Ahmedabad: Union commerce and industry minister Suresh Prabhu on Friday stressed on the need to promote the textile industry to give a boost to the manufacturing sector, as he claimed that the sector contributes only 16 per cent to the country's GDP at present. Prabhu said he is holding talks with various countries to explore new markets for Indian fabrics, garments and apparels in order to boost exports, as he said the industry is working in 'sub-optimal' level for its over-dependence on the European Union and the US for exports. "Contribution of manufacturing sector is only 16 per cent to our economy. It is also a fact that the textile sector is a major player in that contribution. But, when only 16 per cent of our GDP comes from manufacturing, it is not enough for a sustainable economy. Thus, it is necessary to scale up that contribution," said Prabhu. He was speaking here today at the inaugural ceremony of the three-day 'Farm to Fashion - Indian Textile Global Summit 2018', organised by the Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) as well as Maskati Cloth Market Mahajan. "We mainly export to the US and Europe. And, when the season goes away in those markets, we do not have enough orders, as we don't have markets in other parts of the world. Garment and apparel industry is working in sub-optimal level. They don't work for all the 12 months. "Things can change if we get orders, and that is why we are exploring new markets. We are talking to Latin American countries to explore new markets for our products. We are also working on making Khadi as globally accepted garment. We are also exploring Australia as a potential market," Prabhu said. The minister added that the Centre is also encouraging foreign direct investment (FDI) in the textile sector, which according to Prabhu has the potential to create "millions of jobs".On the occasion, GCCI president Shailesh Patwari urged the Central government to consider implementing a uniform textile policy across the country in line with GST. "Recently, Maharashtra announced its textile policy, under which, the state government is offering subsidies. We believe that there should be only one policy across the country. Otherwise textile units will shut down here and shift to Maharashtra," he said. "Just like the GST, dubbed as one nation-one tax, there should be a uniform policy not just for the textile industry, but for all the sectors. The government should think about 'one nation policy' for all the sectors," he added. Speaking on the occasion, Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani exuded confidence that the textile sector is capable of strengthening rural economy and create large-scale employment. Rupani added that his government is working towards building robust infrastructure to ensure that cotton produced by farmers gets consumed by the garment industry in the state, saving time and energy to export it.
Source: News18
COIMBATORE: Textile and clothing export promotion councils and associations related to exports have started taking up studies on the export promotion schemes implemented by the government. This comes in the wake of the U.S. challenging some of the Indian export subsidy schemes at the World Trade Organisation. “We have appointed an agency to give recommendations. We expect a report in three to four weeks. As of now, there is no concrete opinion on any of the schemes,” said A. Sakthivel, vice-chairman of Apparel Export Promotion Council.
Supportive schemes
The focus will be on strengthening the whole sector. The apparel sector is at an important milestone and the council is looking at schemes that will support the sector for another 10 to 20 years, said Chandrima Chatterjee, advisor — research and policy advocacy, of the council. According to Siddhartha Rajagopal, executive director of Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council, the export schemes that are being studied are for all sectors and not just textiles. So, various organisations and government departments are examining these schemes. “They want inputs from the industry. If alternative schemes are to be there, those should be rolled out this year. The government is reviewing the existing duty drawback and Rebate of State Levies too,” Mr. Rajagopal said. We need to see how fast the schemes can be developed and operationalised at the industry level. Each industry has its own requirements too,” he added.
Source: The Hindu
The incentives offered in India are far below that offered in China, thereby making Indian products lose out on being price competitive in the global markets, it further suggested. The country needs to relax labour laws and enhance incentives in order to become the preferred sourcing destination in textiles sector, a report submitted to the government said. The study, commissioned by the textiles ministry and conducted by the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, suggested strengthening the eco-system for textile exports, integrating fragmented textile value chain and investing in skill upgradation as measures needed to boost India's sourcing potential. "Outdated labour laws within the textile sector hampers India from becoming labour competitive. India is not perceived to be a low cost labour destination," the report said. The incentives offered in India are far below that offered in China, thereby making Indian products lose out on being price competitive in the global markets, it further suggested. The report also called for innovation in terms of new products, new business models and collaborations; digitisation of entire supply chain from product development to delivery and ensuring compliances related to quality and legal issues, so that India is recognised for producing world class products. "IIFT also believes that key to success is encouraging product as well as market diversification for varied textiles & apparel products and clear positioning of Indian Textiles in International Markets," it said. According to the study, the poor state of roads and connectivity around weaver hubs have led to reduced number of personal visits by buyers, leading to greater dependence on buying agents. Moreover, it said, the high import cost of latest machines deter many small manufacturers from upgrading to the latest technology, thereby contributing to compromises on quality. "India levies a total tax burden to the tune of 23.5 per cent, which includes basic duty, CVD (countervailing duty) and special CVD on the imports of machines in addition to landing charges and additional cess," the study noted. On the other hand, governments in China, Vietnam and Bangladesh promote the investments in modern technology by either government investing themselves or by levying duty of around 1-2 per cent, while in Vietnam it is zero per cent, said the report. Besides, it observed that India's carpet sector faces a growing threat of depletion of skills and forward dissemination of knowledge to the next generation. "Low per day wage rate despite the hard work of hand weaving is making this sector financially unviable to the younger generation," said the report, suggesting to ensure adequate wages by increasing the designer-weaver-buyer connect. It also suggested setting up vocational courses in carpet weaving so that the craft and skill of Indian handmade carpets is kept intact. The report also flagged the key issue of poor knowledge about international quality compliances. "Regular training and skilling about quality issues related to dyes, colours, etc.., must be imparted so that even the most remote weaver or designer is trained with the mindset of being quality conscious for the products developed locally and globally," the report suggested. It said the focus should be on promoting niche areas that cover indigenous artisans, weavers and craftsman as they provide a unique identity to the country's textile output.
Source: Zee Business
India needs to rework its trade treaties with countries and blocks of countries to encourage garment sector in the country, industry players said in a document that will be submitted to Gujarat government. Other major areas that need to be worked upon include change in traditional mindset leading to a nimble approach in the adaptation of new practices, creating economies of scale, inviting foreign investment and focus of research and development. "We need to rethink our trade agreements. The Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with European Union is not working for us and the South Asian Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) is hurting us," said Meena Kaviya, chairperson of Textile Committee of Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), while giving highlights of the white paper prepared during the 'Farm To Fashion' expo in the city of Saturday. What she meant was that in spite of FTA with EU, Indian exports are not rising in the region. On the other hand, Indian import from countries like Bangladesh is rising and eating into the share of local because of SAFTA. The expo aimed to create end-to-end value chain in the textile sector in Gujarat, which is the largest producer of cotton and man-made fibres. Low-value products like cotton and fabrics are being exported from the state while high-value products like apparels are being imported in the state. State government and industry players want to create entire value chain in Gujarat to create more jobs. At present, Ahmedabad and Surat are major centres for producing cotton and man-made fibres and fabrics, aimed predominantly at low-value domestic market. The other major areas to improve upon include availability of skilled workforce and creating economies of scale to create competitive products, change in mindset and adopt new practices for sustained growth. Processing is another segment where huge capacities need to be generated and quality improved. Players should also focus on R&D," said Kaviya.
Farm To Fashion wit-ness Rs 400 crore biz in two days:
The Farm To Fashion expo that begun in Ahmedabad on Friday witnessed a business of Rs400 crore in two days, GCCI president Shailesh Patwari said on Saturday. We are elated with the response we got from the expo. The state government has also promised us all the help to promote garment sector in the state," said Patwari. Close to 1,380 buyers from India and abroad participated in expo.
