Sommaire / Summary

Revue de presse / Press review n° 34
29 juin 2016
J.F Limantour - ref 20160629
Sommaire / Summary
Asie : H&M ne veut pas d’ouvrières enceintes
Bangladesh garment factory remediation requires $929 M
Bangladesh : H&M to source more apparel from Bangladesh
China’s influence in Cambodia
Cambodia not to feel the tremors of Brexit anytime soon
China eyes Myanmar garment industry
China : Brexit impact on China’s textile exports
China : Jinsheng to invest 40bn yuan in Xinjiang textile sector
Chinese companies eye investments in Ethiopia
Egyptian local coton consumption dips 56 % in Q2
France : coup de froid pour les soldes d’été
France : la petite forme de l’habillement pour les soldes
France : Lectra dévoile Lectra Fashion PLM V5
India : weak policy fabric
India : CII issues 6-point plan for textile & apparel industry
India : another chance for India’s textile industry
India : textile package will be implemented in three months
India : Cabinet to take up national textile policy
Japanese investments and machinery sales grow in Vietnam
Maroc : optimisme quant aux retombées d’une mission en Suède
Maroc : le groupe chinois Haite va construire un parc industriel à Tanger
Myanmar : Bolloré Logistics expands its logistics operations
Pakistan textile and garment exports fall
Pakistan to review all preferential trade agreements
Philippines EU GSP+ status in peril
Sri Lanka : GSP+ concessions by UK seen as being hit with EU exit
USA : New York to host apparelsourcing USA from July 12
Vietnam, un fournisseur d’habillement très attractif
Vietnam attracts over $ 11b FDI in first half of 2016
Vietnam prefers EU over TPP
Vietnam : Vinatex to build VND100-billion factory in HCMC
Vietnam : les solutions technologiques belges pour le textile vietnamien
Vietnam : un nouveau projet dans le textile-habillement à Binh Duong
Vietnam : le Japonais Chori étend ses activités au Vietnam
World : global impact of Brexit on apparel, textile
******
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En Asie, le fabricant de vêtements H&M ne
veut pas d'ouvrières enceintes
Des ouvrières cambodgiennes du textile de H&M reprennent le travail après leur pause déjeuner.
AP Photo/Heng Sinith - mars 2015
Une étude diligentée par Asia Floor Wage Alliance, fédération
de syndicats et d'organisations de défense des droits humains
basée en Asie, dénonce les conditions de travail des ouvrières du
textile employées par la multinationale H&M, en particulier au
Cambodge et en Inde.
14 JUIN 2016
Si vous êtes ouvrière et si vous travaillez pour le géant suédois du prêt à porter H&M, ne
tombez pas enceinte ! Si votre employeur l'apprenait, vous risqueriez fort de perdre votre
travail. Ce géant de la mode à bas prix, présent dans 61 pays, qui emploie
environ 148 000 personnes (2016) et possède 4 000 magasins (2015), n'a que faire des
1
conditions de travail des petites mains qui turbinent, à coûts dérisoires, sans relâche, pour
fournir les points de vente de la chaîne tentaculaire en t-shirts, vendus à moins de 6 dollars
pièce...
Un rapport publié par l'Asia Floor Wage Alliance, union de syndicats qui se bat pour que les
salariés de l'habillement soient mieux rémunérés et traités, montre que malgré les campagnes
mondiales de sensibilisation, et le choc de l'effondrement du Rana Plaza au Bangladesh en
2014 avec ses 1138 morts et ses milliers de blessés, principalement des femmes, les choses
ont peu progressé. Et les résultats de cette enquête seraient sans doute restés dans
l'indifférence générale sans le relais médiatique du site d'information Vice.
De H&M à Beyoncé, des promesses mensongères
L'exploitation des petites mains du textile à bas coût asiatique n'est pas une découverte. En
mai 2016, les médias britanniques ont dénoncé les méthodes de la chanteuse Beyoncé qui
venait de lancer sa marque de vêtements (Ivy Park) : loin des promesses de travail éthique l'artiste avait juré que sa marque avait pour but de “soutenir et inspirer les femmes” -, la
fabrication se fait dans des usines au Sri Lanka par des ouvrières payées environ 55 centimes
de l’heure… Il leur faudra travailler plus d’un mois et jusqu’à 60 heures par semaine pour être
en mesure d’acheter le moindre article de cette collection. Et parmi ces employées, beaucoup
seraient mineures...
Nous nous engageons à respecter les droits humains
H&M way, 2016
Asia Floor Wage Alliance a enquêté au Cambodge et en Inde, sur un autre industriel, soidisant irréprochable. Sur son site, la marque suédoise H&M (pour Hennes & Mauritz
AB), vieille de 70 ans, revendique un comportement "éthique" et même un "H&M way" :
"Le respect et l’intégrité sont des qualités fondamentales pour notre activité. Avoir un
comportement éthique implique aussi de défendre les droits de l'homme et de mener ses
affaires dans un contexte ouvert. Et pas seulement vis-à-vis de nos collaborateurs, mais
également pour donner le bon exemple quelque soit l'endroit où nous opérons.
Notre activité touche plus d'un million de personnes à travers le monde. Nous pensons que la
plus petite de ces interactions doit être placée sous le signe du respect mutuel, de la
transparence et de l'honnêteté.
Lorsqu'il s'agit de prendre des décisions commerciales éthiques, nous nous engageons à
2
respecter les droits humains et à nous opposer fermement à toute forme de corruption, en
nous positionnant en faveur de la diversité et de l'ouverture."
Mais les 251 employées des usines au Cambodge (à Phnom Penh) et en Inde (à New Delhi)
sollicitées (anonymement et pour des conversations d'une heure et demi en moyenne durant
les mois d'août à octobre 2015) par l'union syndicale, racontent une toute autre histoire dans
cette étude "Le travail précaire dans la chaîne mondiale H&M", bien loin de cette profession
de foi idéale. Une réalité jalonnée de nombreuses violations des règles de base et des
standards internationaux du droit du travail, au premier rang desquelles : harcèlement sexuel
répété et licenciements pour cause de grossesse... Dans 11 des 12 unités cambodgiennes, la
majorité des ouvrières racontent ou bien avoir subi un arrêt brutal de leur contrat de travail, ou
bien en avoir été témoin.
Les femmes entre 18 et 35 ans dominent l'industrie de prêt à porter au Cambodge : entre 90 et
95% des 700 000 employés de ce secteur. (Une estimation qui ne tient pas compte des
travailleuses saisonnières). Et les enquêteurs ont découvert que leur nourriture quotidienne ne
constituait que la moitié de celle qu'elles devraient avaler pour tenir le coup face à ce travail :
1598 calories au lieu des 3000 nécessaires.
Enceintes, elles sont forcées de s'en aller ou alors elles sont virées
Tola Moeun, avocat cambodgien
L'avocat cambodgien Tola Moeun signale lui aussi les problèmes que rencontrent les femmes
enceintes : "Elles sont forcées de s'en aller ou alors elles sont virées. Et quand, elles
reprennent leur emploi, dans la même usine, elles ont perdu leur ancienneté et les avantages
acquis." Ce spécialiste du droit du travail dénonce aussi "les avortements clandestins et
dangereux auxquels elles recourent, de peur de perdre leur travail et faute d'information sur
l'interruption volontaire de grossesse (autorisée au Cambodge jusqu'à 12 semaines de
grossesse, ndlr)".
Situation similaire en Inde pour les 45 millions de travailleuses du prêt à porter. Avec en plus
un risque de régression supplémentaire : en 2015, le gouvernement indien a proposé de
nouvelles règles, un projet "loi travail" en quelque sorte, pour encourager les investisseurs
étrangers, précarisant encore plus les employées de ce secteur : moins de contraintes pour les
salaires minimums, moins de contrôle sur les discriminations sexuelles, possibilité d'accroître
les horaires de travail sans discussion, etc...
3
De cette absence légale de protection au travail, la société H&M semble profiter
abondamment, un mouchoir de soie soigneusement mis sur le nez, lui permettant d'oublier le
fameux modèle social suédois que certains économistes voudraient appliquer au monde
entier... Le rapport relaie abondamment les horaires à rallonge, les agressions sexuelles, les
salaires au rabais, les risques sanitaires, les produits toxiques entraînant des maladies
respiratoires. Des conditions de travail dans un tel stress qu'elles provoquent "des anomalies
dans les règles - irrégularité ou saignements excessifs - , les grossesses, et des dépressions
nerveuses." Un catalogue difficile à lire jusqu'à son terme...
Le monde de et selon H&M
Déjà en juin 2014, "Le monde selon H&M", un documentaire de Marie Maurice, avait mis à
mal le fameux "way of life" de l'empire suédois. Réalisé juste après l'effondrement du Rana
Plaza, le film-enquête décrivait des conditions de travail déplorables, avec des semaines de six
jours et des journées s'étirant de 8 heures à 22 heures. Et mettait au jour des délocalisations
sauvages : tandis que H&M annonce oeuvrer à une augmentation des rémunérations,
l'entreprise s'installe en catimini en Ethiopie, là où la main-d'oeuvre est encore moins chère
qu'en Asie.
Spécial investigation, Le Monde selon H&M (Reportage Canal+)
Les jeunes femmes et hommes qui se précipitent dans ces magasins de marque à bas prix (4
000 points de vente répartis dans 62 pays à travers le monde et sur tous les continents) - "la
chaîne suédoise au succès universel (.../...) qui s'implique dans de grandes
causes actuelles" comme la décrivait avec une rare distance critique le magazine Glamour en
mai 2016 -, devraient y réfléchir à deux fois avant d'enfiler leur débardeur ou pantalon
préféré... Et leur robe de femme enceinte, puisque c'est l'un des "must" de l'enseigne...
#yaduboulot comme on dit toujours à Terriennes.
L’Asia Floor Wage Alliance (AFWA) est une alliance internationale de syndicats et
d’organisations de défense des droits au travail, mobilisés pour obtenir des entreprises de
l’habillement une rémunération décente pour les ouvrier-e-s du secteur en Asie, qu’ils soient Srilankais, Indonésiens, Indiens, Chinois, Bangladeshis ou Thaïlandais.
Le salaire minimum vital proposé par l’AFW est basé sur le revenu nécessaire à un/une
travailleur-euse pour couvrir les besoins essentiels d’une famille constituée de 4 personnes (2
adultes et 2 enfants). Il correspond à une durée hebdomadaire de travail maximum de 48 heures.
4
D’après les calculs de l’Asia Floor Wage, le salaire vital au Cambodge par exemple, doit s’élever
à 283 dollars par mois, soit plus de 4 fois le montant du salaire minimum actuel.
Cette association fait aussi du plaidoyer auprès des organisations internationales, telles le BIT
(Bureau international du travail, émanation des Nations Unies) et est présente lors de toutes les
grandes réunions mondiales pour l'amélioration du droit et des conditions de travail.
