Archive for September, 2008
Bernama, Malaysia
By Rohana Mustaffa
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 8 (Bernama) — Aidilfitri gift hampers the contemporary Malaysian traditional offerings among friends and would-be friends have been conspicuously making its round since the fasting month of Ramadan enters its second week.
Hari Raya cookies, chocolates, dates, cakes, green packets and corporate premium gifts are among the favourite items stashed in the hampers, mostly wrapped attractively with messages of goodwill and friendship.
These hampers now come in exquisite packaging that could end up as collectors items such as specially-crafted boxes, rattan and bamboo baskets, mengkuang, lacquer and wooden containers.
Galeri Seri Endon which celebrated its 1st year anniversary on Aug 1 has a different idea in offering hampers to customers who prefer them as Aidilfitri corporate gifts.
This one-stop-shop batik centre has been customising gift of batiks in its Aidilfitri offerings. Each hampers offers one-of-a-kind exquisitely designed batik products handcrafted by winners of Piala Seri Endon.
Zamir Shukri, Marketing and Business Development Manager of Galeri Seri Endon said a selection of five hampers is available at a price between RM400 to RM2,000.
Each contains either silk scarf, Nori ceramics and cookies or silk tie and scarf, ceramics and cookies or silk material, ceramic and cookies or silk shawl, silk tie and cookies.
A ONE-STOP BATIK CENTRE
Into its second operational year, Zamir hopes that the Aidilfitri gifts will launch the gallerys promotions of more exquisite batik and Nori ceramic products into the market. There are other plans in store to meet the Galeri Seri Endons objectives in creating a one-stop batik centre and establishing a brand name for quality batik.
Currently, the gallery is also promoting a tea set of Noris bone china brand. The tea set comes in three designs and colours to add to its hand-painted 34 piece dinner set which is available in four designs. The sets maintain the Nyonya Kebaya designs on each of the item.
Zamir said the gallery with Yayasan Budi Penyayang will once again organise the Piala Seri Endon - a batik design competition with the aim of creating a platform to highlight and assist Malaysias batik-making talent - in November this year.
On hand to sponsor this years event is Ministry of Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage, he said.
“The ministry is interested since we are the only foundation involved in this endeavour — promoting batik and creating market opportunities for designers and producers,” he told Bernama in an interview. The gallery is managed by Batik Guild Sdn Bhd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Yayasan Budi Penyayang.
HELPING DESIGNERS TO PROMOTE BATIK
Winners of the competition will be involved in designing a wide range of new batik products to be showcased at the gallery. A pool of 12 winners of the competition which has its roots back in 2003 has been working with the boutique.
“We are actually helping designers to promote and sell their products here. However, we have to maintain the quality since only the best are showcased at our gallery,” he said. The boutique has one in-house designer, Suhairi Marlina Shamsuddin, one of the winners of Piala Seri Endon in 2004.
The setting up of the gallery was the culmination of series of discussion between Piala Seri Endon alumni and the Yayasan Budi Penyayang early last year. It was named after the late Datin Seri Endon Mahmood and the gallery was to be a batik centre in which the best batik products are displayed and branded under one roof.
Zamir said the gallery has so far joined several promotional campaigns to promote batik including at the recent Malaysia Week in London.
“Whatever we get be they orders and jobs to produce batik uniforms and corporate gifts are out-sourced to the designers. We also pair them up with overseas designers to design the materials and consequently help create them into fashions,” said the 31-year old manager.
He said one of the challenges that the designers face was to produce a good batik in a short timeline.
“We are not in the business of printing batik. All products are hand-made so the difficulty is to meet such demand.”
MAINTAINING THE EXCLUSIVITY OF BATIK
Since it is only a year-old, Zamir feels that the gallery needs lots of promotion. Fortunately he has an array of ideas to work on.
“However, we are not going to the malls since we want to maintain the exclusivity of the boutique to our clients, to make them feel at home while browsing through the products on display,” he said.
The ambience is impeccable for that purpose since the boutique is located at the ground floor of Epicure 1, Bukit Damansara. It offers ready-to-wear batik, soft furnishing, corporate gifts, crafts, home decoration items, tailoring and batik interior design services.