Source: DNA
Precarious balance: Garment workers heading to their workplace at Bengaluru. This largely female workforce remains forgotten in every poll
Two years have passed since thousands of garment workers took to the streets in violent protests. While the stir was a reaction to the Centre’s decision to amend Employees’ Provident Fund withdrawal rules, other factors such as poor wages, harassment in factories, and long working hours also played a role. The Centre may have withdrawn its amendment, but nothing else seems to have changed in this sector, which for the most part remains unorganised. There are five lakh garment workers across Karnataka, but the largely female workforce around 80% remains forgotten during every election. Bengaluru alone has over 1,200 factories as the city is a major manufacturing hub, especially for ready-made garments. Problems such as low wages, gender disparity and sexual harassment remain unaddressed. Workers say no party has reached out to understand their problems. “None of the parties have done anything for garment workers. The Congress government had promised a wage hike from ₹7,700 to ₹12,000 for workers in the city and a draft notification was brought out in February this year. But after the management of four manufacturers gave representation, the notification was cancelled,” said Prathibha R., president, Garment and Textile Workers’ Union. She added that only the JD(S), in the 2008 Assembly elections, promised to increase their wages. A 2015 survey by the Centre for Workers’ Management and Garment and Textile Workers’ Union found that their wages were extremely low. Another problem is the high cost of bus transport, forcing workers to walk to work. “Now, the Congress has promised us Indira Sarige (bus service). But we need more money, not transportation. We have no hopes from the BJP as well,” said Ms. Prathibha. The union is conducting an awareness campaign among the garment workers to ensure that their demands reach political parties. “We have given out 50,000 pamphlets to workers highlighting the issues that have not been addressed,” she added. Anita Cheria, who has been working with the garment worker community for over a decade, said the elections have not addressed the labour issues at all. “In fact, there has only been a dilution of labour laws. Even in the manifesto, nothing positive has come out from political parties. However, visibility of garment workers and their issues have increased as have their assertion of rights,” Ms. Cheria said. However, it may be long before this visibility leads to fulfilment of their demands.
Source: The Hindu
The judgment leads to low prospects of patenting agri-innovation, extinguishing the incentive for companies to deliver new and transformative technologies. Research in multiple crops will come to a halt as low prospects of patenting and commercialising novel inventions extinguishes the incentive for companies to deliver new and transformative technologies. Recently, the Honourable Division Bench of the Delhi High Court, while hearing a patent infringement suit filed by Monsanto against Nuziveedu Seeds and group companies, invalidated Monsanto’s patent on Bollgard II technology. It directed Monsanto to seek registration for its donor seeds, containing the technology, and access to the benefit sharing mechanism for these donor seeds under the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers Right Act (PPVFRA). With full respect to the judges and the judgment, we should look at the following aspects contained therein and the far-reaching implications: “The judgment concludes that the man-made gene is inanimate and without utility unless it is integrated into a plant / plant variety and that Monsanto was, therefore, effectively claiming a patent right over a gene incorporated in a plant /plant variety, which is prohibited by Section 3(j) of the Patent Act. The High Court appears to have completely misunderstood the technology, which is a man-made gene or chemical. It is not a plant, seed or any naturally occurring material. The High Court also appears to have confused the technology with the way it is used by seed companies who have licensed the technology. In brief, it appears that the court has held that the patent for a man-made chemical, or a man-made gene, is invalid not because it is a plant or seed, but merely because it is used within plants. “Cotton seed is covered under the Essential Commodities Act and hence the access to donor seeds cannot be denied by the technology developer to any seed company that wants it. This means if someone develops a technology, and goes through a process of deregulation, anyone else can seek access and it must be given irrespective of any criteria applicable to the seekers of such technology. There are other aspects of this judgment that deal with the license, such as royalty dues, which are not relevant to this article. This judgment has deep implications for agricultural research in general and agricultural biotechnology in particular. It has significant bearing for Indian farmers who could be at a severe disadvantage with a research investment deficit and a lack of access to globally available innovation.
* By the logic in the Court ruling, all patented products which are designed to be incorporated into any plant or animal are at the risk of being invalidated. The Patent Authority of India has granted over 100 patents so far for agri-biotech innovations, genes, and traits. Over 1000 applications are pending. These are from the private industry, public institutions, Indian companies and multinationals. Will all these patents become null and void now? Public and private institutions have invested thousands of crores in this space for the last two decades trusting the Indian Patent Act. Government has invested thousands of crores of tax payers’ money through Department of Biotechnology and other institutions. Do all those research outputs go out of the ambit of patents? A narrow view would suggest this be applied to the single patent under question in this judgment. However, by disallowing patentability, this judgment is equally applicable to agri biotech patents in general and enables those who seek technology without wanting to pay for it by citing farmer interest.
* Practically all crops are covered under the Essential Commodities Act. Does it mean that technology or germplasm developers have to give out genes, traits, and parent material in all crops to anyone who wants them? The concept of technology stewardship becomes irrelevant. What about commercial benefits for technology developers and researchers? It is indeed disheartening that few seed companies want to have their cake and eat it too – gain access to technology, build flourishing businesses, and then follow the path of misinforming stakeholders to an extent where investments suffer. Well intentioned laws of our country such as the Essential Commodities Act are stretched without any regard for eventual adverse impact on farmers – can there be any bigger disservice to our nation?
* The judgment also recommends that the technology developer may instead seek protection of its Intellectual Property Rights in the gene under the PPVFRA by seeking registration of donor seeds containing the gene. The gene does not constitute a plant variety under the PPVFRA. A variety is a combination of genes which makes it unique and suitable for protection under PPVFRA. Donor seeds are not necessarily unique varieties. They are mostly public varieties (as is the case with Coker seed used as donor seed for Bt gene), which in many cases, may not be eligible for protection under PPVFRA. Even if it does, registration for the donor seeds containing the gene would not protect the technology developer’s rights in the gene itself. So, how the technology developer gets protection under the PPVFRA is very nebulous and unprecedented!
* A party may easily misappropriate such donor seeds, and transfer the gene from the donor seeds to its own varieties such that there is nothing in common between the two, except for the presence of the gene. In such an event, the technology provider would have no remedies to restrict the misappropriating party from the unauthorized use of its gene. On the other hand, a party can also use the developer’s gene in his variety and not get that variety registered under PPVFRA. The technology provider would not be able to seek compensation for use of its gene under PPVFRA as the variety is not registered with the authority and benefit sharing does not apply. In fact, many companies have not sought PPVFRA protection for their varieties for various reasons. This will now be an additional reason for not seeking protection.
This judgment can potentially harm research investments in developing agricultural biotechnology. Apart from genetically modified (GM) technology, there are several new non-GM breeding technologies now available. All of them will meet with the same fate as the BGII gene in terms of patent protection. So, why would any research based commercial organization invest further in developing such technologies for Indian farmers, or bring relevant available technologies to India?
Research in multiple crops like cotton, maize, rice, and vegetables, will come to a halt as low prospects of patenting and commercialising novel inventions extinguishes the incentive for companies to deliver new and transformative technologies. This reduces competitiveness for Indian farmers due to lack of access to new technologies, while farmers in other geographies have access to latest technologies ensured by a predictable business environment and respect for IP rights. New and innovative technologies are already skipping India as investments get redirected to other countries with dependable patent laws. In this background, can we sustain India’s global competitiveness in cotton and the future of 70 lakh cotton farmers at a time when the global dynamics of cotton industry are changing? The huge production, exports, and wealth which Bt cotton has generated for the country and its cotton farmers is under threat. Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI) estimates that demand for cotton in India will double in the next ten years – the textile industry should surely be worried with the developments we have seen over the last 3 years and their implications for cotton availability. Everyone reading this should understand what is happening in Burkina Faso – this country, once a top cotton producer in Africa with 70% area under Bt cotton, phased out GM Cotton in 2015, and is already on the verge of a crisis with high pest infestations, high pesticide use, falling yields and their farmers losing incomes and becoming uncompetitive. Are we headed in the same direction? I leave it to the pharma biotech industry to look at the implications of this judgment for them because they deal with similar biological processes. The role of the Courts is to interpret the law. Laws involving science can be complex and exposed to misrepresentation by companies with vested interests who seek to infringe. It is the Government which must look at the laws, look at their suitability to our ambitions in agriculture, look at compliances with various International obligations like TRIPs, and take necessary steps to clarify these laws, and their intent and principles to encourage research, progress, predictability, and prosperity of our farmers. I trust our Government would look at these aspects immediately and take necessary steps. My previous article was titled – To Bt or not to Bt – ‘not to Bt’ is now clear and we are headed for a major crisis.
