India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew at 7.2%, rebounding sharply from a three-year low just six months ago, and beating China to regain the fastest growing economy spot in the October-December period of the year 2017. Driven by government’s final consumption expenditure, India recorded a higher Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF) growth at 12% in Q3 FY18 as against 8.7% in the previous quarter, and a sizeable uptick was witnessed in different sectors including agriculture and real estate. Meanwhile, China, world’s second-largest economy, is undergoing a long-term slowdown, with its President Xi Jinping mainly focused on poverty, debt-risk, and pollution reduction. China has recorded a GDP growth of 6.8% in the October-December period of the FY17-18. According to ICRA, India’s GDP growth at 7.2% could be because of the double-digit expansion in production of capital goods, the sharp rise in the capital spending of the government and the modest pickup in the capital spending of the state governments in Q3 FY18. The last time India beat China was in the October-December period of the year 2016, but only for just one quarter, or three months. While India follows the financial year, China follows the Calendar year. In the January-December, the 12-month period in 2017, China recorded a growth of 6.9%, and for the next calendar year, it has set its target at 6.5%, “omitting an intention to hit a faster pace if possible”, according to Bloomberg. While India is seen growing at 6.6% in the 12-month period between April 2017 and March 2018, trailing China, but in the next 12 month period, India’s growth is expected to grow above 7%, while China has put it at 6.5%.According to BofA Merrill Lynch Global Research, India’s nominal GDP, in the next 10 years, could beat become the third largest in the world overtaking France, the UK, Germany and Japan. Meanwhile, Morgan Stanley has said that in the next 10 year, India’s GDP growth will top $6 trillion mark. Currently, India has already surpassed Canada, Italy, Russia, Brazil to emerge as the second largest BRIC economy after China. India’s sharp rebound at 7.2% came at the time of global slowdown after the country showed signs of recovery from two big structural changes — demonetisation and the indirect tax regime of the Goods and Services Tax (GST). In the April-July quarter, India’s economic growth slumped to a three-year-low of 5.7% mainly due to inventory destocking ahead of the implementation of the GST.
Source: Financial Express
KTR wanted the officials to examine each unit functioning from the apparel park and submit a report on investments made and employment created by each unit within a week. Handlooms and Textiles Department will take control of Gundlapochampalli Apparel Park management. Hyderabad: State government has decided to terminate lease agreements of non-textile industrial units and re-allocate the vacant land to apparel industrial units for strengthening Gundlapochampalli Apparel Park. Industries, Handlooms and Textiles Minister KT Rama Rao directed officials of Handlooms and Textiles Department to take control of the apparel park management and also establish training centres for artisans in the park. Reviewing the works at the Gundlapochampalli Apparel Park here on Saturday, the Minister observed that several non-apparel industrial units were functioning from the park and diluting its objective. He directed the officials of the Textiles Department and Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TSIIC) to identify such units and terminate their lease agreements at the earliest. “As the apparel park is closer to the city, many textile companies are showing interest to establish their units here. We need to facilitate their establishment through re-allocation of vacant plots to such companies,” he said. Rama Rao wanted the officials to examine each unit functioning from the apparel park and submit a report on investments made and employment created by each unit within a week. “Our aim should be on providing employment to people in and around the apparel park. At full capacity, the park can provide direct employment to 15,000 people and indirect employment to another 30,000 persons,” he added. The Minister asked the TSIIC to limit its operations to creating infrastructure in the apparel park and directed the officials of Handlooms and Textiles Department to take over the park management including attracting new companies to establish their units. TSIIC agreed to create infrastructure like LED streetlights, food court, roads and green spaces among others. It has been decided to appoint a chief executive officer for overseeing management of the parks at Gundlapochampalli and Pashamailaram under TSIIC management and hand them over to the Handlooms and Textiles Department.