Source : Collectif Ethique sur l'étiquette
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TUESDAY, 21 JUNE 2016 17:22
BANGLADESH GARMENT FACTORY REMEDIATION REQUIRES
$929 M
About $929 million has been estimated to be needed for fixing the identified
flaws in Bangladesh's readymade garment (RMG) factories assessed by the
three initiatives, according to a report released recently. Fire, electrical and
structural integrity in some 3,778 garment factories has been assessed by
Accord, Alliance and National Initiative.
According to the report, the last two years have seen remediation activities
begun in earnest, reducing the remaining remediation costs to around $635
million with $262 million in structural, $201 million in electrical and $171
million in fire related issues. It was estimated that over the last two years,
remediation activities worth some $ 294 million have been carried out in
Bangladesh's RMG sector through actions Accord, the Alliance and individual
factory owners.
The study also included a review of Bangladesh's banking sector and the credit
facilities recently developed by international organisations such as IFC, JICA,
AFD and USAID, which have made available some $ 187 million specifically for
RMG remediation.
The report titled ‘Remediation financing in Bangladesh's Ready Made Garment
Sector: An Overview’ revealed that the total remaining financing gap for
factory remediation is around $448 million. The report was jointly
commissioned by International Finance Corporation (IFC) and International
Labour Organisation (ILO) to assess the cost of safety remediation for
structural, electrical, and fire safety work in RMG factories, as well as the
ability of factories to finance these works.
6
H&M to Source More Apparel from
Bangladesh
by Tara Donaldson
Posted on March 14, 2016 in Retail
H&M may continuously be diversifying its supply chain but the Swedish fast-fashion
retailer will up its sourcing in Bangladesh.
The company said it plans to increase its volume of apparel orders from the Southeast
Asian nation.
“H&M has maintained good relations with Bangladesh over the last 30 years. We have a
long-term plan for Bangladesh,” Hendrik Heuermann, H&M sustainability manager in
Germany told the Daily Star. “So we will continue business with Bangladesh.”
The retailer has been one of Bangladesh’s biggest apparel buyers, taking in roughly $5
billion in garment goods each year. H&M has more than 3,900 stores in 61 markets and
sources roughly 80 percent of its products from Asia, according to the Daily Star. In
recent years, H&M has turned to Ethiopia and Myanmar as sourcing alternatives, which
7
will still supply the brand’s more basic items, and Bangladesh could supply more value
added items like jackets, Heuermann said.
H&M recently moved into India with a retail location to cater to the country’s rising middle
income population, but the retailer has no plans to open a retail location in Bangladesh
now or in the near future, according to the Daily Star.
As with many retailers sourcing in Bangladesh when the country experienced its worst
factory tragedy, the Rana Plaza building collapse in April 2013, H&M has been facing
criticism for sourcing garments at too-low prices in Bangladesh, even though the retailer
wasn’t making apparel in any of the Rana Plaza factories. And despite the pressure to
improve safety standards and compliance in the country, Heuermann said Bangladesh is
still a competitive place to produce garments.
In September, H&M reiterated its commitment to sourcing in Bangladesh, rolling out a
better compensation package to factories in the country as part of its Fair Wage Method,
to help improve safety conditions there. H&M also put the method in place in China and
Cambodia and plans to have all of its suppliers on board by 2018.
“A lot of the riots and unrest we have seen in countries like Cambodia and Bangladesh
are connected to the issue of wages,” Anna Gedda, H&M’s head of sustainability, told
Bloomberg at the time. “If we can address the issue of wages and industrial relations,
that will lead to more stable production prices.”
8
WEDNESDAY, 29 JUNE 2016 16:34:37 GMT (ICT) / VEASNA VAR
China’s Influence in Cambodia
As China becomes richer and more powerful, it is expanding its interest and involvement in most
parts of the globe, and Cambodia in particular.
Cambodia has undeniably come under China’s economic and political influence and has become
one of China’s closest international partners and diplomatic allies.
China and Cambodia reached agreement on a Comprehensive Partnership for Cooperation deal
in April 2006 and raised this to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership of Cooperation status in
2010, marked as milestones of deep and comprehensive cooperation.
Prime Minister Hun Sen recently described China as a “most trustworthy friend” for Cambodia.
During an official visit by King Norodom Sihamoni to Beijing in early June, Chinese President Xi
Jinping described Cambodia as a “good neighbor, like a brother” and “a good friend with sincerity.”
China has become Cambodia’s largest development aid giver and provider of foreign investment.
As a major source of development assistance, China has disbursed more than $200 million
annually since 1992 and has provided about $3 billion in concessional loans and grants to
Cambodia.
Also, between 1994 and 2013, Chinese investment in Cambodia was about $10 billion, focused
mainly on agriculture, mining, infrastructure projects, hydro-power dams and garment production.
In addition to development aid, China has also provided a considerable amount of military
assistance to the Royal Cambodian Armed Force’s (RCAF) development. In recent years, China
significantly increased military cooperation with the RCAF by providing loans and military
equipment including trucks, helicopters and aircraft, built military training and medical facilities and
donated uniforms to the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces.
But is China’s increasingly growing relationship with Cambodia an overall positive or negative one?
From the perspective of some foreign observers and Cambodian citizens, China’s approach to
development cooperation clearly presents opportunities, but also entails some risks for Cambodia’s
current and future foreign and development strategic trajectory.
Overall, Chinese engagement has generated some significant benefits for Cambodia, including
development of much-needed physical infrastructure – roads, bridges, railways dams etc – and
massive investment that has created thousands of jobs in industry, construction, mining and other
sectors.
For example, Chinese investment in the textile industry has enabled tens of thousands of
Cambodians to work and make money, even though most of them are unskilled. Chinese
development aid in infrastructure has played an important role in Cambodia’s national rehabilitation.
9
With about 10 bridges and more than 2,000 kilometers of road built by Chinese development aid,
this infrastructure has significantly improved access to markets, especially for farmers. China’s
involvement in Cambodia has contributed in the garment and textile sector – with more than 3,000
companies, which are the backbone of Cambodian exports, accounting for 80 percent of all exports
and employing about half a million workers, contributing 2 percent of Cambodia’s GDP since 1995.
Despite Cambodia having received a significant amount of Chinese aid, the question must be
asked: can such aid help Cambodia achieve the long-term core national interest development goals
it adopted since the first UN-sponsored election in 1993?
China’s activities in Cambodia are not without controversy. Some critics view China’s hegemony in
Cambodia as for its own wider strategic interests in Cambodia. Chinese development aid and
investment have significant impacts on Cambodia’s social, political and environmental arenas.
Chinese aid and investment, they argue, has made corruption worse, led to a failure to achieve
good governance and human rights and resulted in over-exploitation of Cambodia’s natural
resources.
Although China is one of the key development players in Cambodia, its involvement has not been
appreciated by Cambodia’s general public because China’s strategic interests focus on the
government, political parties and political elites and neglect to focus on benefits for the average
Cambodian.
It may also be considered to be potentially detrimental to ordinary people, the farmers and the
workers, with the potential to result in unchecked oppression, leading to social unrest and violence,
as can be seen today.
Some observers are concerned about the environmental effects and the lack of transparency as a
result of some Chinese-backed infrastructure, including dams and development projects. For
example, the controversial Boeung Kak lake development in central Phnom Penh, which rights
groups claim has led to the illegal eviction of about 4,000 families, and the massive gambling and
tourist resort development under construction in Botum Sakor National Park in the country’s
southwest.
Compounding these concerns are reports of mistreatment of Cambodian workers on Chinese
construction sites.
While Chinese assistance may boost Cambodia’s economic development to a certain extent and
enable Cambodia to maintain sovereignty and pursue independent foreign policy on the
international stage, Cambodia’s current foreign policy is seen to partly serve China’s political and
diplomatic interests in the region and the world.
This was obvious when Cambodia expressed strong objections to a joint statement to condemn
China for building military installations in the contentious areas in the South China Sea. Also, in his
speech, Prime Minister Hun Sen fiercely stated that Cambodia’s stance was not to support any
joint statement in support of the verdict of the court.
This dynamic was similar to when Cambodia used its 2012 chairmanship of Asean to back China
in the South China Sea dispute, an action with the potential to seriously affect Asean’s unity and
other major powers such as the US, EU, Japan and South Korea, countries that have provided
substantial development assistance to Cambodia.
10
Cambodia’s recent refusal to listen to a strong appeal from the international community, including
the US, EU and the UN, over its deteriorating domestic issues highlighted Cambodia’s overdependence on China. This move was considered a risky strategy which may lead to Cambodia
being abandoned by the international community because the strategy sharply contradicts the
country’s national development interests.
Arguably, this dynamic has fundamentally undermined long-standing international efforts to
promote regional peace and prosperity and democracy in Cambodia.
It is true that the country’s national development goals – for Cambodia to reach upper-middle
income country status by 2030 and high income status by 2050 – would be unlikely to become a
reality without foreign assistance from diverse aid providers and integrating into the international
community.
It reminded us that during her visit to Cambodia in 2010, then US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
asked Cambodians to seek good multilateral-cooperation beyond China. She argued that “it is
smart for Cambodia to be friends with many countries and to look for opportunities to cooperate
with many countries.”
In order to attain its strategic economic development goals, Cambodia will need to seek a
diversified foreign policy which means strengthening cooperation with all countries. The country
must continue to see the value in engaging regional entities.
Cambodia’s best long-term interests lie in regional initiatives, Asean, Mekong regional development
and working to harmonize foreign relations as far as possible with countries in the region to secure
its own future.
Veasna Var is a PhD Candidate in Political and International Studies, University of New South
Wales at the Australian Defence Force Academy, Canberra.
11
TUESDAY, 28 JUNE 2016 17:48
CAMBODIA NOT TO FEEL THE TREMORS OF BREXIT ANYTIME
SOON
According to Kaing Monika, Deputy Secretary General of the Garment
Manufacturers Association in Cambodia (GMAC), the country will not feel the
direct impact of Brexit for the time being, despite the United Kingdom being one
of the main destinations for the country’s garment exports.
The European Union accounts for about 45 per cent of Cambodia's total garment
exports, with the UK as one of the main destinations. Brexit is a very complicated
matter and it is too early for them to exactly predict the consequences, feels
Monika. Many don’t really know what is going to happen next. The fallout of the
momentous Brexit vote is fueling fears of a break-up of the United Kingdom,
with repercussions already felt in global markets.
The EU is one of Cambodia’s largest trading partners after the United States and
more than 40 per cent of the country's exports head to Europe. Cambodia’s EU
exports are given preferential treatment under the Everything but Arms (EBA)
initiative for least developed countries.
12
China eyes Myanmar garment industry: Hong Kong trade report
China eyes Myanmar garment industry: Hong Kong
trade report
Submitted by whtut on Tue, 06/28/2016 - 17:58
Chinese garment factories are interested in investing in Myanmar due to the country’s cheap labour and
market potential, according to a report by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council.
As the Chinese government’s policies have prioritised value-added products and China’s basic wages have
been rising, textile proprietors are flocking to Southeast Asian countries, where wages are relatively cheap.
