by a customer is limited, reducing the incentive to park money in such wallets. “One of our concerns is that even lowusage wallets are required to do a KYC beyond 12 months. This adds friction to customers,” said Sriram Jagannathan, vicepresident (payments), Amazon India. “We urge the regulator to re-examine this in line with international guidelines, and adopt a framework of proportional KYC,” he said. Experts are of the view that the central bank’s move will lead to a reordering of the business landscape in a market where both large, well-funded companies like Alibababacked Paytm and small niche players jostle for space. “The wallets space is a three-to-four large players market and may open up scope for 1012 niche players … more consolidation is expected in this sector,” said Vivek Belgavi, partner, fintech leader at PwC. While the dominant players are adequately capitalised and can meet regulatory requirements, industry watchers fear the new norms will sound the death knell for small PPI (prepaid payment instrument) licence holders, typically those which offer services such as domestic remittance or niche payments. An example would be Alibaba and SoftBank-backed Paytm, which has said it will in- vest $500 million by 2020 to ensure its targeted 500 million customers are KYC-compliant. “With inter-operability, there is a need for wallet companies to have enough money to be able to handle a large amount of incoming payments from other wallets,” said Vijay Shekhar Sharma, founder of Paytm. “Also, it will require only serious players to enter this space with a strong business model.” With wallets becoming full-KYC products and limits on balance being enhanced to .₹ 1 lakh, industry insiders questioned the need for a separate payments bank licence, which works on a similar principle. “We will become fully inter-operable, have higher net worth, eventually will have fullKYC users and will have balance limits same as payments banks — all this kills the separate payments bank proposition,” said MobiKwik’s Singh. Some players also see the change in regulations as an opportunity to catch up with market leaders like Paytm. Flipkart-owned PhonePe, for instance, feels that since it started off as a UPI-based app, its ticket sizes are higher than that of wallets, which makes customers more pliable to do KYC. PhonePe CEO Sameer Nigam feels the existing infrastructure of Flipkart’s online retail business can be leveraged. “If it is paper KYC, since we have a sister company like eKart (Flipkart’s logistics arm), our ability to get it done will be much better. Flipkart is already going to 10 million households anyway,” said Nigam. (With additional reporting by Mugdha Variyar).
Source: The Economic Times
|
Item |
Price |
Unit |
Fluctuation |
Date |
|
PSF |
1347.40 |
USD/Ton |
-0.56% |
10/12/2017 |
|
VSF |
2451.89 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
10/12/2017 |
|
ASF |
2672.03 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
10/12/2017 |
|
Polyester POY |
1267.70 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
10/12/2017 |
|
Nylon FDY |
3446.31 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
10/12/2017 |
|
40D Spandex |
5920.98 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
10/12/2017 |
|
Polyester DTY |
5738.80 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
10/12/2017 |
|
Nylon POY |
1533.38 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
10/12/2017 |
|
Acrylic Top 3D |
3112.31 |
USD/Ton |
0.49% |
10/12/2017 |
|
Polyester FDY |
2808.67 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
10/12/2017 |
|
Nylon DTY |
1616.88 |
USD/Ton |
-0.47% |
10/12/2017 |
|
Viscose Long Filament |
3537.41 |
USD/Ton |
1.30% |
10/12/2017 |
|
30S Spun Rayon Yarn |
3051.58 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
10/12/2017 |
|
32S Polyester Yarn |
2019.21 |
USD/Ton |
-0.37% |
10/12/2017 |
|
45S T/C Yarn |
2899.76 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
10/12/2017 |
|
40S Rayon Yarn |
2171.03 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
10/12/2017 |
|
T/R Yarn 65/35 32S |
2459.48 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
10/12/2017 |
|
45S Polyester Yarn |
3218.58 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
10/12/2017 |
|
T/C Yarn 65/35 32S |
2444.30 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
10/12/2017 |
|
10S Denim Fabric |
1.43 |
USD/Meter |
0% |
10/12/2017 |
|
32S Twill Fabric |
0.88 |
USD/Meter |
0% |
10/12/2017 |
|
40S Combed Poplin |
1.23 |
USD/Meter |
0% |
10/12/2017 |
|
30S Rayon Fabric |
0.68 |
USD/Meter |
0% |
10/12/2017 |
|
45S T/C Fabric |
0.72 |
USD/Meter |
0% |
10/12/2017 |
Source: Global Textiles
Note: The above prices are Chinese Price (1 CNY = 0.15182 USD dtd. 12/10/2017). The prices given above are as quoted from Global Textiles.com. SRTEPC is not responsible for the correctness of the same.
The Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (VITAS) has appealed to the ministries of finance and industry and trade not to increase import tariffs on polyester fibre from zero to 2 per cent. The request follows feedback from many domestic enterprises that are finding it tough to sustain because of the high cost of importing raw material. VITAS has also urged the government not to raise the regional minimum wage in 2018 and consider adjusting the insurance premium rates paid by firms to a more reasonable level, so that enterprises can mobilise resources and improve their competitiveness to expand production and create jobs, according to a Vietnamese news agency report. In another recommendation to the ministry of information and communications, it wanted an amendment to a decree on the conditions for licensing the import of printers for textile products. According to the decree, the owner of a textile business is allowed to import printers if he has a college diploma or higher in the printing field or is granted a certificate of professional training by the ministry.
Source: Fibre2fashion
The textile chemical and dye market of Bangladesh is edging towards $1 billion on the back of rising garment exports, according to industry insiders. This has caught the eyes of many foreign companies, who now mull over expanding their geographical footprint to Bangladesh. One such company is Huntsman Textile Effects, a concern of the globally renowned US-based chemical and dye company Huntsman. The company is currently working with nearly 200 textile and dye factories in Bangladesh and logging in 16 percent year-on-year sales growth, according to its Vice-president Chuck Hirsch. Hirsch was in Dhaka this week to sign agreement with a textile company. Huntsman sells chemicals and also consultation as after sales services. “Huntsman is among the top three chemical companies for Bangladesh. The country is among its top four destinations globally. There is room for further expansion of chemical and dye business.” Swiss Colours Bangladesh, a local chemical and dye company, has been working as the agent of Huntsman in Bangladesh. Hirsch, however, declined to divulge Huntsman's annual chemical and dye sales figure in Bangladesh. But industry insiders said Huntsman has more than $350 million worth of chemical and dye business in Bangladesh. Globally, Huntsman's textile chemical business is worth $800 million. Among major garment producing nations, Huntsman supplies chemicals to textile factories in China, India and Vietnam. Asked how green Bangladesh's textile mills were, Hirsch said water use for washing and dyeing can be reduced about 50 percent if the chemicals can be used properly. Similarly, energy consumption can also be cut 30 percent. Regarding the prospects of garment business in Bangladesh, he said: “The outlook is very good.” Bangladesh needs to address the health and safety issues and labour rights to grab more market globally, he added. “Very soon Bangladesh's textile chemical and dye market will cross $1 billion, as the demand is fast increasing,” said Dheeraj Talreja, commercial director of Huntsman Textile Effects for South Asia, Middle-East and Africa. The demand for chemicals in Bangladesh has been increasing rapidly because of the growing denim industry, he said, adding that Bangladesh's performance in the denim segment is so strong that it overtook even China in the EU market. At present, there are 425 spinning, 790 weaving and 250 dyeing mills that have about Tk 50,000 crore of investment tied up, according to data from Bangladesh Textile Mills Association. With the existing capacity, the primary textile sector can supply 90 percent of the raw materials for knitwear and 40 percent for woven sector. The rest of the demand is met through imports from China, India and Pakistan.
