The Synthetic & Rayon Textiles Export Promotion Council

MARKET WATCH 21 OCT 2017

NATIONAL

 

INTERNATIONAL

M’rashtra farm panel seeks CBI probe into sale of HT cotton seeds

File photo for representational purpose only. Reuters Nagpur (Maharashtra) : A Maharashtra government Special Task Force on Friday urged the Centre to institute a CBI enquiry into reports that around 3.50 million packets of illegal Herbicide Tolerant (HT) genetically-modified cotton seeds are sold during the current season in several cotton-growing states in the country. Reacting to a comment piece carried by IANS on October 18, titled “Widespread use of unapproved GM cotton shows official tolerance of illegality”, Vasantrao Naik Sheti Swavlamban Mission Chairman Kishore Tiwari cited reports of New Delhi-based South Asia Biotechnology Centre (SABC) that such illegal packets worth around Rs 4.72 billion are being sold in different states. These states — Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh — account for nearly 8,50,000 hectares or 7 per cent of all the total cotton-growing areas of India — is under the illegal Herbicide Tolerant (HT) cotton hybrids cultivation, he said. “This is a very shocking revelation and needs a detailed probe into the functioning of the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC), Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and Central Institute of Cotton Research (CICR) since they are responsible to check the illegal sales,” Tiwari said. He said these hybrid cotton seeds were recently attacked by pests and bollworms for which the farmers made indiscriminate use of deadly pesticides, leading to 40 deaths and over 2,000 more were affected. Tiwari pointed out that the HT cotton hybrid sale was rampant even after it was brought to the notice of the central government and other agencies, besides the concerned states, and the deadly effects as seen in Maharashtra. Tiwari demanded an urgent stop to the illegal sales, and to locate and identify the land where the spurious HT cotton hybrids are being used and destroy them. His demand came close on the heels of Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Pandurang Phundkar’s call for a ban on the HT genetically modified cotton seeds. Tiwari cited reports that though such HT cotton hybrids are being grown in USA, Brazil and some other countries since 1998, it has not been technically and formally approved in India so far, thus rendering its cultivation completely illegal. In fact, the CICR has even found that six of the nine cottonseed hybrids tested positive for herbicide tolerance, but did not care to inform the Maharashtra authorities. It was only after the state’s Principal Secretary (Agriculture) Bijay Kumar sought to know details about it following media reports of extensive cultivation of such HT cotton hybrids in the above states that the matter came into limelight. He said while India has tough laws and regulations for approval of GM crops which need to adhere strictly to bio-safety standards to obviate risks to humans, animals and environment, the lackadaisical attitude of CICR, ICAR, GEAC allows rogue actors a free hand. “The casual attitude of these departments, their officials and the states’ agriculture departments needs a thorough CBI probe,” Tiwari urged. According to some reports, the global giant Monsanto, which owns the HT trait found in CICR samples, has claimed it has informed the GEAC about it since 2008 and most recently in August 2017. “Yet, the GEAC has turned a blind eye to the issue, pointing to a larger involvement of regulatory bodies which needs to be scanned properly by different experts,” Tiwari concluded. — IANS

Source: The Tribune

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JNPT gets 12 bids to move containers under ‘direct port delivery’ scheme

Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), has received 12 initial bids from transporters on a tender for evacuating import containers from the four terminals of India’s busiest container port to five locations and their nodes. The tender is part of a plan to speed up imports through the direct port delivery (DPD) programme and, thereby, cut transaction cost and time. The tender — a first of its kind in India — involves selecting as many as seven big road transporters who will deploy some 2,665 tractor trailers (TTs) — both owned and aggregated — for evacuating containers landing at the port to locations in Gujarat, Ahmednagar, Nashik, Aurangabad, Nagpur, Indore and Hyderabad, Goa, Bengaluru and near Mumbai over distances ranging from 40 km to 1,100 km. The bids are being scrutinised on technical and financial parameters, a spokesman for JNPT said. In the DPD process, the port is eliminating one key stakeholder — container freight stations (CFS) — and its role is now assumed by other stakeholders — terminals, shipping lines and transporters, according to JNPT. “The transporter will play a critical role in the success of the DPD model. In fact, the role goes much beyond the scope of a normal transporter. The transporter has to co-ordinate with terminals for efficient fleet deployment. It has to take the responsibility of cargo, insurance, prevent theft/damage to container, and ensure safe delivery,” JNPT said. The four terminals at JNPT currently provide containers to the trucks on the best pick model — 33 CFSs and 50 ICDs (inland container depots) are linked to the port. “It would not be possible for the terminals to stack containers client-wise as the number of DPD clients is very high. JNPT has limitations to achieve higher percentages of DPD due to constraints in yard area for segregation,” the spokesman said. According to the transport solution proposed by JNPT, all DPD containers will be distributed route-wise. Port terminal operators will arrange DPD import boxes route-wise in separate stacking area. JNPT will not enter into any direct commercial arrangement with the transporter. It will be mandatory for importers to hire the selected transporters for taking the DPD import delivery by entering into a commercial arrangement with them. The successful transporter will have the exclusive right to clear the DPD containers from the port for the corresponding route for which it is selected. Importers will not be allowed to use their own fleet. The transportation arrangement will be for an initial period of three years with a provision to extend it by two years.