A skilled worker in Myanmar’s local garment industry is paid only around US$90 per month. Myanmar also
enjoys tax exemptions from the EU market, which makes up 23 per cent of its garment exports.
The Myanmar Garment Manufacturers Association expects the industry to earn $12 billion from exports and
to create 1.5 million jobs by 2020.
Myanmar’s garment industry began blooming in 2014 and earned $1.5 billion from exports. More than
230,000 workers were involved in the industry as of 2015.
Foreign investment into the industry is also rising; 26.5 per cent of Myanmar’s total FDI went into garment
industry in 2013, followed by 27.4 per cent in 2014 and 29 per cent in 2015. The industry runs on a piecework
basis.
Myanmar’s garment exports primarily go to Japan, the EU and South Korea.
13
Insight | Time：Jun 23 2016 10:39AM
Countdown to Britain's EU referendum, impact analysis on China's textile
exports
On Jun 23 (AM 7:00-PM 22:00), Britons will vote whether to remain or leave the EU. A latest
survey showed Remain a 1-point lead over Leave-on 45% compared to 44% and the rest
were still undecided.
Analysts said that if Britain leaves EU, the position of London’s financial center will be
crippled, triggering the capital flowing into risk-aversion direction, like gold. And if the pound
and the euro devaluates sharply, the European market will be volatile and impact on China’s
textile and apparel exports obviously. Market players express concern over the exports to EU,
especially to Britain. Following analyzes the status quo of exports and the influences on late
market.
1. China’s textile and apparel exports to Britain
According to the China Customs, in 2011, China’s textile and apparel exports to Britain totaled
7.756 billion USD, up 16.73% y-o-y, taking a share of 3.13% in total exports and ranking
fifth.
14
In the first four months of 2016, the exports amounted to 3.161 billion USD, up 0.91% y-o-y.
The growth rate decreased obviously, but the shares climbed up to 4.08%, ranking the fifth
place still.
It is seen that China’s textile and apparel exports to Britain were not small and Britain is an
important trade partner for China. If Britain leaves EU, the risk of exports enlarges, influencing
directly on China’s textile and apparel.
2. China’s textile and apparel exports to EU
Viewed from continents, in 2011, exports of China’s textile and apparel to EU totaled 53.448
billion USD, up 19.69% from a year ago, accounting for about 21.56% in total exports and
ranking the second place (exports to Asia took the first place with a share of 42.73%).
15
In the first four months of 2016, China’s textile and apparel exports to EU reached 13.25 billion
USD, down 5.15% y-o-y. The growth rate moved lower obviously and shares slipped to
17.10%, ranking the third place.
China’s textile and apparel export proportion to Britain increases over the years due to the
active trade between two countries. But EU economy is sluggish dragged down by the debt
crisis, leading to sluggish consumption. China’s textile and apparel exports to EU weakens. If
Britain leaves EU, the volatility increases and capital turns to safe-haven asset, dampening
the operation of enterprises, directly influencing the exports of China’s textile and apparel to
Britain and EU.
16
Jinsheng to invest 40bn yuan in Xinjiang textile sector
15
Jun '16
Courtesy: Jinsheng Group
Jinsheng Group, a Jiangsu, East China based industrial conglomerate with a focus on high-end
equipment manufacturing, will invest 40 billion yuan in Xinjiang textile and garment industry.
This was disclosed during the recent meeting between Pan Xueping, president of Jiangsu
Jinsheng Industry Company, and Zhang Chunxian, secretary of the Party Committee of Xinjiang
Uygur Autonomous Region.
Jinsheng Group plans to set up three industrial parks in Xinjiang—the ecological yarn pilot
industrial park for vegetable printing and dyeing, the regenerated fibre industrial park, and the
intelligent high-end equipment manufacturing industrial park for producing computer-controlled
machine tools, garment 3D printing and packing machinery.
Of the three industrial parks, the regenerated (recycled) fibre park alone is expected to create
50,000 new employment opportunities.
In addition to the three parks, Jinsheng will also establish one administration, service and
innovation centre in Xinjiang.
Jinsheng has set a long-term target to generate annual sales revenue of 100 billion yuan by
2025. (RKS)
17
Chinese companies eye investments in Ethiopia
25
Jun '16
As labour in China gets expensive and the economy is witnessing a slowdown, the country's
manufacturing sector is exploring developing economies such as Ethiopia for production and
investment.
A delegation of Chinese textile, leather and light manufacturing industry associations recently
visited the Ethiopia under the aegis of United Nations Industrial Development Organization
(UNIDO) and expressed their interest to invest in Ethiopia.
UNIDO goodwill ambassador and delegation leader of the Chinese industry associations, Helen
Hai held talks on Wednesday with Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn on ways of facilitating
investment in the East African nation.
"The reason why we are coming here is actually because Ethiopia is embarking a new chapter of
development which is leading a successful example for Africa to follow," Hai said according to the
Ethiopian news agency ENA.
The participating Chinese delegates were from China Textile Association, Hong Kong Chamber
of Textile Association, and Chinese Chamber of Light Manufacturing.
"We have signed a collaboration agreement with Ethiopian Investment Commission (EIC) and we
are going to be partners", she said describing the business environment in Ethiopia as
favourable.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Dessalegne said the light manufacturing industry sub-sector is one of
the priority areas in his country, which looked forward to more foreign investment in this sector.
(SH)
18
Egyptian local cotton consumption dips 56% in Q2
20
Jun '16
The consumption of locally grown cotton by Egyptian companies decreased by 56.6 per cent in
the second quarter of the agricultural season 2015-16, the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation
and Statistics (CAPMAS) showed.
During December 2015 – February 2016 period, local companies purchased 76,400 kantar (1
kantar = 45.02 kg) of cotton, compared to consumption of 175,800 kantar in the corresponding
period of the previous season.
The decline in consumption was largely due to shutdown of a number of spinning mills in
the country, CAPMAS said.
Exports of Egyptian cotton too decreased to 112,700 kantar during the three-month period under
review, as against exports of 246,000 kantar between December 2014 and February 2015,
registering a drop of 54.2 per cent. However, CAPMAS attributed the decline in exports to the
decrease in cotton crop.
19
Similarly, the quantity of ginned cotton fell by 29.5 per cent to 900,000 kantar during the second
quarter, compared to 1.3 million kantar cotton ginned during the same period of the previous
season.
Likewise, the amount of pressed cotton declined by 46.3 per cent to 540,000 kantar, compared to
1 million kantar pressed during the same quarter in the previous season. (RKS)
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Coup de froid pour les soldes d’été
LE MONDE | 22.06.2016 à 06h33 • Mis à jour le 28.06.2016 à 13h09 | Par Nicole Vulser
Des montagnes de vêtements. Rarement les stocks dans l’habillement étaient
apparus aussi colossaux à l’ouverture des soldes d’été, dont le coup d’envoi a
été donné mercredi 22 juin. Tout s’est ligué, cette année, pour que
la consommation recule encore. Le temps, très frais pour la saison, et la pluie,
en particulier, ont incité les consommateurs à resterchez eux. Rien qu’à Paris,
le printemps a battu un record de pluviosité depuis 1873, et le début des mesures
à la station Montsouris… « S’y sont ajoutées les grèves à répétition, les pénuries
d’essence et les crues en plein démarrage des collections », énumère Gildas
Minvielle, directeur de l’Observatoire économique de l’Institut français de
la mode(IFM).
Daniel Wertel, président de la Fédération française du prêt-à-porter, cite également
une autre série de « facteurs de précarité, d’incertitude, comme le contexte des
attentats, les manifestations et même le climat préélectoral », qui contribuent
à faire chuter inéluctablement, « depuis
quarante
ans,
les
ventes
de
l’habillement ». Un scénario du pire.
21
Fuite des touristes
En avril, les ventes du secteur textile-habillement ont effectivement reculé, selon l’IFM,
de 6,1 % par rapport au même mois de 2015, et de 3,5 %, en mai, par rapport à la
même période de l’an dernier. Alors que les experts de l’IFM espéraient enfin une
embellie du marché cette année, en raison d’une légère amélioration des facteurs
macroéconomiques, il n’en est rien : entre janvier et mars, le secteur a encore reculé
de 1,6 %.
La morosité n’en est que plus tangible. Les enseignes de prêt-à-porter ont déjà essayé,
en vain, de séduire les clients, en leur proposant, depuis plus d’une dizaine de jours,
des ventes privées. Ou en les conviant, par textos, à des rabais de 30 % à 50 %.
Le Printemps – qui réalise habituellement 11 % de son chiffre d’affaires pendant les
soldes d’été, confirme détenir 10 % de stocks supplémentaires par rapport à 2015.
Souffrant, comme son concurrent, de la fuite des touristes depuis les attentats et de
l’impossibilité d’ouvrir le dimanche, les Galeries Lafayette constatent une fréquentation
anormalement basse, mais ne comptent pas, pour autant, proposer des prix bien plus
bradés que d’habitude.
La part des soldes et des promotions a représenté 40,6 % des achats en valeur de
vêtements en 2015, selon l’IFM. Et près d’un article sur deux en volume. « On arrive à
la période des soldes, alors qu’on a déjà tenté tous les artifices pour faire venir des
clients. Rien ne bouge depuis des semaines, des mois, malgré les “2e article gratuit”
affichés en vitrine », assure M. Wertel. « Les soldes d’été seront forcément
extrêmement mous. » A ses yeux, le calendrier n’est pas le bon. « Les soldes débutent
le lendemain du premier jour officiel de l’été, alors qu’ils devraient démarrer en août,
quand les enseignes ont déjà vendu avec une marge confortable, pour faire place nette
avec les stocks restants. »
Sur Internet, l’influence de la météo a moins joué. Cyril Andrino, le PDG de Brandalley,
est l’un des rares à afficher « un bon mois de juin », en hausse de 20 % par rapport à
2015. Sans doute parce que les e-consommatrices espéraient follement le retour du
beau temps, elles ont acheté des robes et des nu-pieds.
Lire aussi : Soldes : bilan décevant pour les commerçants
Pour les acheteurs, les soldes, les présoldes ou les promotions sont devenus la norme.
Et acheter au prix fort devient de plus en plus rare. Presque une anomalie. Un sondage
Odoxa pour Unibail, paru le 22 juin, montre que si 71 % des Français comptent
s’adonner aux soldes d’été, 51 % voulaient participer aux présoldes. Selon un autre
sondage, publié le 20, Yougov/Ma Reduc, les personnes interrogées attendent, de la
même manière, soldes ou promotions ponctuelles pour faire de bonnes affaires. Et
près d’un Français sur deux estime que les soldes ne présentent plus un avantage
notable.
Voire, selon un sondé d’une enquête Obsoco du 16 juin, « un attrape-nigaud, qui
oblige à acheter ce dont on n’a pas besoin »… Un vibrant appel, sage mais sans doute
assez isolé, à renoncer à remplir encore et toujours ses placards.