“Our market hinges on the neighborhood but of course we wish to have more clients, targeting at the middle income and higher income group from all age.
“We are also planning to establish our outlets in the states probably by middle of next year. Like I said we are not the producers and we do have no competitors. We promote designers and their batik products. It is the designers who produce and compete with each other,” he stressed.
Zamir is pleased that batik awareness is on the rise since the introduction of Piala Seri Endon competition and promotions by the gallery and the foundation. To date the number of batik designers have increased and so were those buying and wearing.
Zamir also wishes to help the designers through Penyayang to obtain grants which are available from the government to help them in their endeavour since going on individually was quite a problem.
His wish is not impossible since it is known that the foundation collaborates with several government agencies in promoting batik and even spearheading research into natural dyes with available grant from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation last year.
– BERNAMA
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September 30th, 2008
Viet Nam News, Vietnam
BINH DINH — A 100 per cent Japanese-owned garment factory and workshop opened in Phu Tai Industrial Park on Tuesday.
The Viet Nam Able Garment Co (Able-Tech), owned by Able -Yamauchi Co, will manufacture a wide variety of products including one-use fire resistant garments and other garments providing health and environmental protection.
Construction of the US$1.2 million factory, workshop and other facilities began last December. The complex has a total area of 14,000sq.m including 2,268sq.m for the factory and 405sq.m for the workshop.
Unicom JSC offers new IT services
HCM CITY — Two new product lines providing IT solutions to finance and capital markets were introduced by the Unicom Software JSC at a seminar yesterday.
SKYCore and SKYTerminal – as the new product lines are called – are based on IBM service-oriented architecture (SOA) technologies, says Unicom, which is headquarted in HCM City.
Unicom, which began operations in 2006, says SKYCore will be a core product for securities firms, while SKYTerminal will provide investors with an advanced-user interface, rich functionalities, and high-end trading applications to support investment decisions and faster execution of orders.
Banks and securities conference opens
HA NOI — A forum titled “Enterprises, banks and securities firms solving problems in the inflation period” will be held in Ha Noi on October 3.
The forum is aimed at enhancing the relationship between enterprises, banks and securities firms and management offices to solve challenges in these inflationary times.
The forum will be held by the Viet Nam Small and Medium Sized Enterprises Association, Viet Nam Banking Association and Viet Nam Securities Trading Association, and is expected to attract leaders from the ministries of Finance, Planning and Investment, and the State Bank of Viet Nam.
PVFC issues petrol bonds
HA NOI — The PetrolVietnam Financial Joint Stock Corporation (PVFC) will issue petrol bonds this year with a total value of VND1.6 trillion (US$96.26 million) on October 1 in an effort to mobilise capital.
The three-year bonds, in both Vietnamese dong and US dollars, will be issued to less than 100 investors with an initial interest rate of 17.5 per cent per annum for Vietnamese dong bonds and 6.2 per cent a year for US dollar bonds.
The interest rate will be adjusted annually based on 12-month deposit rates at Vietcombank, Viet Nam Investment and Development Bank, Viet Nam Commerce and Industry Bank and Viet Nam Agriculture and Rural Development Bank. — VNS
September 29th, 2008
Vanguard, Nigeria
Surat, September 28 Representatives of the Federation of Textile Trader Association took out a rally and met the Chief Commissioner of Income-Tax over the issue of harassment faced by them at the hands of I-T officials during raids.
On Friday, the president of the Association, Shree Kishan Banka, along with Federation of South Gujarat Processor Association president Pramod Choudhary, met Chief Commissioner of Income-Tax K P Singh and complained about the I-T officials who harass textile traders during raids.
Singh told the complainants to give a written complaint against the concerned officials and assured them that proper action will be taken.
The Income-Tax department officials conducted raids at the offices, factories, godowns, shops and residential premises of textile traders last week and unearthed unaccountable money to the tune of crores of rupees. Alarmed by the raids, many traders shut down their shops and went to their native places.
September 29th, 2008
Vanguard, Nigeria
Written by Franklin Alli
The much anticipated N70 billion funds was an outcome of series of lobby put up by the Organised Private Sector (OPS), and other stakeholders in the sector to accelerate rebirth of firms that had closed shops over the years, sustenance of the ones still operating though sick, and growth of the industry.