Source: Business Line

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GST dents Diwali business of Surat textile units, sales decline by 80%

The impact of GST has led to orders drying up this year, especially from north and central India wholesalers this season. The latest revision in Goods and Services Tax (GST) rates that were announced on October 6 may have come a tad late, with the Surat textile market sitting on a huge inventory, say traders. While the market may have gone on vacation, the peak Diwali season dispatch was only 15-20 per cent of normal. As against a typical Rs 10,000-12,000 crore worth of business during Diwali through dispatch of 1,500 trucks daily for a fortnight, the same has been down to mere 15-20 per cent, say traders who will take a call on a strike on October 25 once they resume work after the festival. "This is the first time we are seeing such a Diwali this year. In the last fortnight or so, which sees peak of Diwali dispatches, business has been merely 15-20 per cent of a typical season," Tarachand Kasat of the Surat-based GST Sangharsh Samiti and a leading textile trader told Business Standard. In the last few years, Surat has been dispatching textile goods through 1,500 trucks daily for a fortnight worth Rs 60 lakh each. However, the impact of GST has led to orders drying up this year, bringing down the daily dispatches substantially. According to local textile traders, not only have orders dried up during Diwali, especially from North and Central India wholesalers, but also resulted in an inventory worth hundreds of crores of rupees lying in Surat. "Surat could be sitting on an inventory of at least Rs 500-800 crore which is unusual," said a leading trader on condition of anonymity. As a result, around 150 wholesale textile markets stayed away from celebrating Diwali festival by decking up their offices. "The otherwise lit up textile markets during Diwali are gloomy this year. Traders have deliberately shunned lighting up their offices across 150 of the total 250 textile markets," Kasat added. The powerloom industry which has shut shop for Diwali vacation is unsure how many units could resume production post festival. "Many weavers are yet to decide whether to resume production or not. We may see an extended vacation in powerloom industry this Diwali," said Nikhil Godiwala, a powerloom owner in Surat. As for traders, Kasat said that while the community intends to resume work from October 25, it will decide on whether to call for a strike depending on the business scenario. "The October 6 revision in GST for textiles has not fully addressed the issue in Surat synthetic textile market. With only 15-20 per cent business this Diwali, this is one of the worst festive seasons that one has seen. We will decide on whether to call for a strike or not once the market resumes," Kasat said. There are 650,000 powerlooms, 150-200 wholesale textile markets, 20,000 manufacturers including 10,000 weavers, 75,000 traders, 450 processing units, and 50,000-60,000 embroidery machines in the Rs 50,000 crore synthetic textile hub of Surat. However, this year the synthetic fabric production in Surat had fallen from 40 million metres per day to 20-25 million metres per day in the first three months of GST rollout.

Source:  Business Standard

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India stiffens restrictions on trade with North Korea

Natural gas liquids, petroleum and crude oil under export ban while seafood, lead ore and textiles are facing import restrictions. India has put in place a stricter regime for trade with North Korea in line with the restrictions imposed by the United Nations. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has come out with a notification to widen the prohibition on direct or indirect import and export from/to North Korea. “The direct or on direct or indirect supply, sale, transfer or export of specified items to North Korea is prohibited,” it said. The items include condensates and natural gas liquids, refined petroleum products and crude oil. Similarly, direct or indirect procurement or imports of products including seafood, lead ore and textiles are facing restrictions. The “notification seeks to update the para 2.17 of the foreign trade policy (2015-20, on imports and exports to North Korea, to account for UNSC (United Nations Security Council) Resolutions...,” it added. The bilateral trade between India and North Korea declined to $133.43 million in 2016-17 from $198.78 million in the previous fiscal.

Source : Business Line

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KCR to lay foundation stone for Textile Park on Oct 22

Minister for IT and Industries, K T Rama Rao, held a review meeting with senior officials on the textile park, which will come up in 1,200 acres in its first phase and in total 2,000 acres at Shayampet, Chintapalli village, an official release said. Telangana being one of the largest producers of cotton, the textile park will yield productive results not only to the state, but also to the country, it said. The textile park will ensure zero liquid discharge facilities aiming to control the pollution levels. "This being a major textile park in the country, it will help in generating 22,000 direct and 44,000 indirect employment opportunities to the youth of Telangana. In total, the textile park will create 66,000 jobs in its first phase. "Investors from across the globe are showing interest in investing in the Park. Presently, 12 companies have agreed to invest in the textile park with an investment to the tune of Rs 3000 crore," it said. Noted industrialists from the country would also participate in the inaugural event, it added. PTI GDK NP

Source:  India Today

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Reliance Ind rolls out polyester brand RElan

Bengaluru : Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) has rolled out a polyester brand – RElan in Bengaluru. Created by the company’s polyester division, RElan is a B2B2C initiative which creates co-branded polyester apparel range. “Along with the launch of the new brand, RIL is also to create a robust fibre-to-fabric value chain to ensure that these innovations match the commercial expectations of fashion brands,” said a senior polyester division executive of RIL. “So far, we have roped in around 22 companies spread across Punjab, Gujarath, Karnataka, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu to create active wear range of products,” he added. He said: “Now with a research and development centre, wholly dedicated to polyester, the company has come out with differentiated, value-added and newly engineered fibres finding diverse applications.” The company’s R&D centre is also working to develop many other products for home textile, industrial to construction as well. With regard to retail expansion, the executive said: “RElan is a collaborative initiative and we are working on B2C2C. For the product we will be producing the fibre and filament yarn, our partners are to create products which suit the market.” Talking about GST, the executive said the sector in the last few months has seen a significant slowdown, all the consumption centres have been affected. Lot of traders have not registered themselves for GST as yet. On the exports scene, the executive explained that there are certain aspects wherein India has been lagging behind. The country’s presence in the active wear market is almost negligible. There a quite a few segments where India needs to work upon, to be able to get a reasonable share in the global markets.