22
La petite forme de l’habillement pour les
soldes
LE MONDE | 28.06.2016 à 17h08 • Mis à jour le 28.06.2016 à 18h53 | Par Salomé Vincendon
Les soldes sont là. Comme chaque année, durant un mois
environ, vous pourrez bénéficier de la loi qui permet « une
réduction de prix », visant « à l’écoulement accéléré de
marchandises en stock […] durant des périodes définies par année
civile », d’après la Chambre de commerce et d’industrie de Paris.
Mais il s’agit aussi d’un moment pour attirer de nouveaux acheteurs
et exposer la nouvelle collection.
Les promotions devancent les soldes
Seulement, les soldes ne sont plus aujourd’hui le seul moyen de dépenser moins pour
les clients. Les promotions, ces ventes à prix réduits pouvant être organisées toute
l’année, sont de plus en plus prisées par les clients. Pour 70 % des Français interrogés
pour l’étude Sociomantic-L’Institut CSA, les promotions sont plus intéressantes que
les soldes, en grande partie parce qu’elles durent toute l’année et véhiculent une
impression de soldes permanentes pour l’acheteur. Ainsi, en 2015, les soldes ont
représenté 17,6 % de la consommation d’habillement, alors que les promotions
arrivaient à 22,7 %, d’après l’Institut français de la mode.
Les nombreux sites de ventes privées, les offres en ligne sur les vêtements et autres
prix cassés du Net contribuent fortement au succès des promotions. En ligne, le client
trouvera toujours une réduction à n’importe quel moment de l’année, c’est pourquoi
dans l’étude Sociomantic-L’Institut CSA, ils sont 7 acheteurs sur 10 à estimer que les
promotions sur Internet remplacent les soldes.
Les équipements de logements prennent toute la place
D’après une étude de l’Insee datant d’avril 2016, se vêtir n’est de toute façon plus la
priorité dans les dépenses des Français. Si, en valeur, les achats dans ce domaine
restent plutôt stables sur le long terme, ils arrivent désormais après l’automobile, et
surtout les équipements de logements (en particulier les produits électroniques et les
meubles).
23
La part consacrée à l’habillement dans le portefeuille des foyers recule : moins quatre
points en février, avec un léger rebond en avril (dû à de bonnes ventes dans le secteur
des chaussures). Depuis quelques mois, ce sont les équipements pour le logement qui
prennent toute la place.
Non seulement, de plus en plus d’argent est mis dans ces équipements, mais ils
prennent aussi de plus en plus de place dans le budget des Français, au détriment
d’autres domaines de consommation, comme l’habillement bien sûr, mais aussi
l’alimentaire, qui enregistre un lourd recul en avril 2016, résultant, selon l’Insee,
« surtout d’une nouvelle baisse de la consommation en viande et du repli des
dépenses en boissons et tabac ».
24
Salomé Vincendon
Journaliste au Monde
25
Paris, le 28 juin 2016 – Lectra, numéro un mondial des solutions technologiques intégrées pour les
industries utilisatrices de tissus, cuir, textiles techniques et matériaux composites, annonce le lancement
de Lectra Fashion PLM V5, la dernière version de sa solution de gestion du cycle de vie des produits.
En couvrant désormais les étapes de pré-production, la plateforme développée avec l’ambition de
répondre aux défis spécifiques auxquels cette industrie est aujourd’hui confrontée. « Parce que nous
vivons dans un monde digital, y compris dans la mode, Lectra veut aider ses clients à rester en tête de
la compétition. Grâce à notre technologie et notre expertise métiers, nous pouvons aider les entreprises
à mettre sur le marché des collections tendance et rentables malgré des contraintes de temps
croissantes, nous devons, les accompagner dès l’étape de pré-production. Déjouer les obstacles
potentiels dès le début garantit en effet davantage d’efficacité aux étapes finales de production »,
explique Céline Choussy Bedouet, directrice marketing et communication, Lectra.
La couverture étendue de Lectra Fashion PLM V5 accroît la visibilité sur la matière et les coûts de
26
production, guidant ainsi les équipes dans leurs choix avant même que la production ne débute. La
solution aide également les entreprises à améliorer leur rentabilité : elle leur permet de comparer
différentes hypothèses, d’optimiser l’utilisation de la matière en salle de coupe, d’estimer la
consommation de tissu pour les collections à venir et de dérouler très en amont différents scenarios de
sourcing.
En réponse à la mobilité d’une partie de ses utilisateurs, Lectra Fashion PLM V5 dote, par ailleurs,
marques et distributeurs d’une toute nouvelle série d’applications mobiles destinées à accélérer la prise
de décision au quotidien. Capables de consulter et partager en tous lieux des vues de leur travail en
cours depuis leurs terminaux mobiles, les équipes sont désormais en mesure de prendre des décisions
immédiates sur leurs priorités, leurs collections, les tailles et le bien-aller de leurs produits.
Bien qu’améliorer les marges et la vitesse de production soient des priorités, Lectra Fashion PLM V5
ne fait aucune concession sur la qualité des styles. La solution étant intégrée avec les applications
®
Creative Cloud d’Adobe , les stylistes peuvent s’y connecter pour dessiner des croquis de haute qualité
et les modifier tout en travaillant dans leur environnement natif. Pour capturer des sources d’inspiration,
une nouvelle application mobile permet aux créatifs de prendre des photos et de les partager en temps
réel avec les membres de leur équipe. Pour faciliter le patronnage, Lectra inclut, en outre, de nouvelles
bibliothèques de contenus plus étoffées et sophistiquées via sa plateforme.
27
Weak policy fabric
MANIKAM RAMASWAMI
Toxic flow The textile units have been accused of discharging untreated effluents into rivers
Tariff wall a big issue in garments exports
The new garment policy — which aims to create one crore new jobs in three years — is a welcome
initiative. But mere incentives and labour reforms will not be able to produce the targeted number
of jobs. Granted, the policy will render make garment-making a little more competitive. The extra
incentives given through higher drawback will make garments cheaper to the overseas buyer.
Still, it may not be good enough to corner market share.
Duty woes
India’s exports to EU, Canada, Australia and China attract levies of 10-18 per cent. However, one
or more of our competing countries have zero duty on exports into all these markets. So, when we
export to EU, we can’t hope to be more price competitive compared with those having zero duties,
unless Indian goods are 10-18 per cent cheaper (18 per cent when we export to Canada).
Hence, merely giving an extra one or two per cent duty drawback, reducing the cost of labour by
10 per cent, without addressing such important issues will not be enough. It will only make the
hugely competitive garment industry look like a subsidy-seeking weakling.
Creating one crore additional jobs in three years through garment exports is an achievable target.
It is also a target that must be met, so that growth in consumption does not fall behind increases
labour productivity, as is the case now.
28
Labour law modifications should be effected faster; besides, the compulsory need to get ESI cover
for workers should be made optional. Instead, a choice of credible private or public insurance
policies for health and life must be offered.
More measures
A free-trade agreement with the EU, a comprehensive trade agreement to get zero duty with
Australia and Canada and a reduced duty on par with Pakistan into China must be completed
without further delay.
China will agree to giving the same duty for Indian textiles as Pakistan should our ministry take
up textile duty reduction while discussing steps to reduce trade deficit between India and China.
Also, allow import of cement and steel under the EPCG (export promotion capital goods) scheme
to cut the huge cost of building by 50 per cent. Building accounts for 70 per cent of the project
cost for a residential garment unit.
By taking such measures, the Government will save over ₹5,000 crore a year, and will help create
cost-competitive garmenting units which will be easily be able to garner 10 per cent market share
in garments in EU and a even higher percentage in Canada and Australia, besides taking up a $710 billion share in the $25-billion-plus fabric and yarn import into China.
Exports to EU alone will help generate 50 lakh jobs and exports to China will provide 20 lakh jobs
and the rest including domestic market consumption growth will provide 30 lakh jobs, in all 100
lakh jobs in three years.
The writer is CMD of Loyal Textiles
(This article was published on June 26, 2016)
29
CII issues 6-point plan for textile & apparel
industry
28
Jun '16
Indian textile and apparel industry has the potential to create over 50 million jobs, bring social
transformation and gain global dominance, says a study on the Indian Apparel, Made-ups &
Textile Industry commissioned by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) to the Boston
Consulting Group (BCG).
The task can be achieved by implementing GST, bold labour reforms, and robust export
infrastructure coupled with innovation & technology, says the study tasked with identifying the key
catalysts that will enable breakout growth.
As the textile and apparel industry is shifting its base away from China, it is creating a potential
market of $280+ billion for other countries to capture, according to the CII. The shift is already
30
happening in the apparel sector, large shifts are expected in fabric and yarn sourcing as well.
Though Bangladesh and Vietnam are the current frontrunners, emergence of hubs in Africa (e.g.
Ethiopia) and a strong resurgence seen for manufacturing in the US, the future landscape could
be dramatically different.
Capturing this opportunity can bring immense social and economic benefits for India, where the
sector is the largest industrial employer of women. If the industry achieves breakout growth,
the report estimates another 50 million jobs to be created by 2025; with 70-80 per cent of those
jobs going to women.
“The study estimates that the industry can triple in size over the next 10 years, get $150 billion
annually in foreign exchange, and spur the apparel, made-ups and textile industry to reach $300
billion by 2025. The domestic market will also grow at least 2.5 times to become around $150
billion in size,” CII said.
“India is uniquely positioned to capitalise on this opportunity. We are the only country in the world
other than China to have the entire value chain from fibre to fashion, both in cotton and
synthetics, an abundant and young labour force, a vibrant domestic market and a good starting
point in exports (2nd largest exporter of textiles, apparel and made-ups in the world),” said CII
director general Chandrajit Banerjee.
The study notes that shifts in the global apparel, made-ups and textile industry are going to be
shaped by four major factors: a) cost competitiveness, especially in labour/wage structures and
energy structures per unit of output; b) ease of market access (both in terms of tariffs/duties and
time to market); c) ease of doing business; and d) technical innovations.
31
Last Modified: Wed, Jun 29 2016. 05 36 AM IST
Another chance for India’s textile industry
The new Rs6,000 crore package is a chance for it to upgrade and expand
India’s textile industry has a long history of being a mainstay of the economy’s global trade
linkages. It was, after all, the English East India Company’s focus on trade of cotton and silk
from India that made it one of the richest and most powerful corporations in the 18th century.
Today, India has the second largest manufacturing capacity in textiles globally and accounts
for 13% of the world’s production of textile, fibre and yarn. However, it lags in terms of
competitiveness and productivity.
In this context, the special package of Rs.6,000 crore announced last week for boosting the
textile industry is important for many reasons. After fully reaping the benefits of access to the
markets of developed economies in the post-Uruguay Round world, China is beginning to exit
32
the textiles and apparel sector due to rising domestic wages. This leaves a huge demand base
for India to exploit as rightly recognized by the government.
When the Multi Fibre Agreement imposed by developed countries on the developing world was
phased out, it was expected that India would benefit from it too. But the textile industry hasn’t
been able to scale up accordingly. Besides, rigidities in the labour market, import restrictions
on competing man-made fibres, export quotas on cotton and logistics costs prevented the
country from reaping the benefits. This second opportunity now must not be wasted.