Source: The Daily Star
Cotton fields in the High Plains and Rolling Plains of Texas are experiencing browning or bronzing of the foliage, often accompanied by premature defoliation, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service experts are reporting. Jason Woodward, AgriLife Extension plant pathologist in Lubbock, said he’s had more phone calls from farmers in the last 10 days to two weeks on this issue than any other before. “We are seeing the issue primarily in the southern High Plains-Lubbock and north into the Amarillo area and into the Vernon area,” Woodward said. “I’ve seen samples and it is widespread and quite obvious.” He said the primary cause, alternaria leaf spot, is seen every year at low levels, but “the extremely wet conditions we’ve seen the last 10 days to two weeks is what has caused the acceleration this year.” Even though the disease in fields looks bad, Woodward said, the weather is more of a factor than the disease. “Cotton doesn’t like wet and overcast conditions,” he said. “It is more content with hot and sunny conditions.” The redeeming factor is the leaf spot didn’t show up earlier in the year, Woodward said. Cotton harvest is rapidly approaching and this issue is occurring mostly in plants furthest along in a maturity standpoint, so the potential to greatly affect yields is limited this late in the year. “I feel like it is a late-season disease and the potential for yield loss is not as great as if the condition had occurred earlier in August,” he said. Jourdan Bell, AgriLife Extension agronomist in Amarillo, said she believes the earlier maturing varieties are shutting down due to cool conditions in the northern High Plains. Under cool, wet conditions, the plant is more susceptible to alternaria resulting in premature defoliation. But she agreed with Woodward that the extended cool, wet period deserves much of the blame. Another weather-related problem she noted was the shortage of remaining growing season. “In the northern High Plains, we are potentially running out of time to mature the crop,” Bell said. “So again the weather will be a bigger factor than the leaf spot in ultimate yields.” Emi Kimura, AgriLife Extension agronomist in Vernon, said she started to see more leaf diseases and cotton root rot after a 4- to 6-inch rain event at the end of September in the Rolling Plains. The affected area shows browning of leaves in circular patterns in the field and the affected areas seem to be spreading as rain continues to fall in the Rolling Plains. She said they are recommending producers keep a good record of the problem areas within the fields so preventative measures can be utilized next year. Tom Isakeit, plant pathologist, and Gaylon Morgan, state cotton specialist, both with AgriLife Extension in College Station, have been studying the problem in other parts of the state and determined several leaf spot diseases are associated with the affected foliage, but are secondary to nutrient deficiencies in the leaves. Different species of fungi have been found to cause these leaf spots, Isakeit said. With cotton, the fungi are probably hastening the defoliation, but they are not likely the main factor in defoliation. Disease development is associated with frequent rain, he said. This stress, combined with other factors, contributes to insufficient nutrient uptake to meet high boll demand, including potassium. While adequate soil potassium levels are generally present in mostof the High Plains and Rolling Plains soils, a small root system caused by compaction can impact root uptake. But the cooler, cloudy and wet weather are detrimental to healthy leaves and are also contributing to bronzing and yellowing of the leaves and premature defoliation, Morgan said. On the positive side, he said, these potassium deficiency symptoms usually only occur in the High Plains and Rolling Plains when the cotton yield potential is high. Potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen are mobile within plants and are transported to the parts of the plant with the most demand. In a crop with a heavy boll load, Morgan said these mobile nutrients will be translocated from the leaves to the developing bolls, causing various nutrient deficiencies in the leaves and can lead to secondary pathogen infections. Development of leaf spot diseases very late in the season in conjunction with these nutrient deficiencies should have a minimal impact on cotton yield, he said. If the fungal epidemic occurred earlier in the season, it could have caused greater yield losses. At this point in the season, the need for more heat unit accumulation is the most yield limiting factor. The application of fungicides to control fungal spots will not protect yield where the initial culprit is also a major, non-pathogenic stress, as has been seen in the High Plains and Rolling Plains, Isakeit said. “We are saying foliar applications of fungicides are not recommended at this time,” he said. Morgan also said in the later-planted fields just beginning to show symptoms, foliar applications of potassium may help elevate some deficiency symptoms, but have a very low likelihood of having a positive return on investment for foliar application. Previous research on foliar applications of potassium has shown inconsistent impacts on yield with early and mid-season applications and require multiple foliar applications to move sufficient levels of potassium into the plant through the leaves, he said. Research is ongoing to evaluate the value of foliar potassium applications in high yielding environments. Planning for next year, Morgan said, the most important thing is to collect soil samples and get them analyzed to determine if adequate nutrients are available in the soil for use by the plant. Once the soil test levels are known—preferably 0 to 6 inches and deeper samples—then the recommended balanced nutritional program should be implemented to meet the yield goal.