Source: Telangana Today
Mumbai: Spotting a big demand gap in small towns, textile and apparel major Raymond is looking to spread its presence into such markets and expects up to 10 per cent like-to-like sales growth from this initiative, a senior company official has said. "We had conducted a study last year and identified at least 1,200 urban townships with a population of over 50,000. We have no presence in at least 800 of those towns," Raymond retail director Mohit Dhanjal told PTI. "We are looking to set up mini Raymond shops in these tier IV, V and VI towns, through an asset-light franchisee model," he explained. He said typically, it would cost Rs 50-60 lakh to set up a mini Raymond shop, and the company has tied up with local investors for this. He expects these stores can generate a revenue of Rs 1 crore each. In the past two months, the company has set up about 40 mini Raymond shops, and will open another 60 stores by the end of 2018, he added. The company has chosen small format stores as these towns do not require large stores that need higher investment. "Larger stores of about 2,500 sqft require Rs 1.5-2 crore investment, and generate average income of above Rs 2 crore," he said. Raymond operates about 767 stores, mostly under franchise model in 416 towns, and is also present in about 3,500 multi-brand stores. The company expects an uptick in sales through its retail outlets in the current quarter, as well as the next quarter, with a spurt in demand, Dhanjal said. PTI DSK BEN BEN SDM
Source: India Today
General Manager District Industries Center Srinagar Sajad Ahmed Qadri said the seminar was organised to create awareness to the weavers about the power Tex scheme launched by ministry of textile. A seminar on Power Tex India Scheme of Ministry of Textiles, Government of India for the development of decentralised power loom sector was held at Silk Park Zakura. The seminar was organised by Regional Office of the Textile Commissioner Amritsar, Ministry of Textiles, government of India, Kashmir Silk Cluster Development Organization the associate members of PHD Chamber Of Commerce and Industry Kashmir. General Manager District Industries Center Srinagar Sajad Ahmed Qadri said the seminar was organised to create awareness to the weavers about the power Tex scheme launched by ministry of textile. He advised the weavers to expand their knowledge on power loom by taking a support from a team who purposely visited for the seminar. The chairman Expert Committee Textile PHD Chamber Kashmir Bilal Ahmad Kawoosa talked about the establishment of Silk Park under Textile Centers Infrastructure Development Scheme (TCIDS) of Textile Ministry GOI with the active involvement of Stakeholders of Silk Industry under the banner of Kashmir Silk Cluster Developement Organization (KSCDO).He made a request for establishment of Powerloom Services Center and Raw material Bank which was agreed by the Regional Officer of Textile Commissioner. He also said that the matter of making CFC functional Through Kashmir Silk Cluster Developement Organization (KSCDO) have been taken up by PHDCCI with the State Govt. So that the necessary commen facilities will be provided to the unit holders of Silk Park from April-2018. Addressing key note speech, Deputy Director and Officer Incharge Regional Office of the Textile Commissioner, Amritsar, Iqbal Ahmed said that Kashmir is known for its textile products. “However there is no proper development in this sector and the weavers are not availing the schemes of Government of India in the form of subsidy, insurance or Solar power. We are here to extend some help and support to the weavers of Kashmir by letting them know about the Comprehensive Schemes for power loom sector by government of India,” Ahmad said. He said more employment can be generated in the sector of looming in Kashmir if the weavers can grab the schemes. While during seminar it was revealed that not a single application had come to Regional Office of the Textile Commissioner, Amritsar from Kashmir region and no one from Kashmir has availed any assistance from GOI Scheme and all these schemes are in addition to others state or central schemes. The Other dignitary attended were M Chowdhary Assistant Director and Manon Kumar Technical Officer of Regional Office of the Textile Commissioner, Amritsar,General Manager DIC Ganderbal Bilquess, Divisional Manager Altaf Ahmad Beigh officials from Industries & Commerce Dept, J&K SICOP, Muhammad Yousf Tichoo Presidend I/E Ganderbal along with his office bearers and unit holders of Silk Park attended the awareness seminar.
Source: Greater Kashmir
VIJAYAWADA: Arvind Ltd signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Andhra Pradesh Economic Development Board (APEDB) on Sunday for establishing a state-of-the-art integrated apparel and textile facility in Chittoor district with an initial investment of `250 - 300 crore. Kulin Lalbhai, chairman and managing director of Arvind Ltd, and J Krishna Kishore, chief executive officer of APEDB, signed the MoU in the presence of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. The integrated facility will be established in multiple phases across 100 - 125 acres with a capacity to produce 24 million pieces of shirts and jeans per annum.