The Agreement of Textiles and Clothing under the World Trade Organisation vouches for equal
treatment to be meted out to all nations. But Vietnam and Bangladesh are already securing
better terms for themselves via free trade agreements with major markets. That underlines the
urgency of the reforms the sector needs in India.
In the meantime, it has already been looking at countering the problem of negative
protectionism which hampers the smooth provisioning of imported inputs required for the
industry. Rs.5,500 crore out of the Rs.6,000 crore package is for an additional 5% duty
drawback for refunding state levies. It is expected that this step will boost exports, increase
investment and make the textile industry an integral part of the Make in India programme.
The textile industry is the second largest employer in the country after agriculture; any
allocation to it has a multiplier effect on the economy at large. According to an Assocham
report, employment generated in the economy because of a rise of Rs.1 in demand of the
industry, is more than 5 times the employment created in the sector itself.
The government’s decision to incentivize textile and apparel firms to absorb more labour by
offering to pay a portion of the Employees’ Provident Fund for new employees will further
enhance this effect. Female labour force participation rate is also expected to increase from a
boost to the textile industry.
But if the textile and apparel industry has to become competitive at an international level, it
needs a major revamp. The issues of productivity suffered by an industry largely restricted to
the small scale and unorganized sectors needs to be addressed. Incidentally, around 60% of the
spindles used in India are more than 25 years old.
Meanwhile, emphasis should be laid on promotion and marketing of textiles and designs that
are indigenous to India. Fabindia’s success in branding and marketing Indian designs and
textiles in the global apparel market, for instance, is worth studying here.
33
Geographical indications could prove to be an effective means of securing a niche market for
Indian handloom in foreign markets. India’s muga silk used for Japanese kimonos is a case in
point.
Given rising Internet penetration in the country, e-commerce could also be used to the
advantage of the textile industry—to eliminate layers of middlemen and improve access. The
example of the Taobao model in China where an entire village specializes in the production of
a commodity and sells it at competitive prices online is relevant.
But promoting traditional industries does not mean creating a protective shield against the
emerging competition from synthetic fibre through tariffs. If an industry has to successfully
progress and provide network effects, it must be allowed to grow to its full potential. And for
that, it is important to diversify and embrace new innovations.
Will the special package help revive the textile industry? Tell us at [email protected]
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Textile package ‘will be implemented’ in three
months
AMITI SEN
NEW DELHI, JUNE 28:
The Centre plans to implement the entire incentive package for the textiles and garments sector
announced recently — which includes fiscal sops as well as labour law flexibilities — over the next
three months.
“We need to come out with notifications in most cases while in some instances, like changes in the
Employees Provident Fund scheme, there may be need for amending the necessary Act. But, we
hope to get all this done in three months,” Textile Ministry Joint Secretary Sunaina Tomar
told BusinessLine.
The fiscal incentives in the package, which is expected to cost the ex-chequer an estimated ₹6,000
crore, include enhanced duty drawback coverage with refund of State levies not being compensated
so far, additional funding under the Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (TUFS) and enhanced
scope of income tax exemption under Section 80JJAA of the Income Tax Act.
The Textile Ministry has asked the industry to provide data on the State taxes being paid by
exporters which need to be reimbursed. “We have short-listed 550 exporters spread across the
country to give a detailed list of all such taxes which include octroi, municipality tax and various
levies so that the government gets the appropriate inputs for calculation of fresh drawback rates,”
AEPC Chairman Ashok Rajani said.
Rajani said that the government has promised that the new rates will be applicable with
retrospective effect from June 22, 2016.
Several relaxations in the labour law, including introduction of fixed term employment in the
sector, making EPF optional for employees earning less than ₹15,000 per month and the
government bearing the entire employer’s contribution of 12 per cent under the EPF Scheme for
new employees of garment industry earning less than ₹15,000 per month, for the first three years,
are also part of the package.
The new incentives will help Indian exporters beat competition from countries like Bangladesh and
Vietnam and fill the space being vacated by China in the global market for clothing, according to
the Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC).
Garments exports from India will increase by a whopping $ 30 billion over the next three years
once the incentive package for the textile sector announced recently is fully implemented, the
industry body said.
“With China already vacating space in the global market for garments, there is a huge opportunity
for Indian exporters to fill the gap. The new incentives will make the garments sector in the country
more competitive as exporters will be able to match the low prices offered by Bangladesh and
Vietnam,” Rajani said.
In 2015, India’s garments exports were worth $17.1 billion, which was 3.6 per cent higher than
exports worth $16.5 billion in the previous year. China, on the other hand, exported garments worth
$162.5 billion in 2016, which was lower by 3.5 per cent compared to what it exported the previous
year.
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WEDNESDAY, 22 JUNE 2016 18:00
CABINET TO TAKE UP NATIONAL TEXTILE POLICY
After reforms in foreign direct investment (FDI) regime, the government is
likely to take up a more measures to boost the labour-intensive textile industry.
The Cabinet is also likely to take up the National Textiles Policy-2016. In the
works since last year, the policy aims to achieve $300-billion exports by 202425. India exported $36.25 billion worth of textile and related goods in the last
financial year, a drop of 2.4 per cent from 2014-15. Competing nations
Bangladesh and China have been blamed for aggressively edging out Indian
exporters from traditional markets like Europe. The high price of domestic
cotton, coupled with heavy duties on import of cheaper Chinese varieties, also
hampered production of cotton goods, said an expert. Cotton-based readymade
goods, among the highest foreign exchange earners, fell two per cent; cotton
fabrics fell more than four per cent. The new policy also aims to create 35 million
jobs by 2024-25. "The policy rests hugely on job creation as we have set a target
of doubling the total number of people currently employed in the sector," a
ministry source said on conditions of anonymity.
The Cabinet might also soon take up a review of the India-Korea Free Trade
Agreement. The government is currently reviewing the trade agreement with
South Korea and is expected to update it soon. India's CEPA with South Korea
was implemented in January 2010 to liberalise trade norms. Bilateral trade,
estimated at $16.58 billion in 2015-16, is heavily in favour of South Korea.
India's exports to South Korea fell nearly 23 per cent in 2015-16 to $3.54 billion.
Indian companies have sought a review of trade agreements with other nations
that they claim have benefitted the country's trading partners more.
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Industry News | Time：Jun 28 2016 8:10AM
Japanese investments and machinery sales grow in Vietnam
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Japanese engagement in Vietnam’s textile and garment sectors continues to strengthen
discernibly, as the south-east Asian manufacturing centre is set to become a global clothing
exporting powerhouse under the newly concluded free-trade agreements. They include the
Vietnam-European Union free-trade deal (EVFTA) and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP),
which will give Vietnamese exporters better access to American markets.
Opportunities are arising for Japanese businesses, mainly because Vietnam’s own upstream
industries are still unfit to satisfy the EU trade deal and TPP’s “fabric forward” and “yarn
forward” rules of origin, respectively. Japanese companies have been helping install new
production systems at their Vietnam subsidiaries, or selling textile machinery to Vietnameseowned textile and garment manufacturers, as a result. Their goal is to transform the
Vietnamese garment sector from a largely “cut and sew” operation, helping the country
prosper from contributing more added value in the supply chain.
“The Japanese are shifting up a gear in supplying Vietnamese factories with the textile
machinery needed to satisfy the TPP’s ROOs [rules of origin],” says Oliver Massmann,
Hanoi-based partner and director for Duane Morris LLP, a law firm serving many Vietnam
textile clients. “Meanwhile, their German rivals are sleeping through the window of
opportunity,” he says.
Massmann estimated that at stake are textile machinery orders in the proximity of US$2bn.
He arrived at that figure by surveying 50 managers of Vietnam’s several thousand textile and
footwear manufacturers, with the surveyed managers each indicating planned machinery
investment of US$2m to US$3m in the context of the TPP’s ROOs.
According to online and largely Vietnamese newspaper VietNamNet, Japan’s Tsudakoma
Group has realised the substantial demand for textile machines in Vietnam market, and has
recently contacted many Vietnamese enterprises to discuss the supply of machines. The
Group has not replied to requests for comment from WTiN.com. On the long list of major
recent or planned Japanese textile investments in Vietnam are those of synthetic fibre maker
Kuraray in a production line for sportswear in central Da Nang city; fibre maker Toray
Industries (a major supplier of the Uniqlo clothing chain); and cotton spinner Shikibo.
37
Garment maker Toa Boshoku in November 2015 unveiled a fully integrated garment centre,
which is now spinning, dying and producing yarn in Vietnam, meaning it is ready for the rules
of origin of both the EU FTA and the TPP.
Meanwhile, Vinatex, the largest Vietnamese textile company, signed an agreement in
January 2016 with general trader Itochu Corporation to invest in several textile manufacturing
plants; Vinatex also closed a deal with Japan’s Toms Limited last April (2015) to construct a
multi-million US dollar textile-dyeing-garment manufacturing complex. Both moves are meant
to make Vinatex ready for trade deal rules of origin.
“Our Japanese partners will surely keep increasing investments in our company, such as in
state-of-the-art machinery and engineers,” says Nguyen Thanh Hung, as spokesman of
Vietsilk, a private operator supplying silk for kimonos sold in the Japanese market.
“In fact, we are busy right now preparing facilities for future equipment dispatched by our
Japanese partners,” he adds.
Increased Japanese textile investments and machinery sales are in line with a bilateral
agreement for the promotion of the textile industry in Vietnam that was signed in March by
the governments of Japan and Vietnam.
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Les opérateurs du textile optimistes quant aux retombées de
leur mission en Suède
Brahim Mokhliss - Boras,LE MATIN
16 June 2016 - 22:45
Les textiliens estiment que leur mission commerciale en Suède a été fructueuse.
La dernière étape de la mission économique effectuée par les opérateurs du textile et du cuir, en
partenariat avec Maroc Export et l’Association marocaine des industries du textile et de
l'habillement (Amith), a été marquée par la visite de la ville suédoise de Boras, considérée comme
la capitale du textile des pays nordiques, puisqu’elle abrite de nombreuses sociétés de textile, un
musée dédié et des écoles spécialisées. En effet, la ville de Boras possède une forte tradition dans
le secteur. Elle compte aussi quelques-unes des marques suédoises les plus connues et plusieurs
producteurs innovants de mode écologique. Dans cette ville, les opérateurs marocains ont eu des
contacts BtoB avec l’entreprise Gina Tricot, qui est classée comme le troisième plus important
producteur en Suède. Les échanges ont été jugés fructueux et l’offre marocaine semble avoir été
appréciée, nous a-t-on confié. Les opérateurs marocains ont également eu des discussions avec
le Market Place Boras, un réseau de développement de la filière textile qui œuvre pour favoriser
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les échanges entre industriels du textile et designers. À ce niveau, les échanges ont été qualifiés
également de très positifs tant par Maroc Export que par les textiliens.