Financial Vanguard, authoritatively gathered that about 300 firms in the sector both old and new ones have queued to access the N70 billion finance window which government promised to make available to beneficiaries since 2006 through the Nigerian Agricultural Cooperative and Development Bank, but now through the Nigerian Import -Export Bank (NEXIM).
Sources close to NEXIM, told FV that the jostle for a piece of the fund was getting keen as more applications are being received.
Sources further disclosed that government has put in place a number of incentives for investors such as gas supply at a concessionary rate for the first five years to encourage operators in the sector to convert to gas as source of energy; five years tax holiday for new and existing textile companies ; waiver on import tariffs on textile equipment and raw materials, as well as anti-smuggling activities such as immediate destruction of all seized textile goods.
But Industry watchers while urging disbursement of the funds without further delay, however, suggested that NEXIM should not grant the credit facility to new textile companies that are just emerging.
Looking back, steady decline in the fortunes of the biggest African Textile Industry located in Nigeria, started in the 1970s through the 80s.
From a buoyant industry employing over 250,000 workers in the past 20 years it has declined to an alarming point that it is now managing to keep about 10,000 staff as at 2007 while factories dropped from 175 to about 20 textile mills.
Production also nose dived from 1.5 billion meters to 400 million, according to recent statistics courtesy of the Nigerian Textile Manufacturers Association.
In fact, if the late Alhaji Sir Ahmadu Bello (1910-1966), the first premier of Northern Nigeria was alive today, he probably would weep over the demise of textile mills at Kakuri industrial estate, Kaduna State.
Ahmadu Bello , was a leader who struggled hard to get foreign investors to established a number of textile companies in the State.
FV learnt that his dream was to make Kaduna, “Manchester of Africa,” in textile productions. But today, Kakuri Industrial Estate which was bubbling with industrial activities is now a ghost town due to closure of Kaduna Textile Limited. (KTL) said to had been the first textile company in the country and the West Africa sub region, Arewa Textiles Limited, Finetex Limited, Supertex, Nortex Limited, among others that have kissed the dust.
Secretary General, Nigerian Textile Garments and Workers Union, Mr. Isa Aremu, said the second most active in the economy next to agriculture in terms of employment generation and contribution to GDP .
The problems of the industry , he maintained remained unabated due to policy inconsistencies, half-hearted commitment to policy implementation, smuggling , high rate of exchange, high cost and scarcity of black oil (low pour fuel oil).
The problem of Low Pure Fuel Oil (LPFO), popularly referred to as black oil, contributed a lot to the collapse of the industries. It was scarce and expensive. In fact, when an official of a textile company was explaining the severity of the problem faced by UNTL, which is the same thing faced by other textiles in the state before their eventual closure, he said:
“Black oil is scarce and expensive. The one being imported by HYCINTH, a subsidiary of Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is being sold then at N74 per litre in Lagos. When it comes to Kaduna it becomes N80 per litre and when it gets to Kano it is N90 per litre. We in UNTL used about six to seven trucks of the black oil per day when we were still operating. Can you imagine the millions of naira that adds to? That amount has already gone into the production cost. To that, add the cost of PHCN and water bill, salary and wages of staff, chemicals, cotton and then diesel for our generators, because 40 percent of our production is done with generators. Put all these together and you will see that it is impossible to make any profit at all.”
Apart from redundancy and loss of jobs, Financial Vanguard’s investigation further revealed that the country has not been benefitingfrom $400 billion (about N50.4 trillion) global textile trade.
“Of the $400 billion value of global trade in textile and textile related businesses, Africa’s market share as at June, 2008 accounted for $200 million of the $400 billion, a very minute fraction of the world trade. Of this account, Kenya takes $79m. South Africa, Egypt, Botswana and Lesotho are also visible on the chart,” said Obia Ofem one of the facilitators at a seminar on textile industry.
Ofem, who spoke on ‘A Global Perspective’, told stakeholders that as a matter of fact, while many of these African countries are trying to make the most of the opportunities created by African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and its other preferential trade conditions by EU, the Nigeria industry is actually struggling to find a space in the local scene.
She pointed out that despite the country’s vast resources and the teeming market of more than 140 million, the country has not featured on the export chart.