Source: Financial Express
While compliance under the goods and services tax (GST) is improving slowly for regular taxpayers, the January-March quarter also saw the composition-scheme dealers reporting average annual revenue of Rs 20 lakh, over twice as much as they reported in the previous two quarters. This signalled increasing compliance by this segment of relatively small taxpayers and officials attribute the same to recent efforts to nail down evaders. Composition scheme is open for all taxpayers with annual sales between Rs 20 lakh and Rs 1.5 crore, except for service providers. Clearly, there is still much scope for improving compliance by these taxpayers. The scheme offers easier compliance requirements including facility to file simple quarterly returns and pay a fraction of sales as GST, rather than pay the tax at item-wise rates. While earlier different rates of tax for composition-scheme manufacturers, traders and restaurants existed, the GST Council in November had reduced the rates to flat 1% for all categories and this became from January. In January-March quarter, the government received Rs 579 crore from 12 lakh such composition-scheme taxpayers. This means that each taxpayer filing returns under this scheme reported an average annual revenue of close to Rs 20 lakh. While this was still a tad below the GST’s lower threshold of Rs 20 lakh, it was much higher than Rs 8 lakh and Rs 9 lakh reported by such assessees in the July-September and October-December quarters respectively. Currently there are 19.31 lakh taxpayers registered under this scheme but only 60% of them filed returns for the fourth quarter of last fiscal year. Explaining the better reporting from these taxpayers, a tax department official told FE: “All taxpayers are slowly realising that it’s counter-productive to evade taxes in GST system as mismatches between purchase and sales would show up eventually. We have also sent hundreds f some notices on these mismatches which have played its part in improving better sales reporting.” The government had estimated large-scale evasion among composition dealers after it collected a paltry sum from sum for the first quarter under GST. If the sales reported by these units were correct, most of them would have fallen below the threshold for GST registration. Obviously, there was massive under-reporting of sales. However, in the absence of anti-evasion tools like e-way bill and comprehensive return-filing system at that time, the tax department has found it difficult to plug revenue leakages. “Increased tax collections from composition taxpayers can’t be traced back to a single reason; in fact, it is due to multiple factors including lowering of tax rates with effect from January, 2018, fear of harsh penalties, and regular outreach programmes by the government. Besides this smaller taxpayers generally tend to draw up accounts at the year end and show augmented revenue to justify the level of operations for the financial year pushing up the tax collections for March quarter. Easing out of technical glitches by GSTN would have also encouraged the taxpayers to file returns and pay taxes.” Rajat Mohan, partner, AMRG & Associates said. “With the introduction of the e-way bill across the country on interstate movements and in many states on intrastate transport as well, the collections and compliance in respect of composition dealers is bound to improve in the current quarter (April-June). The fact that the processes, rates etc have stabilised together with the GST portal would also encourage more composition dealers to become compliant,” M S Mani, partner, Deloitte India said.
Source: Financial Express
Indian economy, economy growth rate, GDP, ADB India’s projected GDP growth of over 7 per cent for the current fiscal is “amazingly fast” and if this momentum is maintained the size of the economy can double within a decade, ADB Chief Economist Yasuyuki Sawada has said. India’s projected GDP growth of over 7 per cent for the current fiscal is “amazingly fast” and if this momentum is maintained the size of the economy can double within a decade, ADB Chief Economist Yasuyuki Sawada has said. The country shouldn’t worry about not achieving 8 per cent growth but focus on increasing domestic demand by reducing the income inequality, he said. Growth is driven more by domestic consumption than exports, he added. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has projected India to remain the fastest growing Asian nation with 7.3 per cent growth in 2018-19, and 7.6 per cent in 2019-20. The Indian economy is forecast to grow at 6.6 per cent in the 2017-18 fiscal ended March 31, slower than 7.1 per cent in 2016-17. “7 per cent growth is amazingly fast. If a 7 per cent growth continues for 10 years, then that economy’s size doubles,” Sawada said in an interview with PTI. “So that’s super fast growing growth rate. And being one of the largest economies in the region, achieving this 7.3 per cent this fiscal and next year, 7.6 per cent, is really amazing,” he added. The size of India’s economy is about USD 2.5 trillion currently, making it the sixth largest in the world. Economic Affairs Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg had said recently that the country is on track to doubling the size of its economy to USD 5 trillion by 2025. Sawada said however that clocking 8 per cent growth is a “big challenge” for India as of now. “7 per cent growth is a very good number and India should not worry about not achieving 8 per cent growth.” Asked whether export revival would be important for driving the economic growth, he said that half of India’s growth is driven by private consumption followed by investment and hence domestic market seems to play a major role in growth. “Export is not a necessary reading for India growth. Rather domestic market seems to be very important…to support growth rate. Of course, export is one part of growth driver, but Indian growth is driven more by domestic market,” he said. Sawada said inequality and poverty reduction would play a “very important role” in achieving higher growth because consumption can stimulate more production and that can absorb more employment. He said that poor people, if their livelihood goes up, can be good consumers. “Tapping the broadening market will be important to achieve higher growth,” he said, adding that the services sector too would play a role in pushing up economic growth.
Source: Financial Express
LUDHIANA: In a unique achievement, city-based garment manufacturer and exporter, Narinder Chugh, Swiss Military, a world renowned brand from Switzerlandhas signed an exclusive deal with Chugh's company Suisse A La Mode for manufacturing, marketing and sale of Garments of the Swiss company. Chugh's other company Million Exporter private limited has won several export awards including MSME award which was conferred to company by Textile Minister Smriti Irani and former union minister Kalraj Mishra. Speaking to TOI about the achievement, Chugh said, "This is indeed matter of pride for us and our city as this is perhaps first time that such a big global brand has tied up with a Ludhiana firm for manufacturing of its products which will be sold worldwide. Incorporating the vision Make in India vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, my aspiration was to launch a well reputed international brand in India under the leadership and guidance of my son Akshat who is a Graduate from the UK and will be handling the manufacturing, marketing, selling and promotion of the brand in India. Our first step will be to make Swiss Military products available at all the leading multiple brand outlets, Exclusive Brand outlets, franchisee outlets, e-commerce platforms and also through channels of distribution." He also said, "Our plan is to launch 400 exclusive Brand Outlets all over India for our products and create a new milestone by having presence in corporate sales. Our projected sales for the coming year will be around Rs. 100 crores or more,” Giving more information Akshat Chugh said, "Our company has rich experience, in-depth knowledge of product creation, with in-house designing, vertical set up where we have facility to manufacture fabric to fashion under one roof, compliance set up and updated technology which can bring substantial results for the brand as we can offer quality, quantity and fashion at the same time. The company will now manufacture extremely innovative products like T-shirts, jackets, pullovers, polo t-shirts, tops for Swiss Military in India."