Source: New Indian Express
|
Item |
Price |
Unit |
Fluctuation |
Date |
|
PSF |
1445.98 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
3/4/2018 |
|
VSF |
2300.96 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
3/4/2018 |
|
ASF |
2679.2 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
3/4/2018 |
|
Polyester POY |
1390.82 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
3/4/2018 |
|
Nylon FDY |
3577.52 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
3/4/2018 |
|
40D Spandex |
5910 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
3/4/2018 |
|
Nylon POY |
3798.16 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
3/4/2018 |
|
Acrylic Top 3D |
5957.28 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
3/4/2018 |
|
Polyester FDY |
1627.22 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
3/4/2018 |
|
Nylon DTY |
3341.12 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
3/4/2018 |
|
Viscose Long Filament |
2962.88 |
USD/Ton |
1.62% |
3/4/2018 |
|
Polyester DTY |
1639.04 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
3/4/2018 |
|
30S Spun Rayon Yarn |
3010.16 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
3/4/2018 |
|
32S Polyester Yarn |
2206.4 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
3/4/2018 |
|
45S T/C Yarn |
3010.16 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
3/4/2018 |
|
40S Rayon Yarn |
2348.24 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
3/4/2018 |
|
T/R Yarn 65/35 32S |
2537.36 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
3/4/2018 |
|
45S Polyester Yarn |
3136.24 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
3/4/2018 |
|
T/C Yarn 65/35 32S |
2647.68 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
3/4/2018 |
|
10S Denim Fabric |
1.468832 |
USD/Meter |
0% |
3/4/2018 |
|
32S Twill Fabric |
0.899896 |
USD/Meter |
0% |
3/4/2018 |
|
40S Combed Poplin |
1.257648 |
USD/Meter |
0% |
3/4/2018 |
|
30S Rayon Fabric |
0.702896 |
USD/Meter |
0% |
3/4/2018 |
|
45S T/C Fabric |
0.743872 |
USD/Meter |
0% |
3/4/2018 |
Source: Global Textiles
Note: The above prices are Chinese Price (1 CNY = 0.15760 USD dtd. 4/3/2018). The prices given above are as quoted from Global Textiles.com. SRTEPC is not responsible for the correctness of the same.
Kathmandu : Exporters of Nepali yarn to Turkey have been facing hassles for the past few weeks after the Turkish government imposed stricter import provision for Nepali yarn, alleging that Nepali traders were exporting foreign yarn to the European nation under Nepali brand names. The Turkish government has also initiated the process of slapping anti-dumping duty on Nepali yarn based on aforementioned allegations, according to domestic yarn producers. This has created anxiety among Nepali yarn producers, they said. Turkey is one of the major export markets for Nepali yarn. “Nepali traders are finding it hard to export yarn to the Turkish market after Turkish yarn producers misinformed the Turkish authorities that Nepali traders were exporting Chinese yarn under Nepali brand names,” said Sashikanta Agrawal, operator of Reliance Spinning Mill, one of the producers of yarn in the country, adding that the allegations made by Turkish manufacturers were false. Subsequently, Nepal Yarn Producers Association and the government recently inspected yarn producers across the country. However, the inspection report revealed that Nepali traders and yarn manufacturers had been exporting genuine domestically produced yarn. Even government officials here claim that allegations levelled by Turkish authorities and traders regarding yarn being exported to Turkey are false. “We did not find any evidence to support the allegations made by Turkey,” Ravi Shankar Saiju, spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce, told THT. Meanwhile, a team comprising officials of MoC, Trade and Export Promotion Centre, Department of Customs and yarn producers is expected to visit Turkey in the near future to discuss the issue with Turkish authorities. “We asked for a bilateral meeting with the Turkish government to sort out the issue. The Turkish government is yet to respond to our request for a meeting,” said Saiju. There are four producers of yarn in the country and they jointly produce almost 40,000 metric tonnes of yarn every year. Annually, the country exports more than 80 per cent of locally produced yarn to several countries that amounts to almost Rs 15 billion. According to Saiju, Nepali yarn amounting to almost Rs 7 billion is exported to Turkey every year.