Source: Business Line

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Acquisition of American Silk Mills to strength Sutlej Textiles portfolio

The acquisition of American boutique designer and distributor of residential and contract furnishing textiles and brand of American Silk Mills (ASM) LLC based at Plains, Pennsylvania will add strength to home textile portfolio of Sutlej Textiles and Industries (STIL). Cynthia Douthit, president of American Silk said that they are excited to partner with Sutlej Textiles as the increased investments in their infrastructure, inventory positions, technology and creative capital will position them to continue as a design leader, allow them to service their customers more efficiently and create and source enduringly beautiful textiles. SK Khandelia, president, STIL, said that the acquisition of American Silk Mills offers great synergy to access the American home textiles market using a sound platform of design and development combined with Sutlej’s scale and economics of production in India. ASM will continue to design, develop and market its products under the brand name of American Silk Mills thus furthering its legacy as a leader in this field for over 120 years. ASM offers strategic fit on its strength of original designs based on American sensibilities, innate understanding of customer markets and a unique product portfolio that include dobby, jacquards, velvets, suedes using variety of fibers like rayon, linen, cotton, polyester, silk and acrylic. Founded in 1896, ASM is amongst the oldest and most established American textile brands which designs, weaves and distributes innovative textiles for the residential, contract, transportation, and specialty markets. Their products include innovative indoor/outdoor performance fabrics, fine jacquard textiles, multiple grades and styles of velvets, the highest quality silks, and Sensuede, an eco-friendly synthetic suede noted for its durability, cleanability and long-lasting comfort.

Source: YarnsandFibers News Bureau

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Island chic hits the city

The newly-opened Nicobar store in Banjara Hills ticks all the boxes of catering to a well-travelled consumer. It also reflects the brand’s love for urban tropical chic with décor and products in hues of white, sea blues and greens, indigo and sand beige. Spread over 1,800 sq ft, the Hyderabad outpost is Nicobar’s seventh store in one and a half years and the launch coincided with the unveiling of their festive apparel line. “We also came up with a capsule collection of overlays for Hyderabad,” says Simran Lal, co-founder and creative director of Nicobar and CEO, Good Earth. An overlay in black with a hint of gold is among the pieces designed exclusively for the city. While the product lines aren’t drastically different from its online store, Nicobar enhances the in-store experience, encouraging visitors to slow down, browse and take in their vibe. Here, there are no overbearing sales assistants at every step.

 Hello, traveller

Simran calls this store her favourite; it was also the quickest, executed in three months. “Over time, we’ve gotten better with design and operations, which made this possible,” she says. A local touch reflects in the mural with the iconic Charminar and Qutub Shahi tombs as one walks up to the store. Raul Rai, CEO and co-founder of Nicobar, believes the brand was born out of their desire to “create an interesting culture where creativity thrives and be part of contemporary Indian design.” After two decades of Good Earth, Simran and Raul felt the time was right for something new. “We wanted to create a contemporary brand that reflects the modern Indian way of living, dressing and looking at the world,” he says. The brand also keeps in mind the intrepid traveller, looking for essentials. “Whenever I travelled, I felt a lack of options for organised travel accessories and comfortable travel gear,” reasons Simran. Broadly, you’ll find products for home décor, gifting, dining, garments and travel accessories. While Good Earth celebrates colours and indigenous crafts, Nicobar prefers simplicity. “India is a burst of colours but there’s also the Kerala white and gold sari, for instance. Nicobar reflects the tranquillity of island life,” says Simran. Looking for ideas? Browse through the iPad at the store. Nicobar positions itself as a design-led digital brand catering to the young at heart. But if you’re at the store, you might as well skip the screen and use the styling wall at their garments section to put together a look.

For chai and champagne

Aparna Chandra, design head — clothing, believes in modern collections that aren’t trend-driven. The brand plans to step up its menswear line in the near future. “Natural fibres and techniques are used and the silhouettes won’t look out of place the following season. We want our clothes to last and last,” says Simran. In the gifting segment, look out for scented candles that reflect cities (mogra for Madurai, for example), binoculars to gift the nature lover, a modern version of the kulhar to serve both chai and champagne, and thalis in brass and steel inspired by the lotus leaf. Those who are in tune with the label’s social media updates would know their travel diaries and stories from different destinations. Raul says the editorial route on the blog and social media pages has hugely benefitted the brand, “We have a spectrum of interests — travel, food, design, and music and our content gives our readers a glimpse into our world. We plan to bolster this further.” Raul credits Vandana Verma, who heads content, for this section.