Source: The Times of India
A strong movement towards Sericulture started in 1997-98 with the birth of the JICA project under funding of the Japanese Government with an estimated Rs.134.5 crores budget, he stated. The present status of the Sericulture Industry of Manipur is mostly focussed on sufficing the domestic consumption of the State with the raw silk production during the past one and a half decade giving remuneration of Rs.1,50,000 to Rs.2,50,000 per annum with one acre systematic plantation and proper mulberry rearing, stated S Kunjakishore, Sericulture Director, Manipur. The Manipur Sericulture Project(MSP) Phase 1 was implemented till 2008 after which the project was unfortunately stopped due to the deteriorating law and order situation of the State, he explained. "Mulberry silkworm rearing and reeling was confined to Khurkhul, Leimaram, Pheiyang and Thongjao. One Project Management Complex was established under the Manipur Sericulture Project,Phase -1 in 2005-06 at Wangkhei Panchim, Sangaipat Imphal East in an area of 23 acres of land with an outlay of Rs.12.64 cr", he stated. Briefing media persons during the conference, S Kunjakishore said that the total productive hectare covered by the silkworm food plants has been in increasing trend with 7,548 for mulberry,14,381 for Eri, 8,135 for Oak Tasar and 1,546 for muga by the end of 2016 . Special Plan Assistance(SPA) with an outlay of Rs.75 cr in both mulberry and eri sector, Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana(RKVY), Integrated Sericulture Development Projects for valley as well as hill districts,Human Resources Development Programme(BEP) & DBT and catalytic development Programme(CDP) have been implemented so far for strengthening Sericulture infrastructure in seed production and extension of works, skill development and extension of technology from lab to field level, he stated. S Kunjakishore also informed that the sector wise employment provided by Sericulture industry as on January 2018 by muga, eri,oak tasar and mulberry sectors to sericulture farmers are 22,222(SC),13,551(ST) and 2,182(others); to family engaged is 9,042 and to seri villagers is 981 . Upgradation of regional silk institutes, introduction of Integrated bi-voltine Sericulture Project in Tripura Model, one IBSDP in mulberry with financial assistance from the Ministry of Textiles under NERTPS scheme and composite "Soil to Silk Project" are in the pipeline, he said. District Sericulture Officer, Imphal West, S Birendra Singh said that there are 6 common races of silkworms 3 each in Japanese (j001,j003,j101) and Chinese (c002,c004,c102) in the State. Deputy Director, Sericulture,Manipur, Shri Ch Harendrakumar Singh also spoke on the various projects, schemes and training related to Sericulture Industry in Manipur. IPR Director Shri H Balkrisna Singh moderated the conference.
Source: E.Pao.net
Filmmakers Muzaffar Ali and Yasmin Kidwai take their love for Sufism from cinematic canvas to clothes. Her long flowy kurtis look simple, minimalistic even though the design language is strong and powerful. Visually, they transcend boundaries, time and period. If you see the motifs carefully, the voice inside you would tell you they are symbols of Sufism. Meet its creator - Yasmin Kidwai, an old hand in filmmaking who forayed into fashion only three years ago. She has now created eclectic four dozen garments that embrace Sufism in all its multiple meanings. While doing the balancing act between cinematography and costumes, Yasmin stuck to her fundamentals of Sufism both literally and metaphorically. She has emulated the Sufi sense of freedom and expression in easy yet classic styles at her new range of outfits which were showcased at a stylish pop-up organised at Guppy in Delhi recently by House of Qidwa, her pret brand, and handcrafted jewellery brand Zariin. “When I was asked to define my own clothes, I instantly felt it was Sufism. I wanted my clothes to be free from constrain - they can be traditional as well as modern. Sufism for me means minimalism and pluralism. It also means love and acceptance. As a result, my clothes are minimal; they are not heavy on embellishments. Looking at them you cannot get a clear cut answer as to from where they have originated. They could be from any part of the world,” says Yasmin. However, Sufism is much more in terms of its philosophical side rather than its shadow on outfits. And this is where Muzaffar Ali, who easily straddles from films like Umrao Jaan , to high street fashion where he conducts extravagant shows to celebrate craftsmanship of Kotwara’s karigars, needs to be understood. He virtually lives and breathes Sufism. And Sufism’s multiple meanings resonate at his annual event Jahan-e-Khusrau.
Broader meaning
Describing Sufism as a way of looking at the lives of people, Ali says: “Everything has larger cause and larger effect. It is a compassionate way of life, of love and surrender. It could be reflected on architecture, film or painting.” Explaining how Sufism is reflected on his craftsmanship, he says, “Sufis, from the beginning, have laid emphasis on seeing the beauty in everything and as the Quran says, “He has inscribed beauty on all things’ and the Hadith that ‘verily God is beautiful and loves beauty.’ Craft is the celebration of this beauty and is manifested in both architecture and clothing and gives dignity to the craftspersons. As a creative person you have to reinvent and redefine craft to keep it refreshed in the hearts and minds of the users. You may term this fashion or style. It is this reinvention that keeps the craftspersons in jobs. You can call this barakah or blessing.” Meanwhile, in her creative pursuit to take her pret brand forward, Yasmin has managed to break a few archaic notions about how our traditional embroidery is understood by those who vouch for its heaviness. “Zardozi is looked upon as heavy embellishments but I have invested time and research to show that my clothes, decorated with this kind of embroidery, appears light on the eyes.” Physically, one can feel the soft texture of the kurti. The garment embossed with gold thread work seems as light as other outfits embellished with aari or crochet buttons. Sufism stands for minimalism, simplicity yet making a statement of freedom of thought, yet there are varied ways of interpreting it. Ali says: “Minimal or elaborate, chikankari or zardozi, weaving in Varanasi, Bhagalpur or Srinagar, the philosophy is always two fold. One is to keep craft alive at its most elaborate and intricate level and conserve those special skills for future that may go extinct. The second is creating a sense of beauty and simplicity at a basic level, nurture a passion for the handwoven and handspun in the youth of today be it national or global. The Sufi mind is an open universal mind which does not believe in man-made barriers. She or he believes in oneness of the human race. Therefore simplicity, intricacy and freedom of thought acquire different meanings.” Delineating the link between Islamic mysticism and her costumes, Yasmin says: “The dargah and the basti are the best representatives of Sufism. People from across the globe come to Nizamuddin and the basti lives and breathes that atmosphere. It is an oasis of peace in a bustling city. This is exactly what I wanted the clothes to represent. They are accommodating, can be worn with Eastern or Western sensibilities while looking inward and forward.” Interestingly, the idea to start stitching clothes originated from a few like-minded friends who warm up to her style of clothing and comment on its comfort and timelessness. “As a filmmaker, I work a lot with craftsperson. Creativity takes me to all over the country and I always find it fascinating how each region reflects its life, history and culture. However, we in cities are dictated only by Western influences – we choose to wear impractical jeans in 45-degree temperature rather than our own traditional garment which can easily absorb the heat wave.” Ali works with craftsperson of Kotwara to provide them livelihood. “For me, fashion is a way to empower the people.” Generally, Sufism is associated with black and white. Ali believes that colours are all about celebration. “Sufism can be manifested in multiple ways. There is even a branch of Sufis who wear garish clothes. Some people like to wear black, green and some even saffron.” As a creative person you have to reinvent and redefine craft to keep it refreshed in the hearts and minds of users
Source: The Hindu
Scientists from the University of Plymouth have received Government funding to launch a new research project analysing the impact of tyres and clothing on the marine environment. Environment Minister Thérèse Coffey has pledged £200,000 to explore how tiny plastic particles from tyres, synthetic materials like polyester, and fishing gear – such as nets, ropes and lines – enter our waterways and oceans, and the impact they have on marine life. Following the government’s ban on microbeads, this comprehensive research will be used to improve our scientific understanding of how microplastics from other sources enter the oceans – whether through fibres released into waste water during a washing cycle, or car tyre friction on roads creating a dust of particles that make their way into the seas through sewers. The 11-month project will build on research already underway, with some scientists estimating tyres contribute 270,000 tonnes of plastics per year while a single wash load of acrylic clothing could release over 700,000 microfibres into the ocean. Speaking at the National Oceanographic Association’s annual conference in London, Environment Minister Thérèse Coffey said: “The impact of plastic pollution on our oceans is one of the greatest environmental challenges of our generation. The UK is already leading the way in this area, but we want to go further – and faster. But we can only act where there is robust evidence, and through this exciting project we will build on work underway to better understand how microplastics end up in marine environment and what we can do to tackle this in the future.” The research project is being led by Professor Richard Thompson OBE, Head of the International Marine Litter Research Unit at the University. He oversaw Defra’s first research project on microplastics and their impact on the marine environment, which led to the UK’s pioneering ban on microbeads in rinse-off cosmetics and personal care products coming into force this year. It will also build on a previous study by the University, which identified a single load of washing can release up to 700,000 fibres into the marine environment, by identifying the quantities of synthetic fibres and textiles released through storm water runoff, combined sewage overflows, treated effluent and airborne transport. Professor Thompson said: “The types of microplastics entering the marine environment are incredibly diverse, but recent estimates in Norway and Sweden have suggested that particles of tyre and debris from the road surface could be a substantial source. With very limited real data available to confirm the impact from these sources, there is a genuine and pressing need to establish the true scale of this issue. By combining this with an assessment of the quantities of microplastic from synthetic textiles, we can develop a more complete picture on the relative importance of various sources. We will be able to use our findings can to work with the Government, scientists and industry to try to prevent these particles entering the marine environment in the future.” This project will build on the substantial research already underway on marine plastic pollution and the impact of human activities on the marine environment. It will be used to guide future policy priorities as the Government continues in its fight against the scourge of plastics. This includes the 5p plastic bag charge – which has led to 9 billion fewer bags distributed – and last month’s pledge to introduce a deposit return scheme for single use drinks containers, subject to consultation, and recent plans to end the sale of plastic straws, stirrers and plastic-stemmed cotton buds. It sits alongside the 25 Year Environment Plan commitment to eliminate avoidable plastic waste and the Treasury’s call for evidence on how charges and changes to the tax system could be used to reduce single use plastics.