Source: The Himalayan Times
Bangladeshi businesses will seek more investment from Vietnam during the visit of the Southeast Asian country's President Tran Dai Quang, who arrived in Dhaka yesterday. The bilateral trade volume is in favour of Vietnam, from where Bangladesh has been importing woven fabrics in bulk quantity since 2011 after the relaxation of the Rules of Origin by the EU for the least developed countries. The European Union started giving the zero-duty benefit to the exporters of apparels, including the ones made of imported fabrics. “We will ask for Vietnamese investment here so that the trade balance can be narrowed down at least to some extent,” said Shafiul Islam Mohiuddin, president of the FBCCI. Still, Bangladesh will have to meet 65 percent of its demand for woven fabrics from imports because of a weak local backward linkage industry. Thanks to spiralling Chinese investment, Vietnam has turned into a major hub for textile fabrics for Bangladesh, which is also dependent on Vietnamese rice. In 2016-17, Bangladesh imported goods worth $417 million and exported goods worth $66.44 million although the figures were almost the same in 2009-10, according to data from the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI). The growth of Bangladesh's export to Vietnam has always been very slow—from $37.2 million in 2009-10 to $66.44 million in 2016-17—compared to the imports. In 2010-11, the import payment jumped to $459.26 million when Bangladesh started importing woven fabrics in bulk quantity from Vietnam to avail the EU's trade privilege. “Vietnam is already a big investor in 12 countries. So, we can also bring foreign direct investment from Vietnam for sectors like ICT, telecom and agriculture,” Mohiuddin told The Daily Star. He also said a joint business council will be formed and an agreement between the FBCCI and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry will be signed to boost bilateral trade. He highlighted the rise of Vietnam, which was struggling with poverty even in late 1980s. Mohiuddin said the Southeast Asian country could become a major economy in Asia as it has created an investment-friendly environment. In 1986, Vietnam launched a slogan called Đổi Mới to promote the country's transition to a market economy. The country's achievements were remarkable in the first 20 years. Vietnam's economy grew at an average annual rate of 7.5 percent in the 1991-2000 period. Vietnam became a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 1995 and achieved the full membership of the World Trade Organisation in 2007, which helped the country's FDI reach an all-time high of $71.7 billion in 2008. Vietnam has strategic partnerships with China, Japan, Russia, India, England, France, North Korea, Italy, Germany, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. Vietnam is a strong competitor in apparel trade for Bangladesh globally, especially to the US markets. Vietnam's phenomenal export growth is realised if the US market is analysed. In 1992, Vietnam's export to the US was zero and import was recorded at $4.6 million, according to the US Census. In 2017, Vietnam's export to the US jumped to $46.49 billion and import was $8.17 billion. In 1992, Bangladesh exported goods worth $831 million to the US and imported goods worth $188.1 million. In 2017, Bangladesh's export to the US was $5.69 billion and imported goods worth $1.47 billion. Vietnam is now in the third position when it comes to garment export to the US after China and India while Bangladesh is the sixth on the list. In 2017, Vietnam sent textile and apparel worth $12.20 billion to the US, up 7.70 percent on 2016. In 2017, Bangladesh exported textile and apparel items to the US market worth $5.28 billion, down 3.98 percent on 2016, according to the US office of textile and apparel. Hospitality, agro processing, consumer goods and infrastructure could be some of the potential sectors for the Vietnamese investors, said Abul Kasem Khan, president of the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Source: The Daily Star
PAKISTAN’S exports touched their zenith at $25.05 billion in 2013, but have declined since then to $20bn during the last four years. All major exporting sectors of the country saw this decline, including textiles. The loss in textile exports has been attributed to lack of investment in upgrading technology and innovation in the textile industry. Absence of investment in the sector has been a result of: non-accumulation of savings and investment owing to low profitability because of high costs of production, liquidity and cash flows being soaked up by the Federal Board of Revenue and the State Bank in delayed refunds/drawbacks, and continued overvaluation of the currency for five consecutive years making exports uncompetitive. There is no denying the fact that our textile sector has become regionally uncompetitive, but this is not because of inefficiency of the industry but because of a non-conducive business environment. To avoid going to the IMF again, we must improve export performance by tapping into the textile industry’s exportable surplus of almost $20bn, which can help reverse the trade account deficit. It is the government’s role to provide a viable business environment by maintaining a competitive cost of doing business, promoting competition through an open economy which brings trade opportunities and protects domestic industries through tariff and non-tariff barriers where necessary. Market forces should be allowed to work; any greater role of the government that interferes with market forces creates bureaucratic delays and inefficiencies. According to the recent World Bank report, “Pakistan’s poor trade performance in recent years is an outcome of diminishing export competitiveness”. The reason for the loss of competitiveness is the increased cost of doing business. According to the ease of doing business report, Pakistan stands at 147 out of 190 countries, significantly lower than regional peers and competitors like India, Vietnam, Indonesia and Turkey. A country with a regionally uncompetitive business environment cannot be expected to compete with regional players. Pakistani textiles were once a celebrated international brand, famous for their premium quality as well as affordability owing to the moderate cost of doing business and low prices. International organisations in 2006 rated Pakistan’s textile industry as one of the most technologically advanced industries. Now, unfortunately, we cannot ensure high quality products because of the unavailability of quality raw material and other inputs. Cotton is the lifeline of the textile sector and its production has declined by 21 per cent in the last three to four years. Furthermore, through