Source :  The Hindu

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US starts antidumping probe against PTFE resin from India

New Delhi: The US has initiated an antidumping duty investigations against import of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) resin from India and China, according to the US Department of Commerce. The probe is being started to determine whether imports of PTFE resin from China and India “are being dumped in the US, and a countervailing duty investigation to determine whether producers of PTFE resin in India are receiving alleged unfair subsidies,” the department said in a statement. The PTFE is mostly used as a non-stick coating for utensils. The department has stated that the estimated dumping margins alleged by the petitioner range from 23.4-408.9 per cent for China and 15.8-128.1 per cent for India. In the antidumping investigations, it said the department would determine whether imports of the resin from China and India are being dumped in the American market at less than fair value. On the other hand, it said, in the countervailing investigation, it will determine whether Indian producers of PTFE resin are receiving unfair government subsidies. If the department establishes that the products are being dumped, they can impose duties on those imports. “In 2016, imports of PTFE resin from China and India were valued at an estimated $24.6 million and $14.3 million, respectively,” it added. Countries initiate anti-dumping probes to determine if the domestic industry has been hurt by a surge in below-cost imports. As a counter measure, they impose duties under the multilateral WTO regime. Anti-dumping measures are taken to ensure fair trade and provide a level-playing field to the domestic industry. They are not a measure to restrict imports or cause an unjustified increase in cost of products.

Source: Business Line

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Pakistan : Further relaxations for textile exporters announced

ISLAMABAD: Ministry of Textiles on Friday notified further relaxations in Prime Minister’s Package of incentive to exporters. According to Duty Drawback of Taxes Order 2017-18, fifty per cent of the rate of drawback will be provided to exporters without condition of increment. While remaining 50 per cent of the rate of drawback shall be provided, if the exporter achieves an increase of 10 per cent or more in exports during performance year (FY2017-18), as compared to the base year (FY2016-17). In the actual package announced on January 23, 2017, the duty drawback was offered to exporters, who would achieve an increase of 10 per cent or more in exports over last year (2016-17). According to officials the exporters submitted that by the time they will file their returns for 2017-18, the government would have been changed. Since the package is Prime Minister’s Package so the present government should provide relief to exporters in its current tenure as agreed and promised. On exporters pressure the government issued this new notification allowing half of the promised drawback without any condition, while for remaining half the exporters should exceed their exports from the base year. The actual rate of drawback will be determined on the basis of annual performance of the exporter, but in order to improve the cash flow, the disbursement will be allowed on the performance during July-December, 2017, subject to submission of a bank guarantee that the exporter will return the excess amount, in case his/her annual exports are less than the amount of drawback paid, the new notification said. It further promised an additional two per cent drawback for exports to non-traditional markets, including Africa, Latin America, non-EU European countries, Commonwealth of Independent States and Oceania. The duty drawback will be applicable to manufacturing-cum exporting units on export of products under specific tariff codes of the Pakistan Customs Tariff at rates specified along the notification. The export performance will be analysed separately for each category of eligible products. The units availing the drawback shall be registered with the Textile Division and use Textile Division’s online portal to follow subsequent Circular issued by State Bank of Pakistan. The unit availing the drawback shall be a registered sole proprietor, partnership or a company, and shall be a member of a textiles association registered with the Directorate of Trade Organisations, Ministry of Commerce and Textile. Each textiles association shall be responsible for certifying the authenticity of information provided by the exporting units pertaining to application documents for claims under the order. State Bank of Pakistan in consultation with Textile Division and stakeholders shall devise mechanism to ensure prompt clearance of drawback claims in compliance of this order. Procedure as devise by State Bank of Pakistan shall be communicated to Ministry of Commerce and Textile, Textile Division for onward communication to all stakeholders. The appellate authority for penalties on units shall be the State Bank. The new notification binds textiles associations verifying the duty drawback claims to submit quarterly reports of verifications to the Textile Division. Under this notification the drawback will be allowed for the GDs from July 1, 2017, to June 30, 2018.

Source:  The Nation

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EU call to analyse textile and apparel sector in Armenia

The FINANCIAL -- The EU4Business SMEDA project (Support to SME Development in Armenia) has announced a call for applications, open to companies, experts or consortia, to conduct a sectoral study of textile, apparel, leather, shoes and fashion design businesses in Armenia. The objective of the assignment is to undertake a mapping exercise of all companies, improve the strategy of the sector and strengthen cooperation among companies by establishing a cluster, according to EU Neighbours East Info. Specifically, the study should focus on mapping and analysing the sector and organising round table discussions, workshops and meetings with stakeholders as well as other activities. The deadline for applications is 8 November. More information on how to apply can be found here. The EU4Business SMEDA project supports the improvement of the business and investment climate for SMEs in Armenia. It aims to strengthen the private sector, support SME coordination mechanisms, and foster links between research institutions and the private sector, as well as providing access to finance for SMEs.