À la fin de cette visite, les participants n’ont pas manqué de faire le bilan de cette mission
économique et de mettre en avant les enseignements à tirer. Les hommes d’affaires ainsi que les
responsables de Maroc Export prenant part à cette mission ont, en effet, exprimé leur satisfaction
non seulement des contacts BtoB, mais également des enseignements tirés. Selon
d’Abderrahmane Atfi, président du pôle développement à l’international (Med Sourcing) à l’Amith,
le bilan a été positif à plusieurs égards. Tout d’abord, cela a permis aux membres de cette mission
de découvrir en Suède un potentiel important que les entreprises marocaines pourraient mettre à
profit. Ces dernières ont découvert un marché important composé de trois mille entreprises
œuvrant dans le secteur du textile et du cuir, alors que c’est un pays qui a une population de moins
de dix millions. Les opérateurs marocains ont souligné qu’ils ont trouvé de l’écoute de la part de
leurs homologues suédois qui ont montré leur prédisposition à collaborer dans un esprit gagnantgagnant.
Aussi, lors de cette visite, les opérateurs, appuyés par Maroc Export, ont souligné leur volonté de
consolider leur présence et leurs relations avec les pays scandinaves dans le cadre de la vision de
développement de l'industrie nationale. Dans cette perspective, ils ont exprimé leur volonté de
réfléchir à une animation permanente pour mettre en avant les produits de textile marocains.
En terme de suivi, le premier feedback est attendu lors d’un salon de la mode et du textile prévu
en août prochain qui aura lieu à Stockholm et qui sera une occasion pour les opérateurs de revoir
leurs partenaires suédois afin de passer éventuellement aux choses concrètes. Ils ont également
pris rendez-vous pour la session de février de ce salon dédié aux professionnels. De même, les
responsables marocains ainsi que le représentant de l’Amith ont adressé des invitations à toutes
les entités, entreprises, directeurs, opérateurs… rencontrés en Suède pour venir prendre part à
l’événement que prépare l’Amith, Maroc Sourcing, qui aura lieu en octobre prochain à Marrakech.
Ils ont été également invités à prendre part au stand qui sera organisé, en marge de la COP 22,
autour du thème de l’industrie verte et écologique.
Un autre volet du bilan montre qu’au cours de cette visite les opérateurs ont pu discuter, à Boras,
avec les responsables de Market Place de la formation dans le secteur. Il a été proposé de prévoir
des échanges avec l’école de formation de cette entité et les écoles marocaines spécialisées
(ESITH, Casa Moda Academy). Une coopération est enclenchée dans ce sens ainsi que
concernant la formation continue au profit des ingénieurs et des techniciens. Un projet qui est
lancé, mais qui reste à peaufiner.
Les participants à cette mission ont été également séduits par l’avancée dans ce qui est appelé le
«smart textile» et l’intégration des nouvelles technologies dans l’habillement, le désign… «Nous
avons proposé une collaboration avec notre cluster TT (textile technique) dans ce sens», souligne
Abderrahmane Atfi.
40
Xinhua
mardi 14 juin 2016 12:22
Maroc: Le groupe chinois HAITE lancera
bientôt les travaux de construction la cité
industrielle de Tanger
Le groupe chinois HAITE lancera les travaux de construction d'un parc industriel et résidentiel
à Tanger, dans le nord du Maroc, a annoncé le ministre marocain de l'Industrie, du commerce,
de l'investissement et de l'économie numérique, Moulay Hafid Elalamy.
Il s'agit d'un projet stratégique visant à promouvoir le développement socio-économique du Maroc
et à renforcer la compétitivité de la Chine en Afrique, a ajouté le responsable marocain lors d'une
rencontre avec une délégation d'hommes d'affaires et de représentants du gouvernement chinois.
Le ministre marocain a également souligné que ce projet d'envergure s'inscrit dans le cadre d'un
mémorandum d'entente signé entre le Maroc et le groupe chinois HAITE, en vue de renforcer le
partenariat stratégique liant les deux pays.
M. Elalamy a noté que ce parc industriel devrait permettre, d'une part, à la Chine de renforcer ses
investissements au Maroc et partant sa compétitivité économique extérieure, surtout en Afrique,
et, d'autre part, au royaume de promouvoir la création d'emplois et le transfert de savoir-faire et
des technologies.
41
"A travers son nouveau modèle économique, qui vise à soutenir la demande intérieure via les
hausses de salaires, la Chine est en train de perdre de son attractivité économique et se trouve
ainsi obligée de renforcer sa compétitivité auprès d'autres pays, notamment ceux émergeant", a
expliqué le ministre marocain.
"Le textile, l'automobile et l'aéronautique constituent les vecteurs stratégiques de cette ville
industrielle, qui sera créée sur une superficie oscillant entre 1.000 et 2.000 ha, grâce à un
partenariat stratégique avec le groupe chinois HAITE, l'un des pionniers de l'industrie chinoise, et
ce afin de profiter de son modèle économique et d'inciter d'autres investisseurs chinois à
s'implanter au Maroc", a-t-il précisé.
Pour sa part, le président du Conseil de la région Tanger-Tétouan-Al Hoceima, Ilyas El Omari, a
souligné que ce projet nécessite un investissement d'environ 10 milliards de dollars et prévoit la
création de 300.000 emplois, notant que 50% du terrain relatif au projet est disponible pour le début
des travaux prochainement.
De son côté, le directeur du département du commerce de Qingdao, ville portuaire dans le nord de
la Chine, Guo Qizhou, a affirmé que ce grand projet vient conforter la volonté des deux pays de
développer leur partenariat économique et de renforcer la coopération bilatérale dans des secteurs
à fort potentiel de création d'emplois et de valeur ajoutée, réaffirmant la détermination de son pays
à inciter davantage les entreprises chinoises à venir s'installer au Maroc en général et dans ce parc
industriel prometteur de Tanger en particulier.
Quant au président du groupe HAITE, Li Biao, il a salué la vision clairvoyante du roi Mohammed
VI pour réaliser ce projet stratégique et renforcer la coopération économique entre le Royaume et
la Chine, notant que ce parc industriel et résidentiel devrait permettre de créer nombre d'emplois,
de favoriser le transfert des hautes technologies, et de promouvoir la croissance et la compétitivité
économique du royaume en général et de la région Tanger-Tétouan-Al Hoceima en particulier.
La délégation chinoise a visité plusieurs projets économiques et sites industriels de la ville du
Détroit, notamment le Complexe portuaire de Tanger Med, pour s'arrêter sur l'effort de
développement engagé dans cette ville et s'informer des perspectives économiques de la région.
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Bolloré Logistics expands its logistics
operations in Myanmar
June 27, 2016
By Donald Urquhart
Beside its regular services, the Myanmar branch office has been developing tailor-made
solutions for textile customers such as buyer consolidation, multimodal delivery from Myanmar to
overseas (sea/air, crossborder). Bolloré Logistics Myanmar recently announced the start of
operations for its new logistics centre strategically located in the Mingaladon area, 8km from
airport, 25km to main sea port terminals and with quick access to the Asian Highway network. Bolloré said that
through a wide range of services and best practices process, this facility will provide its customers with
operational, commercial, and cost flexibility and efficiency.
“This is a worthy investment in view to reinforce our presence in Myanmar, and it will enable us to offer more valueadded services to our customers such as kitting, packing, labeling, price tagging, and delivery nationwide”,
highlights Elizabeth Shwe, director at Bolloré Logistics Myanmar.
This new state-of-the-art multi-user warehouse benefits from a surface of 6,000 sqm and is equipped with 24/7
security guards. CCTV, fire protection, seven loading bays, forklifts, all are in use to reinforce clients’ satisfaction.
This new warehouse is specialized for industries such as Garment, Telecom, and medical equipment.
“Following
our
developments
successes
and
Telecom
and
in
medical equipment, it was much
needed to continue investing in order
to cope with the continuous increase
of garment needs,” adds Julien Loiret,
general manager at Bolloré Logistics
Myanmar.
Beside
its
regular
services,
the
Myanmar branch office has been
developing tailor-made solutions for textile customers such as buyer consolidation, multimodal delivery from
Myanmar to overseas (sea/air, crossborder).
43
Industry News | Time：Jun 29 2016 8:03AM
Pakistan textile and garment exports fall
Data published by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics has revealed that textile and garment
exports increased 3.81% on the month prior, to US$1.07bn which, however, was a decrease
of 4.33% y-o-y.
Cumulative exports from January to May dropped 5.66%, compared with the corresponding
timeframe of the last year, to US$5.2bn.
Pakistan textile and garment shipments have been hit hard by the cotton shortage, electricity
load shedding and political turmoil this year – which may not improve in the short-term. Sales
on the global market could drop further in the second half of this year.
Source: WTIN
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Pakistan to review all preferential trade
agreements
17
Jun '16
Pakistan's commerce minister Khurram Dastgir Khan chairing a meeting to review latest trade figures. Courtesy:
PID
Stung by a rash of trade deals that has aggravated the country's balance of trade, the Pakistani
government has decided to review all such existing preferential pacts through which Pakistan
conducts its trade on preferable terms with other countries on bilateral basis.
The review will be conducted through multiple means of stakeholders' consultations and analysis
of trade data available. The decision was taken at a high level meeting headed by Commerce
Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan, an official statement said.
Pakistan's trade balance deteriorated further following signing of preferential trade agreements
with China, Malaysia and Indonesia. The data compiled by the ministry shows that Pakistan's
exports did not grow in comparison to imports from these countries.
The decision to review PTAs will help provide clear guidelines to the policy makers on which the
country will negotiate further trade agreements.
Pakistan is signatory to Free Trade Agreements (FTA) with China, Sri Lanka and Malaysia and
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Preferential Trade Agreements (PTAs) with Iran, Indonesia and Mauritius. These agreements
were signed in the previous decade thus provide a sufficient time frame to assess the efficacy of
these agreements.
Now Pakistan is in the process of negotiating FTAs with Thailand, Turkey, South Korea and Iran,
which will broaden the trading opportunities for Pakistani businessmen, the minister said.
The meeting noted that Pakistan's trading partners have negotiated bilateral and multilateral trade
pacts with other countries thus securing greater market access. It also observed that the demand
for enhanced market access should arise from the domestic industry.
Dastgir Khan said trade agreements compel local industries to modernise and diversify in order to
compete in the international market besides providing better choice of products to the local
people. Pakistani industries should also expand and remodel themselves at the international
standards, he added.
In this connection, Pakistan and China have already held several rounds to revise the FTA which
was implemented in July 2007. China entered into several bilateral and regional FTAs, which
blunt Pakistan's edge in the biggest market in the world.
Pakistan has urged China to revive preferential treatment to 'Made in Pakistan' under the second
phase of the FTA.
The FTA with China has backfired on Pakistan with the country suffering a 93 per cent loss of
revenue because of the tax waiver on imports, while China took and 7 per cent hit. In absolute
terms, the revenue loss for Pakistan is estimated at around Rs 30.577 billion in case of the
Pakistan-China FTA alone in year 2015-16.