She stated that AGOA is America’s way of helping economic growth for developing countries.
“By this Act, textile imports of African origin are duty free to make them very competitive in the vast apparels and textile market of America.
Ironically, however, the level of exports from the developing countries is increasing even in the face of high tariffs and quantitative restrictions by economically developed nations. South Africa, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Lesotho, Cote’D Voire, Morocco, Tunisia, Namibia, Senegal and Mauritius are taking home something.
“It is sad though to note here that Nigeria has not as a matter of deliberate economic policy, made any move towards taking this opportunity to grow this sector of the economy,” she lamented.
She foresees that by the year 2009, there might be a total collapse of the textile factories in the country if nothing is done to reverse the descent.
Meanwhile, statistics indicate that the global textile production will grow by 25 per cent by 2020; and the Asian region will largely contribute in this regard.
True to the predication, Asia has become a hub of textile trade after the abolition of the quota regime, since the start of 2005.
This is due to the fact that major exporting countries of the region instead of importing yarn from Pakistan as the developed countries did, have invested heavily in their spinning industries to produce yarn.
China, India and Bangladesh who have solid value added textile base have invested heavily in the spinning sector to cater to the increasing yarn needs of their textile.
Of the $400 billion investment in textile from June 1999 to the October 2006, more than 50 per cent went to spinning. 25 per cent went to fabric and a major chuck of the remaining to dyeing and fishing. Only nominal investment was made in the knitting or garments sectors.
Currently, most of the textile trade is concentrated in Asia, with low cost countries like China, India, Bangladesh, Vietnam and even Cambodia rapidly capturing the value added textile market vacated by developed nation due to high cost production.
World Trade Organisation (WTO) has taken so many steps towards uplifting this sector. In 1995, WTO had renewed its commitment an adopted Agreement on Textile and Clothing (ATC), which made provision that all quotas on textile and clothing will be removed among WTO member countries.
Nevertheless, Industry watchers believe that the country can revive the sector if commitment , political will, and synergy between public and private sectors is channelled into concrete action, especially as stakeholders await outlay of the N70 billion textile funds.
NEXIM should go beyond giving out the money, by ensuring strict use of the funds for what it’s meant.
September 29th, 2008
thejakartapost.com
Prodita Sabarini , The JakartaPost , Jakarta | Sun, 09/21/2008 9:47 AM | Lifestyle
A fashion and jewelry show at Grand Indonesia Shopping Mall on Wednesday showed an eclectic selection of silver necklaces, petit batik dresses, kebaya and sarongs made of songket, along with plenty of frills and ruffles.
Grand Indonesia organized the fashion show as part of its Ramadan and Idul Fitri program themed “A Touch of Middle East”. The East Mall main atrium was made over into a fashion runway.
Despite drawing on the momentum of the Islamic religious celebration, the designers did not limit their collection for the holy month.
On the runway, models stepped out in mini-batik sleeveless dresses with low-cut necklines and tube dresses with tight-fitting bustiers.
Working with Mutumanikan Nusantara, a nonprofit organization that oversees jewelry manufacturers in Indonesia, the mall made space for batik and jewelry designer Siti Garsiah, songket manufacturer and designer Zainal Abidin and young designer Rusli Tjohnardi.
Mutumanikan has taken part in several international jewelry exhibitions, including in Japan, India, the United Kingdom and Switzerland. Their latest endeavor was in Baselworld Watch and Jewelry 2007 in Basel, Switzerland.
The designers showcased their latest designs all with their own signature style.
Siti Garsiah showcased 19 of her 76 batik designs with the theme “Black Combine”. Fifteen pieces from her silver jewelry collection were also exhibited by the models.
The collections were divided into three series: “Aq Cantique” (I’m Beautiful), “Aku Keren” (I’m Cool), and “Aku Imut” (I’m Cute).
Siti uses colorful batik in browns, purples and pinks. The designs were modern and simple. One of the models wore an A-line pleated skirt with a white sleeveless shantung. Another design was a gray sleeveless blouson combined with a white egg-shaped knee-length skirt.
Jewelry pieces included long silver necklaces with silver medallions that fell to just below the chest.