Source: Financial

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Africa : EAC textile sector tipped on maximising technology

Textile industry players in the region have been challenged to start making garments that require low level technology and skills as the East African Community (EAC) countries prepare to phase-out imported used clothes. Lilian Awinja, the Executive Director of the East African Business Council (EABC), said the sector can manufacture apparels such as inner garments, ties, scarfs that require low level technology and skills. “It is a high time that EAC countries embarked on manufacturing apparels such as inner garments, ties, scarfs that require low level technology and skills as the region works on a phase out approach of imported second hand clothes,” said Awinja. In 2016, the five EAC members - Uganda, Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda and Tanzania – agreed on phased plan and eventual ban on the importation of used clothes and leather products by 2018 to support industrialisation and job-creation in the region. Awinja was speaking ahead of the second East African Business and Entrepreneurship Conference and Exhibition scheduled for November 14 to 16 in Dar es salaam, Tanzania. The event is meant to provide a platform to create synergies and linkages between the local cotton and textile industries with local suppliers and the fashion and design industry. The meeting is also expected to devise an action plan outlining the policies and modalities to promote the sector performance, productivity and quality, according to a statement from organisers.  According to EABC, cotton production, processing and trade is highly influenced by policies of major producing countries through price support, tariff protection, production subsidies and stock piling that destabilise cotton prices. The region’s cotton industry also faces huge challenges, including low yields, low ginning out-turn ratio and inefficient value addition, which affect its competitiveness, the apex body of private sector and corporate firms in bloc added. Awinja said the textile industry needs to innovate and embrace value addition to produce aesthetic accessories, interior designs and fashion and hence create more job opportunities in the EAC. The EABC official said only 15 per cent of EAC cotton is processed locally, while 85 per cent is exported in form of lint to other countries. She challenged regional sector players and governments to put in place programmes that will help reverse the trend, saying the lint should work as “a raw material base for textile and apparel manufacturing in the region”. The upcoming regional business and entrepreneurship conference and exhibition will also feature fashion show for designers and firms to showcase the creations and forge market ties. It will also act as a platform to encourage East Africans to consume products made in the region, a move organisers say is crucial to strengthen local value chains. Key fashion and textiles industry players, including Sunny Dolat from HEVA Fund, are expected to discuss ways of building synergies between cotton growers and the textile industry, and the untapped market opportunities in the region. According to Awinja, the African fashion and design industry will have a huge opportunity “to be in the limelight on the international market”. During the conference, there will also be discussions on information communication technology, urbanisation, cotton and textile, patents and copyrights in the creative industry, trade and gender, health, agri-business, and e-commerce. In addition, the East African Diaspora will be engaged to increase investment into the region. The simultaneous exhibition will give participants big opportunities to network and forge partnerships with other organisations and businesses, according to the organisers. The event will also host a “Start-up Corner” to boost entrepreneurship and attract investments in the East Africa region.

Source:  The New Times

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Bangladesh : Govt takes back Kishoreganj Textile Mills

The government has taken back Kishoreganj Textile Mills Ltd from the private sector for violating major conditions set out during handing over of the state-owned enterprise. The mills had been closed for a long after it was taken over from the government. "The prolong closure of the mills caused unemployment of thousands of workers, which in fact negates the main objective of the handing over of the mills to the private sector," said Sayed Chandra Halder, public relations officer of the textiles and jute ministry.

Source: The Daily Star

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Lahore : Textile exporters stress value-addition

LAHORE: Pakistan Textile Exporters Association has termed their switching focus towards value-addition in textile industry a need of the hour, in view of the sustainable growth that hinges upon value-addition.

 

“Value-addition is the key to success and the government must focus on capturing greater share in regional and international trade through it,” Chairman PTEA, Shaiq Jawed, said in a statement on Friday. He said that countries all over the world encourage value-addition to earn more foreign exchange. The textile exports of Bangladesh are touching $30 billion although they do not grow cotton, and only produce finished textile products with imported raw material. All emerging economies have done the reforms by removing such impediments, which have helped them increase their exports. “So we need to follow their footsteps and take our industry in the right direction to achieve our national goal,” he said.

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PTEA chairman was of the view that regional peers are rapidly multiplying their exports just because of the edge they have on the cost of doing business. High cost of production and un-competitiveness are major hurdles in exports growth and pragmatic incentive schemes need to be announced to reduce the cost of production and create a level playing field. “Textile industry is unable to tap its potential in accordance with capacity,” he said. Appreciating the government’s efforts in uplifting the exports, he said that internal challenges are hindering the exports growth. Severe cash flow crunch has squeezed the productivity resulting in reduced exports as billions of rupees are blocked in sales tax, income tax, and customs rebate and textile policy incentive schemes. With such a huge shortage in working capital, how textile exporters could even compete with rival countries, he lamented.

Source: Dawn

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USA : West Texas cotton crop delayed but growers hopeful