Source: Infosurhoy
|
Item |
Price |
Unit |
Fluctuation |
Date |
|
PSF |
1391.31 |
USD/Ton |
-0.28% |
5/6/2018 |
|
VSF |
2185.22 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
5/6/2018 |
|
ASF |
2955.55 |
USD/Ton |
1.62% |
5/6/2018 |
|
Polyester POY |
1452.62 |
USD/Ton |
-0.32% |
5/6/2018 |
|
Nylon FDY |
3348.57 |
USD/Ton |
-1.84% |
5/6/2018 |
|
40D Spandex |
5659.56 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
5/6/2018 |
|
Nylon POY |
3065.60 |
USD/Ton |
1.56% |
5/6/2018 |
|
Acrylic Top 3D |
1729.31 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
5/6/2018 |
|
Polyester FDY |
3600.11 |
USD/Ton |
-0.43% |
5/6/2018 |
|
Nylon DTY |
5942.54 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
5/6/2018 |
|
Viscose Long Filament |
1705.73 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
5/6/2018 |
|
Polyester DTY |
3097.04 |
USD/Ton |
-1.99% |
5/6/2018 |
|
30S Spun Rayon Yarn |
2963.41 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
5/6/2018 |
|
32S Polyester Yarn |
2185.22 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
5/6/2018 |
|
45S T/C Yarn |
3002.71 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
5/6/2018 |
|
40S Rayon Yarn |
2326.71 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
5/6/2018 |
|
T/R Yarn 65/35 32S |
2546.80 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
5/6/2018 |
|
45S Polyester Yarn |
3128.48 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
5/6/2018 |
|
T/C Yarn 65/35 32S |
2688.29 |
USD/Ton |
0% |
5/6/2018 |
|
10S Denim Fabric |
1.47 |
USD/Meter |
0% |
5/6/2018 |
|
32S Twill Fabric |
0.90 |
USD/Meter |
0% |
5/6/2018 |
|
40S Combed Poplin |
1.25 |
USD/Meter |
0% |
5/6/2018 |
|
30S Rayon Fabric |
0.70 |
USD/Meter |
0% |
5/6/2018 |
|
45S T/C Fabric |
0.74 |
USD/Meter |
0% |
5/6/2018 |
Source: Global Textiles
Note: The above prices are Chinese Price (1 CNY = 0.15721 USD dtd. 6/5/2018). The prices given above are as quoted from Global Textiles.com. SRTEPC is not responsible for the correctness of the same.
CAIRO – 6 May 2018: Egypt’s exports of readymade clothes jumped 17 percent in the first quarter (Q1) of 2018, recording $385 million (LE 6.77 billion), compared to $330 million during the same period of 2017, the Ready Made Garments Export Council revealed. The United States of America allocated 48 percent of Egypt’s ready-made garments exports in Q1, recording $185 million, compared to $160 million in the same period of 2017, with a 16 percent increase. On a monthly basis, the exports in January 2018 increased to $129 million, compared to $104 million in the first month of 2017. The exports in February climbed 21 percent to reach $133 million, compared to $110 million. Furthermore, they recorded $123 million in March, compared to $116 million in the same month of the previous year. Executive Director of the Ready Made Garments Export Council Sherin Hosny said earlier that the council aims at increasing ready-made clothes’ exports 20 percent by the end of 2018 to record $1.8 billion. She anticipated that the sector’s exports will exceed $1.8 billion in case the rate of exports continues on the same trajectory as the first quarter of the current year. Hosny added that the sector’s exports to African countries do not exceed 2 percent, but activating trade agreements, especially the African Continental Free Trade Area, will increase the export of Egyptian products to specific markets such as South Africa, stating that South Africa’s demands for readymade clothes are increasing. She clarified that not having a specific trade agreement with South Africa, in addition to the high tariffs, are considered to be obstacles in the way of exporting to South Africa, hoping that these obstacles will be solved by the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement. Through this agreement, Egypt can import accessories used in manufacturing ready-made garments from African countries, and African countries can rely on Egypt’s textile sector, Hosny said. She added that such an agreement creates opportunities for cooperation between Egypt and African countries in the field. The African Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) agreement aims to ease the trade exchange between the countries that signed it according to a scheduled timeline and not through an immediate activation of the agreement. The CFTA is considered to be the biggest deal ever signed since the World Trade Organization (WTO) was established as it was signed by 43 countries.
Source: Egypt Today
At a time Nigeria’s total non-oil export is less than $2 billion, Bangladesh, once among the poorest countries in the world, is raking in $28 billion just from textile export. Bangladesh’s oil is the textile industry, which accounts for over 70 percent of export revenue and 13 percent of the country’s gross domestic product. One big reason why Bangladesh got its textile industry right was policy. Bangladesh is reputed for having more investor-friendly policies than many of its neighbours and has cheaper skilled labour. According to Reuters, the country has tax-free access to 37 countries, including the European Union, Canada and Australia. This is different from Nigeria, which has continued to get its trade polices wrong and serially adopts protectionist policies that make free trade hard. In fact, around 2011, Bangladesh wooed some investors in Pakistan, who discovered that it was easier to do business in the country. After liberation in 1972, Bangladesh had opted for a socialistic economic policy by nationalising all big industries, including large textile mills, according to Mazharul Islam Kiron, textile consultant and researcher. However, the country took a more capitalistic view of development by not only opting for a market-oriented economic policy but also handing over these mills to the private sector in phases. This signalled a breakthrough in the industry, which today provides 4.5 to five million jobs for the people of the country. The country today is an export-oriented economy, thriving on cotton and ready-made garments. Last year, Bangladesh came up with a textile policy, targeted at expanding the export market. One of the focal points of the policy is to strengthen the primary textile sector to fulfil the local demand of textiles and promote a medium and high value added export oriented garments industry. Knitting industries in the country are self-sufficient. Bangladesh and Nigeria have things in common. The country has 163 million people and Nigeria’s population is 193 million. Two, both countries have energy challenges, with shortage of gas hurting many factories in Bangladesh. Nigeria too is hard hit by high energy cost, which raises expenditure of many manufacturers. However, Bangladesh has found a better way to manage its gas and electricity shortages. More so, some raw materials needed by the textile industry are still imported, just like in Nigeria. This is draining the country’s foreign exchange just as it does in Nigeria. Local manufacturers in Nigeria constantly scramble for dollars with which to import inputs.