irrational policies, import of quality cotton has been restricted while domestic crop production is also dismal; the quality of output will be compromised even with the most innovative machinery. To provide a competitive price for exports, competitive cost structure is a prerequisite, attained only through correct currency valuation. We have an overvalued currency as well as a high cost of doing business. These instruments need to be stabilised in order to compete. On the contrary, regional competitors like India, Vietnam, China, and Bangladesh are pursuing aggressive textile policies and buying market share in textiles through highly subsidised exports. Amusingly, Pakistan is the world’s leading importer of used clothing with per capita per annum import of approximately $1, whereas import in India is only 9 cents per capita per annum. Our imports of used clothing are 10 times that of India which has a similar poverty rate. This is because Pakistan is importing used clothing under the guise of new apparel. This is actually the rejected apparel and clothing from the US and EU, dumped in our market at unbelievably low rates that no one can compete with. The government should act as a regulatory and complementary body in market economies, making policies that support the domestic industry. Once an enabling environment is created, market forces will compel competitive production, accurate pricing, and set the floor for achieving economies of scale. Pakistan’s textile industry has an untapped exportable surplus of almost $20bn, which can help reverse the trade account deficit. Such a balance of payment situation is not a very comfortable position to be in. In order to avert the possibility of going to the International Monetary Fund again, we must improve export performance through the aforementioned measures and then place our bet at winning against aggressive competitors. Shahid Sattar is a former member of the Planning Commission and Hira Tanveer is a policy analyst
Source: Dawn.com
IT was in the early 2000s when two woven garment producers from Lahore proposed creating a larger cluster of small- to medium-sized apparel exporters of bottom-wear for increasing their economies of scales and reducing their costs. About 17 manufacturers came to the first meeting to discuss the details, but only eight saw the long-term benefits of collaborating with each another and stayed back to form the Lahore Woven Garments Consortium with an aim to conduct joint operations while maintaining their individual identity. Those were different times. The going was getting tougher for the small to medium-sized exporters of value-added textiles from Pakistan in the wake of terror attacks on the American soil followed by the Nato invasion of Afghanistan. The West was taking actions to control and monitor shipments from Pakistan that sharply raised the cost of exports as buyers virtually stopped visiting this part of the world owing to travel advisories issued by their governments. With one and a half decade of cooperation that started with the development of a common pool of information and high level of trust in one another, some producers are now contemplating a merger, their ‘next logical step’Several foreign companies decided to pull out of Pakistan amid uncertainty triggered by the country’s involvement as a front-line state in the US president George W. Bush’s ‘war on terror’. On top of that, textile quotas were all set to phase out in 2005 that changed the dynamics of international textile trade and impacted on the guaranteed market share of Pakistani products in the world. The larger exporters did not suffer much. However, small- and medium-sized garment exporters were being squeezed from both ends because of their size: the buyers forced them to give huge price discounts and the suppliers extorted them because of their smaller purchase orders. “That was altogether a different world and nobody in the industry was sure of the future because of geopolitical development and changes in the international textile trade. The prevalent international trade and business conditions helped us see the benefits of collaboration,” recalled Jawwad A. Chaudhary, managing director of Musterhaft, during an interview with this correspondent at his factory last week. Initially, they started by sharing information about their buyers, market, technology, cost of production, best management practices and so on. “That pool of information helped us benchmark our production, as well as move towards social, labour and other compliance long before the buyers started putting pressure. We have learnt a lot from each other,” Mr Chaudhary said. “The benchmarking of our production and costs also helped us hold out to pressure from our customers to reduce our prices as half of our customers were common. The successful experience motivated us to move ahead to joint purchase of textile quota, raw materials, technology and so on. The collective purchase deals saved us millions of dollars that significantly brought down our input and doing business costs despite heavy technological up-gradation,” he said. Their collaboration has paid off large dividends for the participants with their combined shipments surging by five times from $25 million in 2001 to $125m in 2017. Their business growth is 2.5 times greater than what national exports could manage in the same period. “This cooperation has not only let us make profits and grow but also helped some of us survive the worst of the times that include the abolition of textile quotas, recession in the US and Europe, energy shortages, etc,” Mr Chaudhary underscored. Though each member of the consortium has benefitted from their cooperation, not all have grown at the same rate. Some have grown much faster than the others because of various factors like the availability of cash to upgrade technology, invest in alternate energy sources during blackouts, debt-heavy investments, etc. With one and a half decade of cooperation that started with the development of a common pool of information and very high level of trust and confidence in one another, what lies next for the group participants? One of them recently told a conference organised by the Lahore University of Management and Sciences (Lums) that the next “merger of the participating companies into one large firm was the next logical step in this collaboration”. “We have already started working in this direction and commissioned a study. Mergers are not very common in our country but we realise that economies of scales could be achieved through mergers,” he said in answer to a question. Nonetheless, they do not have set any timeline for this “next logical step” and not many are optimistic of them moving in this direction any time soon.