But in spite of the sunshine, this fall’s cloudy, wet spell has raised questions about the maturity of the crop, especially in some of the northern areas of the High Plains, where temperatures dropped below freezing in early October. Seth Byrd, Texas AgriLife Extension cotton specialist at Lubbock, counts cotton bolls at his field trial in Halfway at the Halfway/Helms Farm. Weather: It can be a producer’s best friend or a worst enemy. For cotton producers on the Texas Plains, September and October’s cool, cloudy, and for many, wet weather, may have temporarily dampened hopes of a bumper crop, but forecasts for sunshine and temperatures in the 70s and 80s, had producers hopeful about the harvest. “There’s certainly some optimism about crop prospects now that we’re getting a pretty decent October,” says Texas AgriLife Extension Cotton Specialist Seth Byrd at Lubbock. “So, whether it’s maturing bolls or taking advantage of the weather to apply harvest aids, that’s the kind of opportunity that presents itself with good weather.” But in spite of the sunshine, this fall’s cloudy, wet spell has raised questions about the maturity of the crop, especially in some of the northern areas of the High Plains, where temperatures dropped below freezing in early October. “The big question is, what has this done to the ultimate maturity in the quality of the crop, especially in our northern territories,” says Steve Verett, Plains Cotton Growers executive vice president. “Especially, what’s going to be the effect on micronaire?” Micronaire is a vital measurement in determining how easily cotton fiber can be processed, and a primary factor in determining potential quality. When it comes to cotton color, he says, he isn’t too worried, unless there’s significant rainfall at harvest time. He expects much of the cotton to bleach out, which will take care of some of the grayness that might have been present when conditions were cool and cloudy. “It’s mainly micronaire that the jury is still going to be out on.” Of the small amount of cotton that has been harvested and classed, Verett says, micronaire “has really been pretty good,” but he adds that no official report had been issued because not much cotton had been classed. “We’re keeping our fingers crossed on the quality side, for sure.” The USDA released its crop progress report Oct. 10, estimating cotton production at 5.44 million bales, 250,000 less than in its September report. Another risk to quality this year, says Seth Byrd, is hardlock bolls. “We’ve seen this in years past, but certainly much more this year.” The reasons for the increase in hardlock bolls is twofold, he says: disease pressure that has been greatly increased this year by the wet, cloudy conditions, and weather in general — high humidity, rain, and cloudiness. “We never really get the drying-out that we need for the carpal wall to pull back and the lint to fluff out. So, we end up with bolls that aren’t completely open, and the lint never really fluffs out — it stays in that wedge shape. While we can get some of that out when it’s going through field cleaners, a lot of times it will also kick some of those hardlock pieces of lint out, and can certainly lead to some yield reductions. If it does get into the basket and we get some staining, it can lead to color issues as well, if it’s a large proportion of the field.” While weather conditions in the last month may not have been ideal, Verett says, they aren’t the death knell for this crop. “Moisture is always needed in this region. The farther we get into harvest, the more harmful any kind of rain is. But whether we’re planting wheat or just needing to replenish moisture in the soil profile, we need to get rain in the fall. “We’re much more into the heart of the harvest now, and we need for cotton to open up and to have as open weather as we can possibly get over the next couple of months. We need well into late November or early December to get all of this crop harvested.” With the right kind of weather, Verett says, producers can have harvesting done by then. “We have a lot of harvest capacity to get cotton off the stalks — if we just get the weather that allows us to do it.”

SOUTH TEXAS HARVEST

While High Plains and Rolling Plains growers are gearing up for harvest, most of South Texas producers are winding down after what Gaylon Morgan, Texas AgriLife Extension state cotton specialist at College Station, says has been a year of better than average yields and quality in many regions. “In the last two years [2015 and 2016], we’ve had an extremely wet spring, so cotton got off to a really slow start and really never recovered,” he says. “This year’s rains have been spread out — uniformly distributed through much of the growing season. That was the case for the Lower Rio Grande Valley and the Coastal Bend, too.” Moving into the Central and Northern Blacklands, producers are reporting above average yields. “Some have been pushing over two bales — and that’s dryland,” says Morgan, while in the southern region growers made their average, a little over one bale. “Southern Blacklands was pretty erratic due to the way the rain fell.” South of there, in the 10-county Winter Garden region, growers celebrated the highest number of cotton acres planted, as well as yields, for the past five years, with yields usually exceeding three bales. Overall, outside of the devastating damage Hurricane Harvey caused to the cotton regions north of Corpus Christi and up through the Wharton area, Morgan says, it’s been “a fairly normal year” insofar as disease, insects, and rainfall go. “We haven’t had anything that’s been extreme. I think we can attribute that to the fairly uniform, good yields across much of south and east Texas.” The Rolling Plains is a much different story, yet similar to neighboring producers on the High Plains. “They had a really rough start — not a whole lot different than what [producers elsewhere] had with hail and high winds,” Morgan says. “They lost quite a bit of cotton to begin with, but those fields they were able to keep look really good. They may not top the 2016 cotton crop, but it will be another good year for Rolling Plains producers, assuming we can get it out of the field and to the gin.” The range of maturity on the Rolling Plains varies greatly, he says, with some producers about to begin harvest, while others only have 10 percent to 20 percent open bolls. “Three weeks ago, they had a really good rainfall event that caused some premature defoliation. Foliar diseases can often affect yields, but because most of the cotton was pretty mature, little yield impact is expected. But that’s obviously worrisome to those growers.” U.S. upland cotton production for 2017 is expected to total 20.4 million bales, up 23 percent from last year.

