21st September 2014
Apparel Park in Pakistani Punjab delayed as Chinese presidential visit “imperils $115 mn in apparel projects”
The recent postponement of a planned visit by the Chinese President to Pakistan has delayed "garment industry projects and Joint Ventures worth Rs12 billion ($115 mn)" The main casualty is claimed...
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15th September 2014
ILO shows perils of claiming expertise you don’t have
In my latest Rant, I discuss how catastrophic it often is in the garment industry to exaggerate the relevance of your expertise in a particular problem. The International Labour Organisation...
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28th July 2014
Fire deaths at “model” Pakistani textile plant and Cambodian Better Factories listed garment factory
Two bodies were found on July 27 in the debris of a burned-out Pakistani garment factory, once held up as a model of fire safety. About the same time, a...
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24th June 2014
South Asian garment export data punctures some producer myths
South Asia’s garment exports to the main Western destinations in the first four months of the year were healthy – but do not reflect the account local trade associations offer....
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5th June 2014
US garment sourcing move from Bangladesh and Cambodia gathers pace in April
US apparel buyers accelerated their move away from Bangladesh and Cambodia in April, as American nervousness about disorder - not shown by European or Japanese buyers - seemed also to...
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1st June 2014
Pakistan: a tale of two textile parks
On May 28, Shahbaz Sharif, the Chief Minister of Pakistan’s Punjab Province laid the foundation stone for a reportedly $2 bn, 1,700 acre, garment and textile production zone near Faisalabad,...
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11th April 2014
Pakistanis see apparel export surge post GSP+ – but trade association in denial
Pakistan's year on year apparel export growth leapt from 6% (in dollars) during the last six months of 2013 to 17.5% in January/February 2014 - but its trade associations persisted...
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14th January 2014
Pakistani doubts about effectiveness of European duty free deal
A January 12 article in the Pakistani press summarises the reasons many Pakistani textile and garment companies are doubtful about enthusiastic expectations of what the EU GSP+ duty free deal...
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11th January 2014
Chinese firm offers “$2 bn” textile and energy investments in Pakistan
China's Shandong Ruyi, which offered to buy 52% of Pakistan's Masood Textile Mills, signed an agreement on January 9 and 10 to invest a reported $2 bn over the next...
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7th January 2014
Pakistanis excited about Better Work programme to avoid “25,000 jobs getting lost if Disney blacklists the country
Pakistan's government and manufacturers continue to worry about the impact of the potential loss of Walt Disney business, and how they might avoid it. In early 2013, Disney announced it...
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5th January 2014
Pakistan still struggling with purpose-built Garment Cities
Much touted plans for purpose-built Garment or Textile Cities continued to struggle in Pakistan during December and early January: Punjab's proposed garment city, over 1,300 acres near Sheikhupura, 20 miles...
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5th January 2014
Sri Lankan success means South Asian apparel exports end 2013 on high note – though Bangladesh worries.
A 36% increase in Sri Lanka's November garment exports announced on January 3 meant India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh all saw high double-digit growth in November on 2012. Most Bangladesh manufacturers...
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