Source: High Plains Journal
The textile and clothing industry, which emits 1.7 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide annually, is taking a toll on the environment, according to the WWF Switzerland. In its analysis of the global textile industry with respect to its impact on the nature, the organisation has found that only a few companies pay attention to the environment. Based on data provided by Oekom research AG, the report classifies 12 companies into visionary, ambitious, upper midfield, lower midfield, latecomers or intransparent categories. The results show that none of the surveyed companies was ranked in the highest classification of ‘visionary’. H&M was classified as ambitious; Nike, Adidas and Mammut were ranked in the upper midfield; VF Corporation (The North Face and Timberland brands), Hugo Boss, Odlo and Calida ended up in the lower midfield; and Triumph, Chicorée, PKZ and Tally Weijl were classified into latecomers or intransparent group. The clothing industry is responsible for extensive water use and pollution, and produces 2.1 billion tonnes of waste annually, as per the report. Also, global consumption of clothes has doubled between 2000 and 2014. On a global average, every person buys 5 kilogram of clothes per year, but in Europe and the US the figure is as high as 16 kilogram. Overall apparel consumption is projected to rise even further, from 62 million tonnes in 2015 to 102 million tonnes in 2030. This projected increase in global fashion consumption will create further environmental stress and risks. The report urges the companies to make improvements in the following material aspects: strategy to operate within the planet’s ecological boundaries; climate change; water management and stewardship; raw materials; joint environmental management in the supply chain; chemicals management; investment, stakeholder engagement and responsibility for public policy; and new business models to decouple consumption from resource use. Consumers can contribute to reduce the industry’s environmental impact by buying less; simplifying their style and wardrobe; by using timeless, high-quality clothes and enriching those with accessories and second-hand items; maintaining their clothes; bringing them to a recycling facility; buying organic, green and high quality items; and creating awareness. (VM)
Source: Fibre2fashion
The US ditched expectations of a record cotton yield this year, citing hurricane damage to crops, in reports which also flagged as a "major wild card" the potential for fresh Chinese imports of the fibre. The US Department of Agriculture, in its much-anticipated Wasde crop report, cut its forecast for the domestic cotton harvest this year by 643,000 bales "largely in Texas and Georgia", the top two producing states. The downgrade - which followed a reassessment of crops in the light of Hurricane Harvey, which ravaged south east Texas, and Hurricane Irma, which struck further east – reflected reductions to expectations for both harvested area and yield. The US cotton yield estimate was downgraded by 19 pounds per acre to 889 pounds per acre, taking it back below the current record of 892 pounds per acre recorded in 2012.
'Strong competitor shipments'
With the estimate for US cotton exports for 2017-18 reduced too, "due to reduced US production and strong competitor shipments", the impact of the revisions was to cut the estimate for the country's cotton stocks at the close of the season by 200,000 bales to 5.80m bales. That was modestly above the 5.75m-bale figure investors had expected, according to a Bloomberg survey. Cotton futures for December stood 0.8% lower at 68.18 cents a pound in late deals in New York.
'Major wildcard'
The USDA, while cutting hopes for US cotton exports this season, raised expectations for shipments from Australia by 300,000 bales to 4.10m bales, citing "robust early-season" trade. The forecast for exports from India, the second-ranked shipper after the US, was lifted by 400,000 bales to 4.60m bales, thanks to ideas of "large domestic production alongside strong nearby demand".Import expectations were raised notably for Vietnam, by 300,000 bales to 6.60m bales, on "greater global supplies and attractive pricing".The USDA kept its forecast for Chinese imports, historically the world's biggest, at 5.10m bales, despite acknowledging market talk that the country may be poised to loosen import restrictions, after a second successful year of auctions to run down state inventories. "China's cotton import policy remains a major wildcard," the USDA said. However, despite "market rumours of possible increased import access, there has been no official indication of any change in the import policy".
Source: agrimoney.com
ICE cotton futures on Thursday fell over 1 percent to post their biggest percentage fall in three weeks after federal data estimated that U.S. 2017/18 production was not reduced by recent hurricanes as much as the market had expected. The December cotton contact on ICE Futures settled down 0.89 cent at 67.84 cents per lb after falling to over one-week low of 67.66 cents per lb. Prices fell 1.29 percent to register their biggest one-day percentage decline since Sept. 21. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), in its monthly World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report, lowered U.S. production estimates for the 2017/18 crop year by 643,000 bales to 21.12 million bales. "The reduction was not as much as people expected, the reduction was bearish... some people felt it could go down to about 21 million, but it did not," said Peter Egli, director of risk management at British merchant Plexus Cotton. The cuts in U.S. production were reported largely in Texas and Georgia, the two top cotton-producing states impacted by hurricanes Harvey and Irma, the report said. "We didn't lose any cotton on the global basis as the other origins made up for it," Egli said. The agency, however, marginally raised its global production estimates by about 100,000 bales as larger expected crops in Argentina, Brazil, and Greece more than offset the reduction in the forecast for the United States. "Despite widespread expectations for a bearish surprise, the October WASDE essentially confirmed the numbers the trade was already working with. With a carryout of 5.8 million bales in the U.S., it will be difficult to justify futures much over 70 cents," said Barry Bean, a cotton buyer based in Gideon, Missouri. Total futures market volume rose by 12,777 to 27,278 lots. Data showed total open interest gained 604 to 230,059 contracts in the previous session. The dollar index was up 0.08 percent. The Thomson Reuters CoreCommodity CRB Index, which tracks 19 commodities, was down 0.12 percent.