Both are also low middle-income countries. However, the big difference is in the area of policy and business environment. Bangladesh has a strong spinning, weaving, power loom, knitting, dyeing and finishing industries. Today, many factories are drooling to set up plants in the country to enjoy economies of scale. Nigeria was a hub of textile manufacturing in 1970s and 1980s with companies such as Asaba Textile Mills, Aba Textile Mills, Kaduna Textile Mills, Afprint Nigeria Plc and Enpee Industries, among others, now rested, owing to unbridled smuggling of Asian textiles, high cost of energy, poor patronage, as well as lack of cotton to feed the mills. There is a N100 billion Cotton, Textile and Garment Fund by government but players say funding is not the major challenge. Much of this fund has been disbursed yet the industry is at its lowest ebb. According to the Textile Manufacturers Association, about 85 percent of the $1.4 billion worth of textiles that flood the country’s market is smuggled, mainly from neighbouring countries. “What we need is the enabling environment. We cannot compete with the level of smuggling and counterfeiting going on now. We used to have about 127 textile firms in Nigeria but that has come down to two or three now,” said Grace Adereti, president of the Nigerian Textile Manufacturers Association (NTMA) in Lagos, at a Made-in-Nigeria stakeholders’ meeting recently. “We had the revival loans but this didn’t work because our biggest problem has never been money,” Adereti said. About 60 percent capacity utilisation was achieved in Nigeria’s textile industry in 1996, but this deteriorated to 28 percent in 2002. The textile industry today is worse than it was in 2002 as only African Textile Manufacturers (ATM) Limited, Angel Spinning and Dyeing Limited, and Spinners and Dyers Nigeria Limited can be called textile firms. In fact, industry sources say only two are in operation. Even at that, fabrics production makes up less than 30 percent of their business. Most of what is called textile firms today are fashion designers. This does not constitute full-fledged manufacturing. “It is inconceivable how a textile sector that is so viciously exposed to smuggling hawks can survive and grow, unless there are deliberately put-in-place measures to protect the industry,” a research report conducted by Martin Ike-Muonso, a professor, on ‘Discriminatory Margins of Preferences for Selected Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) Sectors’ said.
Source: Business Day
Numbers emerging from the manufacturing sector are encouraging, but it remains to be seen whether they are true reflections of the health of the sector. The Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) released by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) shows that the manufacturing sector PMI rose to 56.9 index points last month as against 51.1 points in the same month of 2017. The April PMI data indicates an expansion in the manufacturing sector for the 13th consecutive month, according to the CBN. “Improvement in FX supply is much better than it was before and this has made more businesses across vast sectors of the economy to begin to pick up. This can be seen in the new orders of the manufacturing sector, as companies have to meet up with demand,” a real sector expert told BusinessDay. Capacity utilisation in the sector stands at 55.03, according to the manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN). Local input preference, which measures the rate at which manufacturers source locally available raw materials, is estimated at 60.72 percent in the first half of 2017, as against 46.3 percent recorded in the corresponding half of 2016. In the first half of 2017, manufacturing output rose to N4.67 trillion as against N3.76 trillion recorded in the corresponding half of 2016, according to MAN. Real GDP growth in the manufacturing sector in the last quarter of 2017 was 0.14 percent (year on year), higher than the same quarter of 2016 and the preceding quarter by 2.68 percent points and 2.99 percent points respectively, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). Nominal GDP growth of manufacturing in the Q4 of 2017 was recorded at 9.20 percent (year-on-year), 5.64 percent points higher than figures recorded in the corresponding period of 2016 (3.56 percent). However, BusinessDay checks show that things are not significantly improving in the sector as is being reported and age-old problems have refused to go. First, power sector expenditure in the manufacturing sector is rising rapidly and has been so since 2014/15. Manufacturers spent N66.03 billion on alternative energy sources in the first half (H1) of 2017; N62.96 billion in the corresponding period of 2016, and N69.99 billion in the second half of 2016, according to MAN. Average daily electricity supply in H1 of 2017 declined to five hours, from seven hours supplied in the corresponding period of 2016 and eight hours in the second half of 2016. In fact, manufacturers have given up on power distribution companies (DisCos), forming the MAN Power Development Company to cater to their own needs. Results of survey conducted by MAN shows that the average interest rate banks charged manufacturers in H1 of 2017 was 22.65 percent as against 21.4 percent in the corresponding half of 2016. Infrastructure-wise, Nigerian roads are not better and only Abuja –Kaduna Railway has been completed, which is not even a major economic rail. Lagos to Kano, and Kano to Kaduna, among others, which can help manufacturers cut logistics costs, are still at the inchoate stage. Today, manufacturers’ 20 to 40 percent expenditure goes to logistics. Today, manufacturers in various states pay 54 types of taxes and levies as against 38 in 2013-14. “These taxes need to be amalgamated into one or a few, since the whole tax cycle is a multiple chain of taxes on the same income stream,” said Vivian Chigozie-Nmonwu, tax expert and lead partner of Vi-M Professional Solution. Today, Ajaokuta Steel Complex is yet to be revived as has been the case, prompting manufacturers to seek steel inputs from abroad. The Federal Government is still dithering on privatising it. “Currently, I am not sure those technologies at Ajaokuta are competitive in steel making. The world has moved on. What is required now is for the private sector to get more and more involved in the downstream and the upstream segments in the steel business,” Raj Gupta, chairman, African Industries Group, a consortium of 12 companies, including six steel plants, told BusinessDay recently. In fact, the foreign exchange crises of 2016 exposed Nigerian manufacturers as import-dependent, as even the CBN had to devote 60 percent of the entire FX market to ensure they stayed afloat. Even at that, 54 firms that could not cope went under, according to Frank Udemba Jacobs, president of MAN. Today, the tomato industry is in crisis as many players are either shut down or operating at less than 20 percent capacity. More so, the only brakepads manufacturer—Star Auto Industries Limited—is shut down. “We could not continue because we could not compete,” Chidi Ukachukwu, CEO, told BusinessDay after the closure. The automotive industry is near dead, as 22 firms which planned to set up plants did not do so, owing to an incoherent government policy and harsh business environment. The textile industry today is worse than it was in 2011 as only African Textile Manufacturers (ATM) Limited, Angel Spinning and Dyeing Limited, and Spinners and Dyers Nigeria Limited can be called textile firms. In fact, industry sources said only two are in operation. Even at that, fabrics production makes up less than 30 percent of their business. In fact, most of what is called textile firms today and numbers emerging from international agencies about the industry focus on fashion and design, which does not constitute full-fledged manufacturing. “What we need is the enabling environment. We cannot compete with the level of smuggling and counterfeiting going on now. We used to have about 127 textile firms in Nigeria but that has come down to two or three now,” said Grace Adereti, president of the Nigerian Textile Manufacturers Association (NTMA) in Lagos, at a Made-in-Nigeria stakeholders’ meeting recently.