Source: Dawn.com
The news that Bangladesh has more green RMG factories than any other country in the world is a delightful one. Over the last few years, Bangladesh's garment industries, the lifeline of the country's economy, have faced repeated calls to strengthen their factory safety and security. In this context, the fact that Bangladesh leads the way in building environmentally and structurally safe garment factories should reassure the foreign buyers that our industries are committed to addressing their concerns. In total, 67 of Bangladesh's garment factories have received the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certificate from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). We commend them for setting such an extraordinary example. We call on others, which are still lagging behind, to follow in their footsteps. This certification should also serve as a reassurance to all parties concerned that Bangladesh has made, and is continuing to make, considerable progress in improving its garment factories. We, however, recognise that our RMG industries have still a lot to improve, but this recognition indicates that Bangladesh is well ahead of many other garment-producing nations. We thank the rights groups and global industrial giants for continuously pushing Bangladesh's industries to make progress. However, they should also understand that it made such progress at a time when the global garment production business faces turmoil and intense competition, as many buyers are looking for cheaper products elsewhere in Africa. Bangladesh's industries will flourish and be able to ensure labour rights and high-standard factory safety, only if global buyers are ready to support them and buy clothes at an increased price. The global giants' continued and increased participation in efforts to make Bangladesh's garment factories safer has been crucial. We are confident that all stakeholders would continue in the same vein.
Source: The Daily Star
MULTAN:- The Punjab government is extending subsidy of billions of rupees on recommended varieties of cotton seed. According to assistant director agriculture (information) Naveed Asmat Kohloon, the subsidy is being given to farmers hailing from Multan, Khanewal, Lodhran, Vehari, Bahawalnagar, Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan, Dera Ghazi Khan, Layyah, Muzaffargarh and Rajanpur districts. Subsidy worth Rs 700 is given on every recommended seed bag. Subsidy vouchers would be provided in cottonseed bags during April 2018. The registered farmers would send ID Card number-Space-CS0319, at 8070 and would become part of the scheme. The last date for sending SMS is March 15. However, non-registered farmers would contact helpline 0800-15000 or 0800-29000 for availing this facility.
Source: The Nation
China does not intend to become embroiled in a trade war with United States, and the two sides have agreed to continue communicating on trade issues in the near future, which in turn will create conditions for further cooperation, senior Chinese officials said on Sunday. The comments were made as the recently announced intention of the US to impose tariffs has heightened global concerns over potential trade confrontations, particularly those between the world's two largest economies. Although Beijing does not want a trade war with the US, it "will never sit by and watch while its rights and interests are infringed upon", Zhang Yesui, spokesman for the first session of the 13th National People's Congress, said at a news conference in Beijing on Sunday. The right way to handle trade frictions is to make the cake of cooperation bigger and find solutions acceptable to both sides through dialogue, said Zhang, who once served as Chinese ambassador to the US. Policies based on erroneous judgments or presumptions will damage bilateral ties and lead to unintended consequences, Zhang warned. Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Li Baodong said "there is no winner in a trade war". China hopes the US will comply with international rules, particularly those of the World Trade Organization, Li said. The two countries have been engaged in talks in this regard, and Beijing has made all-round preparations, Li told reporters on Sunday on the sidelines of the two sessions. He is also a political adviser. China feels a great sense of duty, and considers not only its own growth but the sustained development of the world economy, Li said, adding that the country hopes the recent positive momentum of the world economy will be championed. "China and the US, the two major countries, bear special duties in this regard," he said. Chen Fengying, a senior world economy researcher at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said China is among the potential victims globally that stand to be affected by protectionist measures in Washington, and "timely liaison at the governmental level" is needed to avoid a deteriorating "free fall" of the situation. Liu He, director of the General Office of the Central Leading Group for Financial and Economic Affairs, met with senior US economic officials, including Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, for in-depth trade talks before wrapping up his US trip on Saturday. During the talks, Liu called for concerted efforts to expand economic and trade cooperation, as well as to settle difficult issues and seek a dynamic balance in bilateral economic and trade ties.