Rusli Tjohnardi’s design was full of tulle and ruffles. One interesting design was his bustier with the hem cut and sewn so it looked like flower petals. He dubbed his collection “Beautiful Glam in Serenity”.
The last collection was by Zainal Abidin. Zainal showcased intricate kebaya and sarongs made of songket. Songket is a handwoven fabric in silk or cotton, intricately patterned with gold or He used songket not only for the sarongs but also for the kebaya. Zainal said he combined a songket pattern from Padang, West Sumatra, with a weaving technique from Palembang, South Sumatra.
“I try to mix various ethnic traditions and combine it with an international style,” he said.
He said songket does not have to be limited to sarongs.
“We can design it to make trousers. We can use it for the kebaya as well,” he said.
Zainal said the songket trend would see the fabric evolve into a more spectacular style.
“It will become more glittery, more suitable for weddings,” he said, adding he was planning to include soon-to-be brides among his customers.
“Usually there are lots of weddings after Idul Fitri,” he said.
September 26th, 2008
Viet Nam News, Vietnam
(24-09-2008)
HCM CITY — Viet Nam’s textile and garment sector is expected to rank even higher among the world’s top garment exporters if targets are met by the yearend.
Last year, Vietnamese garment and textile exports were ranked 10th worldwide, after China, the EU, Turkey, India, Mexico, Hong Kong, Bangladesh, Indonesia and the US.
If export value this year reaches the targeted $9.5 billion, the ranking is expected to rise, according to Nguyen Son, deputy general secretary of the Viet Nam Garment and Textile Association.
By 2015 or 2020, the Vietnamese industry is expected to be in the world’s top five, he said.
To reach this year’s target, the industry must earn an average US$850 million per month for the rest of the year, he added.
In the first eight months of the year, garment and textile export value reached $6.04 billion, up 20 per cent compared to the same period last year.
Export value in August was $950 million higher than the average export monthly revenue of $700-$800 million during the first half of the year.
Despite significant growth, the textile and garment sector, like other sectors, is facing difficulty because of unfavourable economic changes in domestic and global markets.
With the current 21 per cent annual interest rate on bank loans in Viet Nam, profits have been only high enough to cover interest on loans taken out by many companies.
Several small and medium – sized enterprises are at risk of bankruptcy, said Son, adding that dependence on foreign supplies of materials was also a weakness for domestic garment-makers.
In addition, the industry still faces protectionism from several countries, as well as technical obstacles and anti-dumping actions from the US, said Son.
The US is the top importer of Vietnamese garments and textiles, buying between 55 per cent and 57 per cent of exports, followed by the EU, Japan, Russia, South Korea and Canada.
The Ministry of Trade and Industry and Vitas have urged companies to curb the number of cheap exports to established markets. — VNS
September 25th, 2008
Business Standard, India
Kanpur-based diversified textile company, Shri Lakshmi Cotsyn Ltd, has forayed into high-end organic textile segment.
The company launched its new brand ‘Weaves’ that offers wide range of home furnishing products such as Vitamin E (skin care) bed sheets, water repellent bed sheets for new mothers, mosquito, bacteria repellent and stain free bed sheets for health conscious families.
‘Weaves’ will be available at 1500 outlets in the next three months of its Launch.
The company is in a process of opening 500 franchise stores across India through its Pan India distributor’s channel.
“Shri Lakshmi is giving thrust to innovation and is in the process of introducing many Eco friendly organic cotton products,” M P Agarwal, CMD of the company said.
The CMD expects the turnover of its Terry Towel business to increase from the existing Rs 71 crore to Rs 125 crore and Home furnishing to Rs 100 crore from the existing Rs 68 crore in the Accounting Year June‘ 09.
September 24th, 2008
Radio New Zealand International, New Zealand
“The major garment manufacturer in the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, United International Corporation, officially ceased its operations yesterday. (Mon NZT)”
Many former workers, mostly longtime employees, have already left Saipan.
Some of them had worked in the factory for more than fifteen years.
In 2000 there were more than one thousand workers at the factory, most of them Chinese.
250 workers were Filipinos, but by last year that number had dropped to just fifty.
UHC has now joined seven other garment factories that have closed since the start of this year.
Only three garment factories remain operating on Saipan.