Source:  Southern Farm Press

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Zimbabwe: Cotton output set to rise

GLOBAL cotton output is projected to increase by 10%, reaching an estimated 25 million tonnes during the 2017/18 cropping season, a recent report on world production trends shows.  Cotton production in Zimbabwe increased last season after decades of decline. According to the International Cotton Advisory Committee, China remains the world’s largest cotton producing country while Burkina Faso is the top producer of the crop in Africa. Zimbabwe is ranked number 28 out of 77 leading cotton producing countries in the world. In Zimbabwe, production of the crop, which rose to 110 000 tonnes last season after decades of rapid decline, is also expected to grow, spurred by cheap inputs being extended to farmers by government. Global land area put under cotton is also forecast to grow, on the back of relatively stable prices on the international market, popularly known as the Cot look A Index. During the 2016/17 marketing season, cotton prices on the Cot look A Index averaged between US66 cents and US88 cents per pound (453 grammes). Last season, Zimbabwe put close to 155 000 hectares of land under cotton, up from 105 000 hectares during the previous summer cropping period. In a report on global production trends released this month, the International Cotton Advisory Committee forecasts the largest output growth margins to be driven by the USA. “World cotton production is projected to increase by 10% during 2017/18 reaching 25,4 million tonnes. Production is projected to increase in all other major producing countries during 2017-18, including India, China, Pakistan, Brazil, Francophone Africa and Turkey. “Higher cotton prices during 2016/17 and better cotton price ratios to other competing crops during 2017 planting campaign resulted in expansion of cotton area by an estimated three million hectares to over 32 million hectares,” the International Cotton Advisory Committee said. As a result of increasing global output, world cotton ginnery (mill) use will also increase to 25,2 million tonnes during the 2017/18 season, indicating a 2,7% increase from the previous cropping period. World cotton trade for the next marketing season is projected to remain stable at eight million tonnes, with the USA accounting for about 40% of global exports. Bangladesh will remain the largest importer in 2017/18, accounting for an estimated 18% of world imports. Zimbabwe Farmers Union (ZFU) Crop Specialist Simbarashe Muchena said output in the country and in most African countries will be propelled by government subsidised inputs. “In Zimbabwe, output is increasing not necessarily because of growing world demand but due to availability of free inputs from government. It is the norm for governments to subsidise cotton farmers — it is happening even in the US and West Africa,” Muchena said, noting that output growth being experienced by the southern African country was happening at a time when private players were withdrawing from financing production of the crop. Cotton production in Zimbabwe declined to an all-time low of 32 000 tonnes in 2016, from 84 000 tonnes in 2015, and 143 000 tonnes in 2014, after a decade long spell of perceived lower prices averaging US$0,30 per kilogramme. Over the last decade, traditional cotton growing farmers have been migrating to produce crops whose prices have been firming on the international market such as tobacco. Higher production costs, coupled with low producer prices have severely impacted on cotton production in Zimbabwe. This has taken a knock on downstream industries, particularly the clothing sector, which is currently importing about half of its fabric requirements. The closure of David Whitehead in 2001, once Zimbabwe’s largest textile firm, with a staff compliment of about 2 000 employees mostly from the Midlands province, has been cited by market watchers as one of the factors explaining the drop in cotton production. In 2016, a judicial manager overseeing the rehabilitation of David Whitehead projected that at least US$50 million was required to resuscitate the textile firm.

Source:  Zimbabwe Independent

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Pakistan University Invents Disease-Resistant GM Cotton

Pakistan’s Punjab University has signed a memorandum of understanding to provide newly invented disease-resistant cotton seed to farmers in the country through seven multinational companies nationwide. The university said providing the companies–Aurigo Group, Bahar Seed Corp., ICI Pakistan Ltd, Neelum Seeds, SunCrop Group and Weal AG Corp.–the cotton seed will bring “revolution in the cotton industry” and is meant to boost the country’s economy and save often struggling farmers close to $189 per acre. Punjab University vice chancellor Zafar Moeen Nasir said the genetically modified BT cotton seed invented by PU scientists would contribute as much as $4 billion to the country’s economy and it would start providing results in just two years. Nasir said the cotton seed would be used on more than 8 million acres of land in the country and is reusable. He said the new BT cotton seed that was developed is disease resistant, insect resistant, drought tolerant and weedicide resistant, and will be Pakistan’s first GM cotton seed. The seed was developed using modern molecular genetic engineering and DNA cloning techniques. BT cotton seed varieties would now be commercialized through these seed marketing companies for use in Pakistani agriculture sector. The use of GM cotton in India was recently criticized in a report by the U.K.-based Soil Association. The report studied what it called “the astronomical rise and catastrophic fall of GM cotton in India,” calling efforts to expand genetically modified cotton in India a “failure,” even though India has become the world’s largest grower of cotton and second largest exporter of cotton after the U.S. The report by the Soil Association, which advocates for organic cotton, said GM technology “has consistently failed to deliver…and instead some of the poorest people in the world have paid a heavy price for the industry’s hype.” It cites statistics from 2014 that show 80 percent of the cotton crop failed in the 150,000 acres of the Raichur district, causing losses of more than $4 million for farmers. A key problem with GM cotton, the report claimed, is that rapid development of resistance occurs because GM cotton plants are engineered to continuously release toxins, and this constant, long-term exposure encourages the survival of any pests that are genetically resistant to the toxin. As a result, insecticide use has increased in recent years, from a reported 0.5 kilograms per hectare in 2006 up to 1.20 kilograms per hectare in 2015. In addition, according to a recent report from the Pesticide Action Network U.K., the use of pesticides in cotton farming has shown some improvement over the years, particularly in the utilization of less harmful chemicals, but progress remains slow. Findings suggest that pest adaptation to the new transgenic GM environment is changing the way pests are controlled and in some cases requiring the pattern of insecticide use to be adapted. Keith Tyrell, director of PAN UK, said, “Poor resistance management and new pests are driving big increases in insecticide use in India, China and Brazil, while the introduction of herbicide-tolerant GM varieties has seen a massive increase in herbicide use in some countries like the U.S.”