Source: Business Day
Madeleine Chapmanwriting for The Spinoff Dame Denise L'Estrange-Corbet of New Zealand fashion label World is this country's most out-spoken critic of off-shore manufacturing. Yet a Spinoff investigation has revealed that multiple garments labeled as made in New Zealand are manufactured in China and Bangladesh. She's the highly critical champion of New Zealand fashion, calling out competitors for saving money by making their clothes in substandard conditions overseas instead of paying higher wages at home. But for the past seven years, Denise L'Estrange-Corbet's WORLD brand has been selling t-shirts, sweatshirts and sweatpants manufactured in Bangladesh and China and bought through AS Colour. L'Estrange-Corbet was made a dame companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in January of 2018, for services to charity and fashion. As co-founder, along with her ex-husband Francis Hooper, of WORLD brand in 1989, L'Estrange-Corbet has been widely praised for her stance against offshore manufacturing and her brand's staunch Made in New Zealand policy. Earlier this year, Hooper told Stuff "to survive today...when physically everything we make is here and then shipped, is very hard indeed, but that is the hand we have been dealt. We refuse to make our collections in a third world country." In an April report by Newshub (subsequently republished on The Spinoff), L'Estrange-Corbet criticised fellow New Zealand label Trelise Cooper for receiving an F rating on the Tearfund and World Baptist Aid Australia report. The Tearfund report grades companies around the world on their clothing production, material sourcing, and worker conditions. Newshub reported that WORLD weren't part of the grading because "the brand manufactures all their clothing in New Zealand, and have done since their inception in 1989".Francis Cooper and Dame Denise L'Estrange-Corbet in February 2017. Photo credit: GettyAs of today, the WORLD store in downtown Auckland stocks their latest collection in full, including t-shirts with various sequin appliqués, sweatshirts ($199), and sweatpants ($199) with sequins down the legs. The WORLD tag on every item of clothing proclaims "FABRIQUE EN NOUVELLE-ZELANDE". Translation: Made in New Zealand. Find the care instruction label on the inside seam, however, and you'll discover the t-shirts are sourced from AS Colour and made in Bangladesh. The sweatshirts and sweatpants are also purchased from AS Colour and made in China. The appliqué sequin patches can be found on AliExpress, sold by TongLiang Boutique, a Chinese online store. The Spinoff received an email from a customer who had found identical patches to the ones on WORLD's current t-shirt collection for sale on Ali Express. When The Spinoff visited a WORLD store to see the t-shirts, we stumbled upon what appeared to be a sample t-shirt with the Made in Bangladesh label attached to the inside back collar. Of the dozen t-shirts on offer, it was the only one with a collar label declaring its place of manufacture. The tag was identical to AS Colour tags, right down to the reference number which, when put into the US government's Federal Trade Commission database for textile and clothing manufacturers and importers, linked directly to AS Colour. A spokesperson for AS Colour confirmed WORLD buys clothing wholesale through its online store. While wholesale purchases from clothing labels make up a small portion of sales, AS Colour clothing can still be found under 'high end' labels around the country. "I don't think it really matters where a blank garment comes from. You get them from manufacturers all around the world. It's no different from any other surf brand or skate brand," the AS Colour spokesperson said. But WORLD isn't just "any other surf brand". In 2015, WORLD became the first fashion label in the world to be endorsed by the United Nations. The honour came after WORLD worked with the UN to come up with a logo for their Sustainable Development Goals. The logo has been printed and sold on AS Colour t-shirts in WORLD stores, online, and in the gift shop at UN headquarters. L'Estrange-Corbet's commitment to ethical commerce saw her recently criticise fashion behemoths Zara and H&M, who "all share the same manufacturing bases, Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Cambodia, and whilst some of the factories may pay above their countries [sic] legal minimum wage, anyone with a single brain cell can work out, that this is slave labour".As of mid-morning,WORLD had taken down the web-page selling the strawberry sequin T-shirt. The SpinoffWhen approached by The Spinoff, L'Estrange-Corbet confirmed WORLD has been selling AS Colour t-shirts made in Bangladesh for "approximately seven years", adding the t-shirts "represent 1% of our annual garment production". Our survey found at least 12 of the 133 garments being sold via the WORLD website, including the four UN logo t-shirts, are manufactured overseas. L'Estrange-Corbet has since complained about The Spinoff's headline - 'T-Shirts from Bangladesh. Sequin patches from China. Sold by WORLD as 'Made in New Zealand'".She says it's misleading, because the sequin patches on the T-shirts are manufactured in Hong Kong, not in China (In 1997 the British transferred Sovereignty of Hong Kong to China, though Hong Kong maintains a Special Administrative Region status). L'Estrange-Corbet also upbraided The Spinoff, saying, "Your support of a 99% New Zealand brand is remarkable." She added: "The Tall Poppy syndrome I see is alive and well and still raging in NZ. Please remind me again why I should keep my production here??" L'Estrange-Corbet said WORLD once made their t-shirts in New Zealand but the factories they used had closed down. "We were unable to manufacture the garments here as there are specialist machinery required," she wrote. "It was not a decision we took lightly." She pointed to AS Colour's ethical credentials. "Child Labour Free (CLF) strongly supports and endorses AS Colour who are diligently working towards ethical sustainability in the area of supply chain transparency, ethical sourcing/supply and of course, the child labour free certification process." AS Colour received a C+ rating in the Tearfund survey. Among the many op-eds and interviews in which L'Estrange-Corbet discussed the evils of offshore manufacturing and the challenges faced by local labels, The Spinoff has been unable to find a mention of WORLD having to resort to t-shirts manufactured in Bangladesh and sweatpants manufactured in China. "It is illegal in NZ to not say where garments are produced," said L'Estrange-Corbet when that was put to her by the Spinoff. "The care tags are highly visible in all our garments. If you had visited any of our stores, you would have seen this." When The Spinoff revisited an Auckland WORLD store, we found 10 t-shirts with sequin or embroidered patches. All 10 had care instruction labels stating where the garment was made on the inside seam, near the hem and out of sight. Only the sample t-shirt that The Spinoff had already purchased had the place of manufacture where the consumer could see it clearly. This is not unusual. A lot of clothing companies won't include the place of manufacture on the collar tag. But what the Bangladesh-made WORLD t-shirts did have were highly visible cardboard tags stating "FABRIQUE EN NOUVELLE ZELANDE". Made in New Zealand. When The Spinoff asked if L'Estrange-Corbet believed this could mislead customers into thinking the t-shirts were made in New Zealand, the answer was no. "The WORLD clothing tags that say Made in NZ are Made in NZ, so there's nothing misleading about this," she says. "The t-shirts do not state this." Left: The neck label placement on the sample t-shirt. Right: The side seam label placement on every other patched t-shirt in store. Photo credit: Madeleine Chapman L'Estrange-Corbet has made specific mention of sequins recently, saying "I couldn't sleep at night knowing that children were making my garments or stitching on sequins". Sequins have been the focus of a number of investigations into child labour practices. Lucy Siegle, author of the 2011 book To Die for: Is Fashion Wearing Out the World? wrote that while there are machines that can perform the delicate task of sewing sequins onto fabric, they are costly and, if the finished product is to be sold cheaply, rarely purchased by overseas manufacturers. Instead, the task is often given to women or to children, whose tiny fingers apparently mean they work faster than adults. The sequin patches that have been sewn onto the t-shirts at WORLD can be found on AliExpress, sold by the same vendor, TongLiang Boutique Store. They did not answer any of The Spinoff's questions about their factory and working conditions. L'Estrange-Corbet told The Spinoff that co-founder Francis Hooper "travels to Hong Kong at least 4 times a year and personally visits the factories making and producing these patches." For 28 years, WORLD has been positioned itself as the conscience of New Zealand fashion, maintaining its embrace of ethical principles and a patriotic attachment to home manufacturing throughout the globalisation era. L'Estrange-Corbet wrote an editorial for Apparel magazine last year on manufacturing. She talked about global fast fashion giants, and how they had hollowed out artisanal manufacturing worldwide. She lamented what had happened to production in New Zealand, and about the way global luxury brands retained their value by dictating where their products are made. "The day any of these brands decides to manufacture in Sri Lanka or Bangladesh is the day they sign their own death warrants," she wrote, "and are no longer considered luxury or even desirable."
