Providing major relief for jute product manufacturers from the North East region, the Union Cabinet on Thursday approved a proposal to introduce a Bill in Parliament to amend the Jute Manufacturers' Cess Act 1983. The biIl if passed will allow the Centre to jute product produced from the region exempt from levy of cess for a specified period. Speaking to the media after the Cabinet meeting, the Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee said the proposal if approved by the Parliament would increase the v

The Pakistani government has made its mind to permit zero-rated supply of utilities to the whole textile industry and some other key donor parties to the export earnings.An official declaration on the issue is expected within a few days permitting the textile industries concerning to exports and domestic production, leather and leather products, carpets, sports and surgical goods besides a number of chemical industries adding the efforts to enhance the export system in Pakistan.Premier entrepren

In a landmark agreement, top executives of Sub-Saharan Africa textile Industries have formed an African Cotton & Textile Industry Alliance. According to sources, this meeting was organized with the assistance of the Regional Agricultural Trade Expansion Support (RATES) programme, a Usaid-funded regional project.The decision to form African cotton and textile industry body, was taken at the inaugural Regional Cotton & Textile Executive Summit held recently in Nairobi in April 2005. "Under

Several developing countries clashed with China at a meeting of the WTO Goods Council on 15 June regarding the role the WTO should play in addressing the problems of Members that have been adversely affected by the January 2005 elimination of quotas in the textiles and clothing sector. Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia and Turkey suggested that the WTO should "deal urgently" with the problems small developing countries are facing, including lower world prices, fierce competition from China and India, and

It is unfair to blame China for job losses in the US textile and apparel industry and the two countries should work together to find a solution, head of a leading US textile importers' association has said. Chinese products represent only 17 percent of the US textile and apparel market. Therefore, it is unfair to blame China for job losses there, Laura Jones, executive director of the US Association of Importers of Textiles and Apparel (USA-ITA), told Xinhua in a recent interview. Only an es

China is likely to face scarcity of cotton in the year 2005 and 2006, as it is anticipated that the shortage of cotton will be of nearly 3.2 million tons.Executive Vice Chairman of the China Cotton Association, Shi Jianwei informed that the China has to face shortage in cotton, as the total area of China's cotton land has been cut-off by 10 percent over the 2004-2005.The total cotton production is expected to be nearly 5.76 million tons, where as the country's market requirement for cotton will

China said that it hopes the second round of talks over the textile trade row with the United States could begin as soon as possible. Zhao Hong, assistant representative of the Trade Negotiation Office under the Ministry of Commerce, said in an interview, China's largest news website, that the two sideshad briefed each other on their preliminary stances on the clothing trade issue in the first round of technical talks which began last Friday. The United States imposed limits on imports of seven

Bangladeshi garment and textile players appealed the Government to impose import duty on ready-made garments and to smoothen the process of loan on easy term to enhance textile and garment industries.They also urged to eliminate duty-free access of raw materials and machineries that is utilized in the industry to set up local garments industry within the city.President of Bangladesh Grey and Finished Fabrics Mills and Exporters Association (BGFFMEA), Harun-ur-Rashid informed that the illegal imp

Negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA) between China and Pakistan are expected to move forward during Premier Wen Jiabao's visit to the South Asian neighbour. Premier Wen's trip to Pakistan, the first stop in an eight-day tour of four countries in the region, is expected to see the signing of a number of economic and trade agreements. Among them is an Early Harvest Programme, which would see tariff-free trade in a number of goods, paving the way towards an FTA between the two countries. A

India will grant more concessions to Sri Lanka in the apparel and clothing sector under the existing bilateral free trade agreement. New Delhi has agreed to remove the present annual cap of 1.5 million pieces of clothing per category in the sector. India has also agreed to grant 100 per cent duty concessions on six million pieces of apparel and clothing items permitted to be imported from Sri Lanka as per the tariff quota agreed to between the two countries. Tariff concession on the six millio