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Industry News | Time：Jun 28 2016 8:11AM
Philippines EU GSP+ status in peril
The brutal anti-crime crackdown promised by the Philippines’ president-elect, Rodrigo
Duterte, may result in the European Union (EU) withdrawing its Generalised System of
Preferences Plus (GSP+) tariff-reduction scheme from the country, weakening Philippines’
textile and garment exports.
In early June, Duterte was subject to scathing criticism by UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon
for endorsing the killing of journalists, as well as offering large bounties to security forces and
the general public to eliminate drug traffickers in extrajudicial killings. And with GSP+
conditional on good governance and a solid human rights record, 6,274 Philippine export
products, including textiles, garments and footwear, stand to lose their current duty-free
access status to the EU if the new president delivers on his thuggish promises.
“The GSP+ withdrawal over Duterte’s human rights stance is a possibility,” says Robert
Young, president of the Manila-based Foreign Buyers Association of the Philippines
(FOBAP). However, let’s consider the fact that all these pronouncements were made prior to
him becoming the president of the Philippines, his oath-taking scheduled for 30 June.”
An official attached to the German consulate in Hong Kong, with responsibility for economic
affairs in China and south-east Asia, also sees a GSP+ withdrawal from the Philippines as a
realistic scenario. He points out that, while the EU’s last GSP+ assessment on the Philippines
– published in January – notes that extrajudicial killings, torture and enforced disappearances
in certain parts of the country have proved difficult to resolve, it did emphasise that there
have been positive human rights developments under the outgoing administration of
president Beningo Aquino.
“There is some praise for Aquino in the report, which suggests that the EU would first
threaten a GSP+ withdrawal and then carry it out quite swiftly if Duterte causes the human
rights situation to deteriorate,” says the official.
He adds that an instructive indicator in this regard has been the GSP+ withdrawal from Sri
Lanka in 2009, after no satisfactory progress was shown by Sri Lanka in the implementation
of the three UN human rights conventions, notably the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights; the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading
Treatment or Punishment; and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. They are all linked
to the grant of trade benefits. The EU has a track record of also withdrawing the regular GSP
scheme, from Belarus and Myanmar over violation of labour rights, in 2007 and 1997
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respectively.
According to the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, it is mainly machinery
and agricultural food exports that have seen improvements through GSP+, as some local
textile and garment makers struggle with the scheme’s rules of origins as well as with the fact
that the Philippines’ wage levels are high relative to its regional peers.
However, even though GSP+ utilisation is relatively low among the country’s textile and
garment makers, the prospect of a withdrawal is undoubtedly unwelcome news in times that
are already challenging. According to the Philippines Statistics Authority, in the first four
months of the year, textile and garment exports decreased by 46.7% and 27.2% respectively
compared to the year-earlier period, making the sectors among the country’s worst export
performers.
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GSP Plus concessions by UK to SL seen as being hit with EU exit
June 28, 2016, 7:29 pm
By Hiran H.Senewiratne
"Some of the GSP-Plus concessions will no longer be on offer by the UK to Sri Lanka when the UK
is out of EU, Executive Director of the Institute of Policy Studies Dr. Saman Kelegama said.
"It is said that 35 percent of Sri Lankan exports to the EU goes to the UK market and 40 percent of
Sri Lankan textile and apparel exports to the EU goes to the UK market. They will not qualify for
GSP-Plus preferences if and when we get such preferences, Dr Kelegama told The Island Financial
Review in an exclusive interview.
He said the redeeming factors are that there is a two year exit period and during that time, if Sri
Lanka could work out a bilateral deal with the UK on the basis of Sri Lanka’s Commonwealth
membership, that could offset whatever preferential market access Sri Lanka loses in the UK
market due to Brexit.
Kelegama said in relation to foreign investment that Brexit has already weakened the British
pound. Thus, UK investors may consider diverting their investment to countries like Sri Lanka and
other such countries where they expect to get a better return.
On Brexit, he said, the UK will no longer be obliged to offer quota-based jobs to citizens of the EU.
This will open up the job market for skilled and semi-skilled labour from elsewhere. Overall there
will be more job openings for Commonwealth country citizens, including temporary workers. In
other words, there will be more job opportunities in the UK market for Sri Lankans, Kelegama said.
The UK will no longer be required to tie-up its Overseas Development Assistance to the EU’s rules,
regulations and directives. It is expected that the UK will divert its ODA to Commonwealth
countries as a strategic measure.
"Overall, it is expected that there will be more direct financial assistance from the UK to countries
like Sri Lanka, he explained.
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TUESDAY, 21 JUNE 2016 17:41
NEW YORK TO HOST APPARELSOURCING USA FROM JULY 12
Returning to the Javits Convention Center in New York City from July 12th to
July 14th, will be Apparelsourcing USA. The event will once again open its doors
to both exhibitors and attendees alike. The show will feature over 220
international exhibitors from nine countries. As the only event on the East Coast
to focus on finished apparels, contract manufacturing and private labels,
Apparelsourcing USA connects suppliers specializing in ready-to-wear for men,
women, children and accessories. The summer’s edition promises to be the most
exciting, with the debut of a new Mexico pavilion, a revamped show floor layout
and the new Fashion on Display Trend Cafe.
Apparelsourcing USA gives the perfect opportunity to source complimentary
products and manufacturing services from over 220 exhibitors representing
nine countries, including: USA, China, Bangladesh, Kenya, Taiwan, and more.
Alongside returning pavilions from Turkey and Pakistan, a brand new Mexico
Pavilion will debut on the show with several exhibitors specializing in lingerie
and active wear for men and women. Over three show days, visitors will have
the opportunity to explore products across 12 end-use groups, including:
women’s wear, menswear, active wear, knits, woven, denim, childrens wear,
intimates and more.
In addition to exploring services and resources from a variety of global suppliers,
attendees will experience new product category designations viz. ‘casual’ and
‘formal’. This new and simple categorization of product offerings will allow
visitors easy navigate on show floors. New to Apparelsourcing USA, the Fashion
on Display Trend Cafe will provide a preview of the best of exhibitors’
manufacturing capabilities and finished apparel products. In addition, the
Fashion on Display Trend Cafe will offer a convenient rest area.
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Lundi 27 juin 2016
Dans le cadre de son cycle de "Rencontres économiques", Evalliance a organisé le 23 juin à Paris une
conférence sur la coopération dans la filière textile entre le Vietnam et l’Europe.
Avec 3800 entreprises et 1,3 million de salariés, le Vietnam est un des plus grands exportateurs
d’habillement au niveau mondial. En 2015, ses exportations d’habillement ont atteint 27,2 milliards de
dollars.
Le Vietnam est le second fournisseur des Etats-Unis et le 6ème fournisseur de l’Union européenne.
Les exportations d’habillement du Vietnam vers l’Union européenne progressent beaucoup plus
rapidement que celles en provenance de la plupart des autres fournisseurs. En 2015, elles ont fait un
bond de 25,8 % pour atteindre 2,8 milliards d’euros.
Le Vietnam exporte principalement vers l’UE des parkas et anoraks (second fournisseur avec 31,8
millions de pièces en 2015), des pantalons (49,4 millions de pièces), des T-shirts (50,9 millions de
pièces) et des chemises (20,5 millions de pièces).
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Il est également un important fournisseur de chemisiers, de vestes pour hommes et femmes et de
vêtements professionnels.
Ses principaux marchés européens sont l’Allemagne, la Grande-Bretagne, l’Espagne et la France. Le
marché français est le plus dynamique : les exportations d’habillement du Vietnam y croissent au
rythme annuel moyen de 26,3 % depuis cinq ans !
Le Vietnam dispose de nombreux avantages compétitifs, en particulier des coûts de production très
attractifs, une main d’œuvre qualifiée, un bon niveau de productivité, une situation très satisfaisante
en termes de responsabilité sociétale ainsi qu’un environnement des affaires plutôt meilleur que
celui de ses concurrents régionaux.
Avec le soutien actif des Autorités vietnamiennes, le secteur s’est résolument engagé dans une
double stratégie de valorisation de son offre pour sortir d’une logique de pure sous-traitance (CMT)
et d’intégration industrielle pour couvrir lui-même ses besoins en matières textiles.
La barre des 40 milliards de dollars d’exportations d’habillement devrait être franchie en 2020 !
Pour réaliser cet objectif fondé sur le dynamisme et la compétitivité de ses entreprises, le Vietnam
compte aussi sur deux accords commerciaux qui vont lui permettre d’exporter à droits nuls vers les
marchés européens et américains : l’Accord de libre-échange conclu début décembre 2015 avec l’UE
et le Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) signé le 4 février 2016 avec onze pays dont les USA, le Canada et
le Japon.
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La mise en œuvre d’un dispositif de libre-échange au sein des pays membres de l’ASEAN va
également booster l’activité et les exportations d’habillement du Vietnam dans les prochaines
années.
C’est dans ce contexte très favorable et dans la perspective d’un renforcement significatif du
partenariat franco-vietnamien que l’association Evalliance co-organise, avec Futurallia, la Fondation
Prospective & Innovation, Business France et divers organismes vietnamiens, un Forum d’Affaires du
26 au 28 octobre 2016 à Ho Chi Minh Ville.
PDF - 671 ko
PDF - 1.3 Mo
Evalliance : http://www.evalliance.eu
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Tuesday, Jun 28, 2016, Posted at: 14:25(GMT+7)
VN attracts over $11b FDI in first half of 2016
The total foreign direct investment (FDI) registered in the country in the first half of the
year reached more than US$11.2 billion, the Foreign Investment Agency (FIA) said.
Medicines are produced at German-invested B. Braun Việt Nam in
Hà Nội’s Thanh Oai Industrial Complex. Việt Nam attracted more
than US$11.2 billion foreign direct investment in the first half of the
year.
This is a significant surge of 105 per cent against the same period last year.
Of the total, $7.5 billion came from 1,145 newly licensed projects, representing a yearly
increase of 95 per cent in capital and 56 per cent in the number of projects.
The remainder was contributed by 535 already-operating projects that had raised their capital
by more than $3.78 billion, or 129 per cent, year-on-year.
Disbursement of FDI surged to an estimated $7.25 billion in the six-month period, a year-onyear rise of 15 per cent, FIA reported.
Manufacturing and processing industries continued to be the top sector, receiving FDI of $8.06
billion, comprising 71 per cent of the total registered FDI. The sector attracted 488 newly
registered projects and 405 existing projects increased their capital.
The sector was followed by the real estate sector, with 25 projects holding total capital of $604.8
million, accounting for 5.3 per cent of the total FDI. The science and technology sector took
third place, with $562.3 million, or 5 per cent of the total FDI.
From January to June, 61 countries and territories invested in Việt Nam. South Korea remained
the leading investor, with $3.99 billion, 35 per cent of the FDI pledged to the country. Japan
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was the runner-up, with $1.22 billion, or 10 per cent of the FDI. Singapore followed with $1.1
billion, accounting for another 10 per cent of the total FDI.
Among the 53 localities, the northern port city of Hải Phòng was the most attractive destination
for foreign investors. The city attracted $1.74 billion in FDI, comprising 15.4 per cent of the total
FDI registered in the country in the first half of the year. The city received a $1.5-billion OLED
display factory project from LG Display.