Source: Newshub
Experimentation with cotton in the international space station receives a big boost. Target Corporation has committed to 100 percent sustainable cotton by 2022. This effort is getting a boost from Target by providing huge sums of money towards sustainability of cotton. The International Space Station cotton sustainability challenge program sponsored by Target and supported by the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASS) recently selected three projects. Cotton experiments in the international space stationEach project will receive up to a million dollar in funding supported by Target. Through a collaboration between CASS and NASA, the project will be implemented at the International Space Station. Upstream Tech of Alameda, California will work on a field scale, aggregated best management practice verification and monitoring. Upstream has developed machine learning tools to acquire data from satellites. This capability will be used to monitor cotton agriculture practices which will help Target in its cotton sustainability goals. A project led by Christopher Saski of Clemson University will utilize gene sequencing tools to investigate gene expression and genome sequences of three cotton cultivars. In zero gravity, information obtained on the process of regeneration will help with good fundamental knowledge. Such information may help with better growing cotton under stressed conditions. Simon Gilroy of the University of Wisconsin-Madison will focus on roots as part of the space station project, as resistance to stresses such as drought are somewhat related to the root system. The international space laboratory will provide opportunities to know about the environmental factors and the genes that control root growth in zero gravity. These studies may not only help with cotton agriculture, but the fundamental knowledge will lead to advances in agriculture as the resources are shrinking. There is a growing need to feed the increasing population, particularly in those parts of the world such as India, where land space is limited.
Source: Textile Today
Customer expectation on quality of yarn is increasing day by day. Clean surface has become one of the important issues of fabric quality. This has created the necessity to reduce yarn hairiness. But improvement of quality (Hairiness) requires either or combination of the following actions:
Use of better raw material.
Using higher TM (Twist Multiplier) in the ring frame.
Slower speed in the process machinery.
All the above actions eventually result in increased cost of production of yarn. Not only that, for knit yarn increasing TM may result in “Spirality” issue which is very difficult to handle.
SUESSEN Elite
Figure 1: SUESSEN Elite Compact decreases hairiness, increases productivity and strength significantly. So, a solution that can improve quality as well can improve productivity is the ultimate solution that market has been looking since long time. SUESSEN picked the market requirement first time as a new century started in 1999, in Paris ITMA and provided the market with a solution that could meet the ends; Productivity with Quality. Initially it was not easy to meet the two ends but SUESSEN kept their relentless effort in R&D and today only SUESSEN ELITE COMPACT SYSTEM is equipped to provide a complete solution which makes it possible to improve yarn quality with higher productivity.
SUESSEN Elite Compact can ensure the following:
Increase productivity by 10-15% with the same material and mixing ratio, in comparison with the conventional ring spinning system. Decrease hairiness by 20-25% with the same material and TM, in comparison with the conventional ring spinning system. Increase strength by 20-25% with the same material and speed, in comparison with the conventional ring spinning system.Considering the above benefits so far worldwide and in Bangladesh, 12 million and 1 million spindles, respectively, has been converted to SUESSEN ELITE Compact System and its population is rapidly growing in Bangladesh. From the investment point of view, the payback period is maximum 2 years, depending on how it is utilized and yarn marketed.
Source: Textile Today
India’s projected GDP growth of over 7 per cent for the current fiscal is “amazingly fast” and if this momentum is maintained the size of the economy can double within a decade, ADB Chief Economist Yasuyuki Sawada has said. The country shouldn’t worry about not achieving 8 per cent growth but focus on increasing domestic demand by reducing the income inequality, he said. Growth is driven more by domestic consumption than exports, he added. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has projected India to remain the fastest growing Asian nation with 7.3 per cent growth in 2018-19, and 7.6 per cent in 2019-20. The Indian economy is forecast to grow at 6.6 per cent in the 2017-18 fiscal ended March 31, slower than 7.1 per cent in 2016-17. “7 per cent growth is amazingly fast. If a 7 per cent growth continues for 10 years, then that economy’s size doubles,” Sawada said in an interview with PTI. “So that’s super fast growing growth rate. And being one of the largest economies in the region, achieving this 7.3 per cent this fiscal and next year, 7.6 per cent, is really amazing,” he added. The size of India’s economy is about USD 2.5 trillion currently, making it the sixth largest in the world. Economic Affairs Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg had said recently that the country is on track to doubling the size of its economy to USD 5 trillion by 2025. Sawada said however that clocking 8 per cent growth is a “big challenge” for India as of now. “7 per cent growth is a very good number and India should not worry about not achieving 8 per cent growth.” Asked whether export revival would be important for driving the economic growth, he said that half of India’s growth is driven by private consumption followed by investment and hence domestic market seems to play a major role in growth. “Export is not a necessary reading for India growth. Rather domestic market seems to be very important…to support growth rate. Of course, export is one part of growth driver, but Indian growth is driven more by domestic market,” he said. Sawada said inequality and poverty reduction would play a “very important role” in achieving higher growth because consumption can stimulate more production and that can absorb more employment. He said that poor people, if their livelihood goes up, can be good consumers. “Tapping the broadening market will be important to achieve higher growth,” he said, adding that the services sector too would play a role in pushing up economic growth.
Source: Financial Express
MIRPURKHAS: Massive water shortages in Sukkur and Kotri barrages are leaving large agricultural lands across Sindh parched, with the cotton crop badly affected. Officials from both barrages tell Dawn that Sukkur barrage has seen a 43 per cent shortage while Kotri is seeing 61pc thus far. The shortage refers to the gap between what they need to be getting at this time of year and what they are actually receiving. On Friday, reported inflows into both barrages were 29,250 cusecs for Sukkur and 4,915 cusecs for Kotri. Reports from four districts of Sindh — Mirpurkhas, Umerkot, Sanghar and Tharparkar — paint a dire picture that has persisted for four months now, and is only getting worse. These districts in the south east of the province are facing a drought-like situation after the Irrigation Department reduced water flows to 3,000 cusecs from 12,000 in the Nara Canal head. The water is currently being provided only for drinking. But this meagre quantity was evaporating in sizzling temperatures coupled with reports of unbridled theft in Khairpur with the help of over 400 illegal heavy pumping machines, with the result that no water is reaching tail-end parts of the Nara canal command area including district Mirpurkhas, Umerkot and some parts of Tharparkar. Inflows into Sukkur and Kotri barrages register massive shortfallWheat, sugarcane, vegetables, mango and banana orchards were adversely affected. Only 20 per cent of cotton crop was reportedly sowed in the tail-end areas. Growers Khalid Arain, Khuda Bux Leghari and Nadim Bhurgari told Dawn that sub-divisions of tail-end areas including Kot Ghulam Muhammad, Jhuddo, Naokot, Digri, Samaro, Kunri, are badly hit, adding that these areas were not being supplied water for irrigation for the last four months. Some of these growers report that the cotton seeds they had sown recently had been destroyed because water did not arrive when it was most needed. “Our crops are destroyed and even cattle and livestock are not getting water for drinking,” they lamented.Tail Abadgars Association Nara Canal President Muhammad Yousuf Rajput said the irrigation water system has been destroyed due to corruption of irrigation department officers. He said persistent theft causes less water to reach to the tail-end areas. “The irrigation officials are serving the interests of influential landlords instead of supplying water on equality basis,” he slammed. An irrigation department official, requesting anonymity, told Dawn that there was shortage in Sukkur barrage and now the situation is improving because 9,400 cusecs are being supplied to Nara canal against requirement of 16,000 cusec. The official feared that cotton and chilli sowing will be reduced to half this season over the last year due to severe irrigation water shortages in these areas. A landlord from the tail-end areas said that if water stealing is stopped and a judicious supply ensured then cotton and chilli crops can be sowed on 80pc cultivable areas.
Source: Dawn.com