Source: The Times of India
Yorkshire’s textile industry is set to receive a boost as one of the UK’s leading textile groups gets ready to launch a new £9m project in Bradford later this month. JR Group UK, which owns Bradford-based JR Fibres, will move its Halifax nonwovens business, Texfelt, to a brand-new, state-of-the art facility at Cutler Heights with a focus on creating recycled textile products for a range of industry sectors. The scheme, which has been funded predominantly by JR Group UK and has received investment of £250,000 from Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership and of over £470,000 from the Textile Growth Fund, is expected to create 46 new jobs over the next 5 years. The new project, set over 6.5 acres, is a combination of cutting-edge machinery housed in a purpose-built, modern building covering 56,000 sq ft, offices and distribution centre. The building work for phase one will be completed by mid-September and work has already commenced on phase 2 with a combined cost of over £5m. Over £3m has been invested in state-of-the-art machinery, including a range of high-tech industrial-scale sorting, mixing, treating and cutting machines to manufacture a range of products, from felt underlay and insulation to more technical nonwoven combination products, from recycled materials. Texfelt currently makes felt underlay from 100% recycled materials on needle-punch machines in Elland. The unique properties of needlefelt products means Texfelt’s old factory will remain operational to satisfy demand for their established products, Envirolay and Sterling Royale, from specifiers and customers in Europe, the Middle East and the Far East. Thanks to its strong global connections in the construction and flooring industries, JR Group UK will initially produce a range of products for these sectors, with plans to diversify their portfolio into furniture, bedding, automotive, acoustic attenuation and thermal insulation. JR Group UK is owned and run by the Taylor family which has been in the Yorkshire textile industry for over 160 years. The Group is one of the leading lights of textile manufacturing and recycling. Texfelt’s underlay is made completely from recycled materials and sister company JR Fibres was recently named UK Carpet Recycler of the Year.Creating sustainable, technical products is at the heart of the Group’s plans for their new project. James Taylor, managing director of JR Group UK and fourth generation Taylor family member, said: “Our objective for the project has always been to process difficult-to-recycle, post-industrial and consumer textile products such as carpets, mattresses and contract fabrics destined for landfill, then convert them into valuable flame retardant and hygienic products designed for a range of markets.” “This new facility will enable us to take our green credentials and our business to the next level. “We will be the only business in the UK able to make these products and we’re very proud to be able to do this in the heart of Yorkshire in line with our proud history. “We aim to not only create a sustainable method of production within Bradford, but also generate over 40 jobs and safeguard many more - jobs that would have been lost due to the unpopular product and old manufacturing methods they previously employed.” Roger Marsh OBE, Chair of the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP), said: “I am delighted we have supported JR Group UK on this project that will create jobs and boost the local economy. “It’s great that our strong industrial heritage in textile manufacturing continues to grow and it’s a real success story for Bradford, the textile industry and the region as a whole.” Alain Dilworth from the Regional Growth Fund, said: “The Textiles Growth Programme (TGP) was pleased to be able to support this project as it presented a strong business case overall, with a clear growth rationale. “The project is strongly aligned to the strategic objectives of the TGP offering a strong return on investment and a public sector cost per job that represents good value for money.”
