Based on the findings of a study conducted to address the raw cotton shortage faced by the textile industry, the Ethiopian government has approved import of pest-resistant cotton seeds, the African Press Agency (APA) has reported. The study suggested that importing improved variety of cotton seeds can increase the country's cotton output by up to 40 per cent, according to the Ethiopian Textile Industry Development Institute (ETIDI). In recent years, the number of textile and garment units

More and more Vietnamese textile producers have sold their companies to Chinese investors to become Chinese satellite companies. Nguyen Van Hoan, former president of the Hanoi College of Textile, Garment Industry & Fashion, noted that Chinese have taken over existing Vietnamese companies because this method allows them to avoid strict regulations. Local authorities now do not encourage investments in the textile industry because textile factories cause big environmental problems. There

The World Trade Organization’s 10th Ministerial Conference held in Nairobi, Kenya, from December 15 to 19, was the first such meeting hosted by an African nation where the ministers agreed on a deal that will allow least developed countries (LDCs) to export more cotton to developed countries. Following a global deal sealed, African countries mainly Burkina, Faso, Benin, Chad and Mali and other developing countries can begin to export their cotton to developed countries duty-and quota-free from f

The price of cotton generally shoots up when the industry needs cotton and when the arrivals have come down in the market. But this year, just two months since new cotton season began and the prices of cotton have already gone up though arrivals continue to be high in the market. This situation has driven as many as 43 textile mills in the State have come together and plan to import cotton from West African countries, depending on the requirement. Prabhu Damodaran, secretary of Indian Texp

Vietnam has issued investment licences for 30 textile and garment projects in 2015 while foreign investment in industry was expected to continue increasing in the near future. A wave of mergers and acquisition has increased in the local garment and textile industry in a bid to take advantage of free trade agreements, especially the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), as the local enterprises are aware that they would not fulfill requested orders due to their limitations in capital, according to the

crop failure in Pakistan has led to coercion for the nation to raise its imports following the hike in local prices. This has profited the world’s largest producer of the cotton fibre. The Indian Government’s cotton purchases are to plummet to 89% due to the increased exports in the 2015-16 marketing year. B.K. Mishra, chairman and managing director of the state-run Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) said that prices have been moved above the MSP (minimum support price) level in most states an

A Melbourne designer using bamboo for fibre has developed a bamboo stretch fabric having both aesthetics and functionality with high sun protection. Made in Melbourne, cloth has been given a 50plus ultraviolet protection factor rating by the government's Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency. Manufacturer Julia Van Der Sommen, who specialises in knitting technology and garment development, said that the fabric is very unique and it has taken two years to develop. The anti

The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association and the Chittagong City Corporation will build an apparel zone at Kalurghat in Chittagong for the readymade garment factories that are facing compliance challenges and need relocation. ‘The apparel zone will be setup in line with the safety standard set by the global buyers and retailers maintaining the conditions of the National Action Plan provided by the government. Small and medium entrepreneurs who are running their factories

Apparel retailers saw a boost of no more than $200 million in sales from cold weather just before the new year, and with product markdowns above 50 percent, it will be very difficult to make up margins in the coming months, industry researchers said. Shoppers came out to spend on winter apparel in the last two weeks of December as cold weather finally rolled in after an unseasonably warm run-up to the holiday. Holiday sales are a major influence on retailers' financial health, and department

Around 10,000 Kenyan cotton farmers will get certified cotton seeds at subsidised prices before the beginning of long-rains season in 2016 from the state under the Bura Irrigation Scheme as a part of the government’s plan to increase the country’s cotton production and domestic and global market share, according to Kenyan media reports. Bura Irrigation Scheme is a three-year programme to boost food and cash crops production in the country, implemented by the Kenyan government in the year 201