CNMI used to have 34 garment factories, contributing some $60 million annually in taxes to the local government.
September 23rd, 2008
Yahoo, Thailand
IN JAN-JULY
JAKARTA, Sept 22 Asia Pulse - Indonesia’s exports of textiles and textile products grew 6.16 per cent to US$6.06 billion in the first seven months of this year from the same period last year
Textile exports made up 22.38 per cent of the country’s total earning from the exports of commodities outside oil and gas, an official of the trade ministry said.
A significant growth has been recorded in the value of the country’s exports of textiles in the past five years averaging US$8.51 billion a year, director for manufactured and mining product exports Hartojo Agus Tjahjono said.
The government has offered subsidized credits for the purchase of machines in a bid to help modernize the country’s textile industry.
September 22nd, 2008
New Straits Times, Malaysia
Bernama
NEW YORK, FRI:
An international expert on Islamic influence on textile is “deeply impressed” with Malaysias textile culture.
Elisa Gagliardi-Mangilli, fresh from a visit to Malaysia where she was accompanied by Datin Amy Hamidon, the wife of Datuk Hamidon Ali, the New York based Malaysian permanent representative to the United Nations, said she had an “overview” of Malaysias textile culture dating back to the 19th century, the time from when textiles manufactured in the country have been preserved.
Gagliardi-Mangilli is a senior fellow at the prestigious Metropolitan Museum of Art (MMOA) in New York and a member of CIETA, the Centre International dEtudes des Textiles Anciens.
She has authored books on collections of old textiles from Siam, China, etc. which belonged to the royal family of Thailand. Some of the titles of the books authored by her include “Printed and Painted Textiles of the 18th Century” and “LArte Di Fabbricare LIndiane” (How to Produce the Printed and Painted Textiles of India).
She has also written many articles, including one on the famous Kashmiri shawl which is widely sold in India.
Gagliardi-Mangilli, who is currently on a two-year loan from the University of Insubria in Italy and doing research for the MMOA on the differences and similarities in the Islamic textiles of the Persian Safavid era and the Indian Moghul courts, says that pre-19th century Malaysia-made textiles were not available.
She also got a “sneak preview” of the textile collections of some of the royal families of Malaysia.
“My interest in Malaysian textiles was first aroused by Amy Hamidon, and I gave a lecture on the Islamic and Indian textiles and their influences on European and Southeast Asian textiles. I shall publish my research on Safavid and Moghul velvets.
“I visited Malaysia from August 7 to 16 to understand the quality and variety of the textile collections of the Royal families of Malaysia. I visited Kelantan, Johor Baharu, Melaka and Kuala Lumpur where we saw textiles in the local museums,” she said in an interview with Bernama at the residence of the Malaysian permanent representative.
Gagliardi-Mangilli, an expert on the intricate weaving and designing of textile fabrics of a number of Asian countries, is trying to publish a voluminous book on the “textile treasures” of Malaysia, particularly the
“fabulous collections” of the countrys royal families. The book will highlight the cultural heritage of the royal families.
She felt a sense of loss that she was unable to find Malaysian textiles before the 19th century. “Textiles from the 19th century onwards were preserved in good condition. I saw songket, batik and other textile pieces, all in beautiful colours and designs,” she observed. But she said that the ubiquitous influence of Indian textiles, in particular, on Malaysian textiles was unmistakable.
“Southeast Asian textile producers relied heavily in those times on Indian textiles and copied them. However, the quality of Malaysian fabrics is good and so is the gold used for some of the fabrics,” she pointed out.
She discerned that Malaysian textiles were characterized by a combination of Ikat (involving the use of threads already dyed and pre-determined patterns) technique. Ikat, she explained, can be seen in the piece called `Kain Limar’ in Malay language.
“I have taken pictures with the magnifying lenses to count the number of threads. I will be categorising the textiles and hope to visit Malaysia as soon as I possibly can for a second categorisation.
“Subsequently, I will search for a publisher in the United States, Italy, India or elsewhere. India, as you know, has an ancient tradition of textile manufacturing,” Gagliardi-Mangilli said.
She was very excited about her first encounter with Malaysias “rich textile culture”.
“Yes, the visit was very fruitful for me,” she concluded
September 19th, 2008
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