Source: China Daily
Boston-based apparel company Ministry of Supply has developed Mercury jacket made from a mix of polyester and polyurethane that tunes its temperature in line with user preferences and is waterproof, windproof and odour resistant. Its creators claim it can be used as a regular jacket and the 100-gram carbon fibre heating elements inside are not noticeable. When the USB chargeable 10,000-mAh battery is plugged in, the Mercury by default begins to heat up the moment the user puts it on. It is pre-programmed to respond to the wearer’s temperature and motion using a built in accelerometer and body heat sensor, so that it can make adjustments depending on the state of the wearer, such as whether he is walking or standing still, according to a press release from the company. It uses machine learning to acquaint itself with the user’s preferences. The more the feedback it receives, the better it will get at making automatic adjustments to keep the temperature inside at the optimal level, right up to 57 degree C. It can be controlled by a smartphone app or by voice command. It also comes with a Qi wireless charger built into one of the pockets, meaning that when the user slips his smartphone with wirless charging facility in there, it will start drawing on the jacket’s battery to stay charged up. Other features include heated hand warmer pockets, a hood, jet black and navy colour options and the fact that the jacket is safe to put through the washing machine with the battery removed. (DS)
Source : Fibre2Fashion
Scientists from Zhejiang University have developed a cloak that makes a bunny almost invisible to infrared cameras, thanks to fibres that mimic the structure of polar bear hairs. The hairs of a polar bear have a hollow core, which reflects back IR emissions from the body. This structure helps prevent heat loss and keeps the bears warm in Arctic environments. But the hairs have an added advantage: They can conceal the bears from thermal imaging cameras used in many night-vision devices. Textiles that can mimic polar bear hair’s IR-reflecting abilities might be useful in stealth applications, such as concealing soldiers. Previous attempts to make synthetic versions of the hairs have produced fibres that are too weak to be practically useful. A team from Zhejiang University has now used a freeze-spinning method to make fibres that are porous, strong, and highly thermally insulating. They consist of fibroin, a protein found in silk, along with a small amount of the polysaccharide chitosan. The researchers slowly squeezed a viscous, watery mixture of these materials through a cold copper ring, forming a frozen fibre that contained flat ice crystals. Freeze-drying the fibres removed the ice by sublimation to produce strong fibres about 200 micrometers wide with up to 87 per cent porosity. After varying conditions such as the viscosity of the mixture and the temperature of the ring, they found that running the process at minus100 degree Celsius produced pores about 30 micrometers across, which offered the best balance between strength and thermal insulation. “I was surprised to see the thermal conductivity of the biomimetic fibre was even lower than polar bear hair,” says Hao Bai, who led the team. It’s not the first time that this ice-templating method has been used to make porous fibres, says Sylvain Deville, research director of the Ceramic Synthesis and Functionalisation Laboratory, who uses the method in his own research. But, he says, the team demonstrated good control of the fibre structures. To demonstrate the thermal stealth potential of the fibres, the researchers wove them into a textile to make a little cape for a live lab rabbit. The critter’s body heat was all but invisible by thermal imaging, whether the background temperature was 40 degree Celsius, 15 degree Celsius or -10 degree Celsius. As an encore, the Zhejiang team produced an electrically-conductive textile by adding carbon nanotubes to the mixture of fibre precursors. Applying a voltage of 5 V raised the conductive fabric’s temperature from 24 degree Celsius to 36 degree Celsius in less than one minute—not useful for stealth, but potentially helpful for keeping winter clothing cozy. “It’s interesting that they’re able to introduce different materials, so they can combine different functionalities,” Deville says. Bai has patented the freeze-spinning technique, and hopes to develop the fibre into a commercial product. However, Deville notes that the freeze-spinning process is currently quite slow. “I suspect they will never be able to go very fast, so they may not be able to use it for large-scale applications.”
