Fiji garment industry is not the backbone of the manufacturing sector in terms of consistency, organisation and structure, but the industry is of particular significance and importance due to its rapid ascent in becoming the country's number one key export It remains a critical industry for the economy and a source of employment for the poor, according to Fiji Export Council CEO Jone Cavubati. He said that the industry employed a large number of people, the sector provided employment for more

A visiting delegation from the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, which handles tens of billions of dollars in regional investment, says it raised concerns about the low threshold for forming unions in a pending new law during meetings with government officials Monday. Chamber president Richard Vuylsteke said Cambodia was the fourth stop for the group of delegates—after visits to Bangladesh, Burma and Vietnam—to gauge the “state of play” in the markets and their “attractiveness for in

Planning minister AHM Mostafa Kamal on Friday said the government would establish a specialised bank for the readymade garment sector to ensure low-cost financing and to encourage entrepreneurs to invest more in the sector. ‘I will try my best to have a designated bank that will serve the purposes of the garment sector. Now we have some other specialised banks like Karmashangsthan Bank and Krishi Bank,’ Kamal said at a seminar on financing apparel growth at the Radisson Hotel in Chittagong.

China’s foreign trade performance worsened in July with both exports and imports falling on an annual basis, customs said on Saturday, spelling more worry for the world’s second largest economy. Exports plunged 8.3 per cent year-on-year to $195.10 billion while imports dropped 8.1 per cent to $152.07 billion, it said in a statement on its website. The country still recorded a trade surplus of $43.03 billion, customs said, but gave no comparative figure. Separately, the agency said the tr

Pendleton Woolen Mills headquartered in Portland, Oregon, a globally celebrated American lifestyle brand, has added new jacquard looms to operations at the company's original mill in Pendleton, Oregon. The Italian looms from Itema and Swiss jacquard machines from Staubli are equipped with the latest technology and provide high-speed performance.Jacquard looms weave complex designs, angles and shapes, brocades, damask, matelasse, and three-dimensional fabrics.Jacquard blankets were the first i

Cotton business remains dull in Pakistan with further drop in prices and not much stocks of new crop cotton (2015-16) remain unsold with ginners. This week cotton market witnessed a decrease in the value of seed cotton prices by about Rs 100 per 40 kgs, while lint prices dropped by Rs 100 to Rs 150 per maund (37.32 kgs). In Sindh, seedcotton (kapas / phutti) prices reportedly ranged from Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,300 per 40 kgs, as per quality, while the seedcotton prices in Punjab ranged from Rs 2,0

Southern India Mills' Association (SIMA), apex body of spinners in this region, has convened a meeting of its member mills here on August eight to discuss various problems faced by spinning sector and decide on future course of action to mitigate the crisis. Considering the situation, the association has convened the meeting of the Managing Directors of the member mills to discuss the issues and arrive at a solution to tide over the crises, Sima Chairman T Rajkumar said. According to Rajk

In just the first half of this year, textile exports to markets joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) accounted for 70 per cent of the total export value and will grow substantially once the agreement is signed. Issues surrounding rules of origin, however, are a major concern as 60 to 90 per cent of materials for textiles made in Vietnam are imported from countries that are not members of the TPP. Origin pressure According to the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (Vitas), a

Asserting that the domestic textile industry is facing recession for the last 15 months, Southern India Mills' Association (SIMA) has appealed to the Centre to take immediate steps to create a level-playing field for the sector. "In the absence of a level-playing field due to higher rates of duties for Indian textile products in various major international markets, higher raw material cost, high cost of funding and high transaction cost, the industry is not in a position to achieve its potent

The Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) would suffer huge losses on the disposal of 95,700 bales of cotton procured last year on the directives of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet, official sources said on Saturday. The TCP, which is holding around 88,600 bales, had already disposed around 6,800 bales on inviting bids through tender on July 15, 2015 and were opened in Islamabad on July 29. The bid opening witnessed a sole offer from Tata group at Rs4,800-4,900 per