The government announced Tuesday that the minimum wage in the garment sector will be raised to $95 in April, a 19 percent increase over the current $80 monthly wage, as the first step in a five-year plan to raise the minimum wage to $160 by 2018. Following the decision, which fell well short of unions’ demands for a 100 percent increase in the minimum wage next year, small-scale strikes and protests broke out across the country, while leaders of the country’s independent and opposition-aligne

The Southern European country of Italy, exported menswear worth ? 5.24 billion during the 2013 year, as per the data released by the Sistema Moda Italia (SMI), the Italian Fashion System and association of textile entrepreneurs. According to the Industry of Italian Men’s Fashion report of SMI, in 2013, the country exported menswear worth ?5.24 billion, indicating an increase of 3.7 percent compared to the ?5.05 billion worth of menswear exports in 2012. Subsector wise, during the twelve mo

The imports of textiles and apparel by the United States were worth US$ 96.981 billion during January to November 2013, registering an increase of 3.7 percent over $ 93.518 billion imports made during the corresponding period of 2012, according to the latest Major Shippers Report, released by the U.S. Department of Commerce. During the 11-month period, China accounted for 39.85 percent share of all textiles and garments imported by the US. Vietnam, India and Indonesia recorded 8.31 percent, 5

Pakistan is all set to increase its textile exports by three billion dollars this year since textile sector has improved its production capacities over the last few years, said SM Tanveer, chairman of All Pakistan Textile Mills Association, Punjab. He said Aptma had done its homework before committing to the government to raise the textile exports, which suffered in the past because of various reasons, including power shortage, high markup and limited market access. He added various sectors

Export orders for leather and leather goods dropped significantly in the last few months due to the ongoing political unrest, industry people said.As things work in the leather industry, buyers usually place orders after physically visiting the factories due to the sophistication in manufacturing processes. But, thanks to the political unrest buyers are vehemently avoiding visiting Bangladesh of late, said Mohammed Nazmul Hassan Sohail, managing director of Leatherex Footwear Industry Ltd, a

Cambodia’s garment industry is following in Bangladesh’s footsteps in the way social and political problems are starting to erode a low-cost labor advantage. So far, the killing of at least four garment wage protesters on Friday by military police has not grabbed international headlines as dramatically as the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh. But the potential exists for a larger global outcry as security forces appear to be growing less inhibited about using deadly force. At a minim

In 2013, garment - textile and leather - footwear companies enjoyed good business, had stable workforce, and attained relatively high export growth to major markets despite slowing or even declining imports of apparels and footwear in these markets. In addition, many businesses actively grasped the opportunity to expand to new markets in countries like South Korea, Turkey, African nations and the Middle East, while maintaining shipments to traditional markets like Russia, Eastern Europe, USA, Ja

Taiwan’s An Shen Company has decided to invest in a US$40 million leather shoe factory in Dong Thap province’s Tran Quoc Toan Industrial Zone. This is a joint venture project between Vietnam’s Tien Hung Company and An Shen to be built on an area of 7ha. The US$10 million first phase will build workshops and recruit around 3,000 local workers by the end of 2014. The factory hopes for an annual production of around 9 million products by 2016, employing 9,000 workers. An Shen Representa

China’s currency appreciation and its shift towards value-added garments may prompt retailers to locate in Bangladesh. China’s shift towards manufacturing higher-end garments – combined with the recent appreciation of the yuan – could make Bangladesh an even more attractive option for garment buyers, experts say. But recent political turbulence could ruin those dreams. “If major retailers are not sure we can honor orders, it will be an opportunity missed,” says Mustafizur Rahman, execut

The Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association has asked the government to import cotton seeds from China instead of India due to uncertain situation at borders. The PCGA chairman Mukhtar Baloch said that the continuous tension between Pakistan and India had been affecting the business environment at a large scale. He said the cotton crop had been passing through a critical situation due to unavailability of germinated seeds at the right time. Mukhtar Baloch said that the future of cotton might be