Source:  Sourcing Journal Online

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H&M Refutes Claims That it Burned 60 Tons of New, Unsold Apparel

H&M, which regularly touts its circularity and sustainability efforts, is being called out for allegedly burning 12 tons of new, unsold apparel each year. The retailer, however, has said the claims are untrue. According to research from Danish TV program Operation X, H&M is said to have incinerated an estimated 60 tons of new, unsold garments since 2013. Following the release of this information, H&M Group immediately denied the allegations.

What Operation X alleges

In June, Operation X journalists began investigating what the retailer did with its new, unsold apparel and many inspections led them to Denmark-based waste disposal company, KARA/NOVEREN. Operation X journalists allegedly witnessed H&M garments being delivered to the company prior to incineration. The investigation revealed that many cowboy-themed trousers for children and dark blue women’s pants with price tags, were brought to the facility. Additional investigations showed that H&M delivered these garments to KARA/NOVEREN approximately five times a year to be burned. In September, Operation X journalists obtained two different pairs of pants sent to KARA/NOVERN to be burned and sent them to an independent laboratory. The journalists also bought two similar pairs of pants at an ordinary H&M store and sent them to be tested, so they may detect if there were differences in the chemicals present in the trousers to be incinerated and they ones they purchased. At the independent laboratory, the four pairs of pants were tested for harmful chemicals and potential hazardous bacteria. Test results demonstrated that the trousers sent to be burned didn’t possess any harmful chemicals and normal amounts of bacteria—similar to what is expected for apparel sold in brick-and-mortar locations. Operation X received the bacteria test results on Sept. 28, while lead test results were received by Operation X on Oct. 10. Industry experts, including Else Skjold, a sustainability design professor at the Kolding Design School in Denmark, said H&M could be burning apparel due to overproduction. This dilemma is a common issue for fast fashion retailers, including H&M and Zara, who constantly churn out new styles.

H&M refutes claims

On Thursday, H&M Group rebutted the claims saying, “For H&M to send our products for incineration is very rare, it’s only done when they not fulfill our safety regulations (if they are mold infested or do not fulfill our strict chemical requirements). We are puzzled why some media is suggesting that we would destroy other products than those required. There is absolutely no reason for us to do such a thing.” H&M also added that most new and unsold apparel is donated to charity or recycled and put back into the fashion ecosystem. The retailer said it also considers actively moving such garments to other stores or selling them to external buyers if there are overstock issues. In its statement, H&M Group defended that the cowboy trousers sent to KARA/NOVERN possessed a high level of lead in some of its metal detailing and that the dark blue women’s pants may have contained mold. Operation X, however, claimed that the level of lead found on the cowboy trousers was only one tenth of the permissible limit value and none of the trousers possessed traces of mold. Despite Operation X’s allegations, H&M Group said Operation X’s tests were different from their own. Unlike Operation X’s tests, H&M Group pointed out that its lead test accounted for the whole garment, while its mold test took potential mold contamination into consideration. To prove its point, H&M Group included its test results in the statement—so industry members and consumers can see that the apparel wasn’t suitable for selling or wearing. “H&M has one of the strictest Chemical Restrictions in the industry and we do regular testing, often in external laboratories,” the retailer said. “Accordingly, the restrictions often go further than the law demands as we want our customers to feel totally safe to use our products.” Despite the allegations, sustainability has been an important part of H&M’s corporate persona. Over the past few years, the retailer has demonstrated is greener footprint with efforts including recycled material clothing lines and a consumer clothing take back program. Last week, H&M also announced that it plans to have 100 percent of its materials come from recycled or sustainable sources, including organic cotton, by 2030.

Source:  Sourcing Journal Online

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Digital printing will spark revolution in textile industry: LCCI

LAHORE: The Digital Printing and Signage Technology Exhibition brings modern machinery and equipment, which will spark revolution in the textile and printing industry in coming years, leading to job creation and higher industrial growth. These were the opening remarks of Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) President Malik Javed Tahir at the three-day 3rd International Digital Printing and Signage Technology Exhibition. The event began on Friday at the Lahore Expo Centre and around 150 local and foreign companies participated in the fair.

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Tahir said foreign companies were exhibiting their products for joint ventures with local companies, which was beneficial for Pakistan’s economy as local companies would be able to manufacture modern equipment to save capital. He urged the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) to facilitate local manufacturers in importing latest printing technology. Responding to a question, he said the government had imposed unjustified regulatory duties on the import of raw material, which would be resisted by the business community at all levels. “Around 500 textile units have already been closed due to unfavourable government policies,” he remarked. Speaking on the occasion, Inks Global EMEA APAC Commercial Director Rudy Grosso said their ink technology had a great potential in the Pakistani textile market. “We will start from textile and go to food and other innovative industries in Pakistan for digitalisation purposes.”

 

Source : Tribune

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