Source: Fibre2Fashion
National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq on Saturday assured the textile industry associations of help for resolving all issues relating to industry revival, particularly the energy price difference between Punjab and other provinces. While assuring the industry association of playing a role of facilitator and holding meeting with ministers concerned for arriving at a solution acceptable to the industry , speaker National Assembly said all the stakeholders will also be taken into confidence. He hoped that the issue of the restoration of viability and growth of industry would be resolved in the larger interest of the country and economic security. He visited the APTMA Punjab office on Saturday. Central chairman APTMA Aamir Fayyaz, group leader APTMA Gohar Ejaz and representatives from all major associations, including APTMA, Pakistan Readymade Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association, Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers Association, Council of Power Looms Association, Pakistan Textile Exporters Association, All Pakistan Textile Processing Mills Association and Pakistan Sweater Exporters Association welcomed him at the Association office. Representatives of textile industry associations presented the issues being faced by the Punjab-based textile industry to the visiting speaker. They demanded for securing uniform energy price across the country. While apprehending a closure of the Punjab-based industry due to the energy price disparity, Aamir said the govt should either secure a uniform energy price from the federal government or bear the price differential. He said an early resolution of the industry issues would enable prospective investors to undertake investment initiatives to produce exportable surplus to double the exports. The textile industry leadership said the prevailing disparity in the energy price in Punjab was more than double to the energy price for mills in other provinces. All the manufacturing units of spinning, weaving, dyeing, readymade garments, hosiery, towel and other sectors are becoming redundant fast with every passing day. Workers of these mills are being laid off day in and day out. Also, both the backward and forward linkages and allied sectors of the textile industry are facing the brunt of the situation across Punjab. Group leader Aptma Gohar Ejaz pointed out that the textile industry in Punjab is paying Rs1300 per MMBTU for RLNG against Rs600 per MMBTU in other provinces. Similarly, the imposition of Rs3.60 per kWh electricity surcharge in the electricity bills is being charged unfairly which cannot be passed on to the buyers in the international marketplace. He said the business equation in Punjab is being heavily distorted, leading to the closure of mills in every sector of the industry. Representatives from other textile industry value added associations said the textile industry, as a matter of fact, has become uncompetitive both within the country as well as the region.
Source: The Nation PK.
The government of Sweden is set to open a substitution center that will allow SMEs to recognize safer alternatives to hazardous substances, with significant focus on textiles. The centre will be located at research institute of Sweden in Boras and will enable knowledge sharing between large and small companies, associations, academia, authorities, and industry, ultimately helping their sustainable development. In the southwest of Sweden, Boras is the textile hub and represents research centres and chemical manufacturers. This new centre adds to work the government has already done in introducing an initiative to develop sustainability in textile sector, part of which includes that utilization of safer alternatives. It is clear that the substitution centre is likely to have particular focus on textile sector. The government is planning that centre will help to increase the substitution of these by improving knowledge of hazardous substances. In this way the centre will contribute to stimulating the development of sustainable production process and chemical products, circular economy as well as goods and non-chemical methods. screenshot-9Head of life science and RISE materials, PernillaWalkenstrom stated that a central part of the business is likely to be an advisory service where academia, industry, strategic innovation programs and industry organizations can get help. Contracting authorities such as country councils and municipalities might also need help in deciding if a product contains an unwanted chemical or has been produced using a process that has been used. Additionally, education and communication will be central parts of the business. DyStar Introduces New Concept “Cadira Denim” DyStar Group is launching Cadira Denim as the 6th concept of the company’s new resource efficiency program. This new Cadira concept reduces waste, water and energy consumption. The company expert stated, Cadira is likely to allow retailers and brands as well as their production partners to save valuable resources, to decrease carbon footprints of their textile products and to grow productivity by developing use of machinery. The 6th program is Cadira Denim, which is developed to collaborate the most eco awarded Indigo in the globe. This combination permits a salt-free dyeing with a solid sewage load deduction. Moreover, Cadira Denim decreases substantial waste quantities from effluent treatment plant’s (ETP) owing to no additional salt generated. The manufacturers stated that sulfates are likely to reduce up to 95% differentiated to dyeing with indigo powder combined with conventional reducing agent. Demand for Textile Chemicals Continues to Remain Steady in Asia PacificAsia Pacific remains central to the global prospects of textile chemicals. The region is home to China and India, which are one of the largest producers and consumers of textiles in Asia Pacific. On account of steady demand for textile chemicals in Asia Pacific, many global companies are looking to establish a strong presence in the region. However, the market remains quite fragmented, and many players have smaller shares in this market.
Source: Textile Focus