Source: BQ Live
Mayer & Cie. (MCT), a leading manufacturer of circular knitting machines headquartered in Germany, is celebrating 30 years of operation of Relanit textile machine. Relanit’s anniversary year starts on October 13, 2017. Relanit uses relative technology, the circular knitting machine manufacturer’s proprietary development, launched at ITMA in 1987. In its current version the Relanit 3.2 HS is one of the most productive single jersey machines on the market. At the same time, its energy consumption is 30 per cent below that of a conventional knitting machine. Relanit is also part of Mayer & Cie.’s latest innovation, its spinitsystems technology. Conventional knitting machines usually work with horizontal sinkers. That means the needle moves up and down while the sinker works horizontally. With relative technology, the sinker too moves up and down. Relatively speaking, it shifts towards the needle. In this movement lies relative technology’s biggest advantage: In comparison to conventional technology, the yarn only has to travel half the number of deflection points to form a stitch. Each deflection means less stress on the yarn. That is why Relanit can process difficult yarn or inferior qualities without a hitch. Not only to form a fabric of a certain quality but also without making amends in terms of production speed or machine downtimes. Both would be the case if inferior quality yarn were to be processed on a conventional machine. Because yarn is the key cost factor in knitting, Relanit can help the knitter to save a lot of. While relative technology in itself has remained unchanged, it has grown to keep pace with technological development. The line’s current flagship is the Relanit 3.2 HS. It is one of the most productive single jersey machines in the market, both for open width as well as tubular. At 50 rpm it works with elastomeric yarns just as well as with cotton, the machine’s traditional speciality. Furthermore, the Relanit 3.2 HS uses up to a third less energy than a conventional circular knitting machine. In addition to the Relanit 3.2 HS, the current Mayer & Cie. portfolio comprises a further eight Relanit machines, with striping machines, electronic, and mechanical types among them. Every year, around 300 Relanit machines find their way to clients all around the globe. The specialists in cotton yarn are most popular in Turkey, followed by Brazil and China. Overall, Mayer & Cie. has sold 10,000 units, delivered to about 90 countries worldwide.
Source: Fibre2Fashion
The Ministry of Trade and Industry has set up a 17-member national task force to clamp down on the activities of pirates in the local textile industry. The stakeholder ministries are Defence, Trade and Industry and National Security, as well as the security agencies. The task force, which is chaired by Mr Sumani Mahamadu, the representative of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), has representatives from the Ghana Police Service, the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), the Registrar-General’s Department, the Ghana Union of Traders Associations (GUTA) and local textile manufacturing companies. Interestingly, representatives of the manufacturing companies, such as the Akosombo Textiles Limited (ATL), Printex Ghana Limited and Tex Style Limited, failed to turn up for the inauguration of the task force.
Mandate
The task force, among other things, has the mandate to increase monitoring at the country’s borders, particularly the eastern border at Aflao, to prevent the illegal importation of pirated textiles. It is also to visit warehouses suspected of containing smuggled or pirated goods and follow due processes to confiscate them. It is, however, not expected to extend its monitoring activities to market centres.
‘No more piracy’
Speaking at the inauguration of the task force in Accra on Wednesday, the Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Alan Kyerematen, charged the members to deal ruthlessly with persons whose negative activities were undermining the growth of the local textile industry. “The negative agents are operating with new strategies, but as the sector minister, I cannot preside over negative activities by pirates that are depriving the country of the required revenue. “The fight against piracy and the illegal activities of some persons in the textile industry is a major fight that must be tackled with tact and commitment, just like the war on illegal mining,” he stressed. Touching on the need to leave nothing to chance in clamping down on illegalities in the textile industry, Mr Kyerematen said the government had a comprehensive approach to weed out such activities. “If you want to deal with negative forces like those in the textile industry, such forces will also be regrouping, and so the government will work with the security agencies to tackle the issues in a pragmatic manner,” he said. “For now, we want the task force to focus on the eastern border. Do not extend your activities to the market centres because there will be other measures to sanitise the markets while you focus on the borders,” he urged the task force.
Diligence
Mr Kyerematen said more measures would be rolled out to sustain the fight against piracy and other unacceptable practices in the local textile industry as a way to revamp local textile manufacturing companies. He observed that it was only when those negative activities were held in check that local and foreign investors would be attracted to the local textile industry. While accepting the challenge to lead the task force, Mr Mahamadu underscored the need for operators in the textile industry to collaborate with the task force to weed out the criminal elements.
Background
The new task force replaces an earlier one set up by the Trade Ministry in August 2010 in response to calls, petitions and consultations initiated by the Textile, Garment and Leather Employees Union (TGLEU) and other stakeholders.It had the mandate to curb the illegal importation of pirated Ghanaian textile prints and was made up of representatives from the National Security, the Customs Division of the GRA, the Trade Ministry, GUTA and other stakeholders. Since the change in the political administration on January 7, this year, the operations of that task force had stalled, giving space for the pirates to increase their activities.
Source: Grapic Online