The capital city was close on its heels with $1.63 billion, or 14.45 per cent of the total FDI. The
southern Bình Dương and Đồng Nai provinces took the third and fourth places, with $1.07
billion and $928.9 million respectively.
FDI in garments and textiles sector
The country’s garments and textiles sector this year has not received any major FDI projects
despite previously seeing two years of surging investment in the industry.
Alone last year, the sector attracted up to $1 billion in FDI for three major projects including
Hyosung Đồng Nai (Turkey), Polytex Far Eastern (Taiwan) and Worldon Việt Nam (Hong
Kong).
Nguyễn Hồng Giang, general secretary of Việt Nam Cotton and Spinning Association, said the
year 2015 marked a record high for investment in the sector as investors wanted to take
advantage of opportunities presented by the new FTAs.
He said the decline in FDI in the sector should not be a cause for concern because it is still
receiving attention from foreign investors.
Sharing the ideas, the Belgium Ambassador to Việt Nam, Jehanne Roccas, told a conference
held in Hà Nội recently that garments and textiles would continue to receive attention from
investors due to the advantages presented by export markets, lower tariffs and new investment
flows.
The Việt Nam Textile and Garment Association said foreign investors would continue to keep
an eye on the sector until 2018. However, localities have remained cautious when considering
investors who require large numbers of labourers or large plots of land, such as garment and
textile companies.
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TUESDAY, 14 JUNE 2016 18:10
VIETNAM PREFERS EU OVER TPP
Businesses in Vietnam prefer the free trade agreement with the EU than the
Trans Pacific Partnership. They feel the EU agreement can bring them bigger
benefits and gives more favorable conditions in government procurement as it
allows procurement deals in localities as well.
Since the EU offers attractive schemes for Vietnam, in return, Vietnam is also
willing to give preference to the EU. Under the free trade agreement, the EU
will remove 85 per cent of the tariffs imposed on Vietnamese goods as soon as
the agreement takes effect. The EU has offered attractive provisions to
Vietnam regarding many production fields. For example, it agreed to remove
all import tariffs on Vietnam’s textile and garment products within seven
years. The tariffs on footwear and shoes will also be completely removed by the
EU.
The EU has also promised strong support to Vietnamese farm produce to
approach the EU market. Vietnam’s fish products, for example, will be freed of
tariffs within three years. Moreover unlike TPP, EU does not set the yarnforward principle for Vietnam’s garment exports. Instead, the fabric-forward
principle is applied. The EU agreement and the TPP are expected to take effect
in one or two years.
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Last update 08:30 | 15/06/2016
Vinatex to build VND100-billion factory in HCMC
Vietnam Textile and Garment Group (Vinatex) has got approval from HCMC to develop a fiber and garment
factory in Tam Thon Hiep Commune in the outlying district of Can Gio.
The factory will go up on an area of 10 hectares and employ more than 1,500 people when it comes on stream.
Vinatex is allowed to take out low-interest loans to finance the VND100 billion (US$4.45 million) project as it has
been added to the city’s investment stimulus program.
The city government told Vinatex to put into operation the factory installed with modern equipment at the end of
2016. The project will comprise a kindergarten and an entertainment area.
Vinatex will work with local authorities over plans to survey the number of employees in the textile and garment
sector and provide training for local people, including those moving out to make room for construction of the
factory.
Vinatex has unveiled a plan to shift its production model from the cut, make and trim (CMT) to the original design
manufacturer (ODM) to earn higher profit. The group expected to increase the ODM model to 20% by 2020 from
the current 8%.
To raise local fiber supply, Vinatex has invested heavily in a number of projects, such as fiber plants in the
northern province of Nam Dinh and in the southern province of Dong Nai with respective annual capacities of
4,770 tons and 6,000 tons. Other investments made by its affiliates include fiber plants Dong Van 1 in Ha Nam
Province and Thang Binh in Quang Nam Province as well as textile and dyeing facilities.
Vinatex has made the investments to benefit from the free trade agreements Vietnam has signed and will sign,
including the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and an FTA with the European Union.
Textile and garment exports fetched almost US$27.5 billion last year. This year’s target is US$30 billion
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Les solutions technologiques belges pour l'industrie textile vietnamienne
21/06/2016 17:34
Quinze groupes et entreprises leaders belges des technologies du textile ont présenté leurs
solutions technologiques aux entreprises vietnamiennes présentes à un roadshow organisé
le 21 juin à Hanoi.
Le textile, un secteur phare du Vietnam.
Photo : Danh Lam/VNA/CVN
Ayant pour thème « Solutions technologiques belges pour l'industrie textile vietnamienne », l'évènement
était organisé par l'Association du textile et de la confection du Vietnam (Vitas), le Flanders Investment
& Trade (FIT) et l'Association belge des machines textiles (Symatex).
Truong Van Cam, vice-président de la Vitas, a analysé les impacts des accords de libre-échange, dont
celui entre le Vietnam et l’Union européenne et l’accord de partenariat transpacifique (TPP), sur
l’industrie textile vietnamienne.
Selon lui, ce roadshow permet aux entreprises vietnamiennes de découvrir des technologies de pointe
au service de l'amélioration de leur compétitivité sur le marché national et international.
Il s'agissait aussi d'une bonne occasion pour les entreprises vietnamiennes et belges de trouver des
opportunités de coopération, a déclaré Wouter Vanhees, commissaire flamand à l’économie et au
commerce.
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Un nouveau projet dans le textile et l’habillement à Binh Duong
20/06/2016 11:59
Le groupe taïwanais Far Eastern accélère la mise en œuvre d’un projet de production
de tissu et de fibres d’un fonds de 760 millions de dollars dans la zone industrielle de
Bau Bang, province de Binh Duong (Sud). C'est son 2 eprojet dans cette province. Le
groupe avait en effet injecté 274 millions de dollars dans un projet de l’industrie
auxiliaire au service du secteur du textile et de l'habillement dans le parc industriel de
Bau Bang. Le vice-président du Comité populaire provincial, Trân Thanh Liêm, a
déclaré que les usines du groupe Far Eastern permettraient de créer environ 7.500
emplois et contribueraient au développement de l'industrie auxiliaire pour le secteur
du textile et de l’habillement de la province. Le Comité populaire provincial s’engage à
faire ses efforts pour que ce nouveau projet soit achevé en 2017. Selon l'Association
du textile et de l'habillement de Binh Duong, après la signature de l’Accord de
partenariat transpacifique (TPP) en février dernier, près de 500 millions de dollars
d’IDE ont été injectés dans le secteur du textile et de l’habillement à Binh Duong.
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Une société textile japonaise étend ses activités au Vietnam
14/06/2016 16:07
La Société japonaise de commerce Chori, spécialisée dans le textile, les produits chimiques
et les machines, envisage d’élargir ses activités au Vietnam à travers l’intensification de sa
coopération avec de nombreux partenaires locaux, cité par Nikkei Asian Review.
Lors de l'exercice fiscal 2017, Chori augmenterait de 15,5 fois le nombre d'entreprises
partenaires dans le secteur textile au Vietnam. Ce mois-ci, elle va également mettre
en place une succursale à Hô Chi Minh-Ville pour surveiller la qualité des produits
textiles.
Toujours selon Nikkei Asian Review, Chori estime que le Vietnam constitue un
« tremplin idéal » pour ses exportations vers les États-Unis. Le coût de la main-d'œuvre
y est plus bas qu’en Chine et le nombre d’employés qualifiés est élevé. De plus, le
gouvernement vietnamien a assoupli ses politiques pour les investisseurs étrangers et
l’accord de partenariat transpacifique (TPP) réduira les taxes douanières.
CPV/VNA/CV
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SATURDAY, 25 JUNE 2016 19:07
GLOBAL IMPACT OF BREXIT ON APPAREL, TEXTILE
"According to economists, post Brexit, the British pound is expected
to continue tumbling, quickly leading to higher prices. Businesses
worried about the impact of Brexit will at best delay investments –
and at worst, start moving jobs elsewhere. Even Brexit's strongest
advocates have admitted some economic stuttering is likely at first
– and, as Britain is the EU's biggest export customer after China,
any slowdown here will slow the rest of Europe."
Brexit will make Britain’s politics and economy volatile
and extraordinarily uncertain for some time. However,
the United Kingdom will no longer be bound by the
European VAT rules; the weaker pound may cause
inflation; the local economy can shift towards other
areas and all these things make it very hard to predict a
possible Brexit impact.
According to economists, post Brexit, the British pound is expected to continue
tumbling, quickly leading to higher prices. Businesses worried about the impact
of Brexit will at best delay investments – and at worst, start moving jobs
elsewhere. Even Brexit's strongest advocates have admitted some economic
stuttering is likely at first – and, as Britain is the EU's biggest export customer
after China, any slowdown here will slow the rest of Europe.
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During that period of uncertainty, apparel brands and retailers need to make
their case clearly – something they've been pretty hopeless at recently, on both
sides of the Atlantic.
Most Brexit supporters expected to lose, when Britain's EU referendum was first
announced. In mid-May, 'Leave' started to pull ahead of 'Remain.' That surge of
resentment coincided with growing complaints about prominent British apparel
retailers.
Low wages and tyrannical management at Sports Direct's Shirebrook warehouse
in Derbyshire summarise Britain's EU tangle. The area has been devastated
since the UK government closed its coalmines in the 1990s, and while growth in
Sports Direct's e-commerce business has meant the workforce has grown
tenfold, the boom has also pulled in thousands of East European migrants –
whose low pay is topped up by British tax subsidies. Their arrival also put strains
on many of the town's resources.
Brexit advocates claim stronger trade links with countries in Asia and the
Americas will eventually make Britain better off outside the EU.
Apparel retailing stands to gain
World's largest apparel retailers and brands have seen profitability
falling lately. As a result, it has tried putting more emphasis on promoting
sales to developing countries – but often that has simply depressed profit
further.
US apparel importers continue to push for ratifying the proposed Trans-Pacific
Partnership (TPP). But none have provided any evidence that US voters will see
a direct benefit in terms of greater job opportunities or lower prices. Lobbyists
just claim that US apparel importers' profits rely on the TPP. Almost every UK
retailer believed leaving the EU would be a step backwards. Europe gives them
opportunities they don't want to lose.
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Now with Brexit, the British government will want lots of international
agreements it can present as ‘trade deals.’ Every country in Asia would love a
deal that lets it sell clothes duty-free to Britain without easier access to their own
markets for UK products. Which is precisely the kind of deal countries like Japan
and Switzerland have signed with India. British apparel retailing stands to gain
a lot from post-Brexit Britain's taste for trade negotiations.
Impact on Europe
Experts say there are two areas the Brexit will hit Belgian companies the hardest
when it comes to trade and retail: first, the exchange rate, because currency
devaluation will make imported goods more expensive. At the same time, it will
benefit British competitors. Immediately after the referendum's results were
revealed, the pound dropped to its lowest level since 1985, compared to the
dollar.
The second area is more of a long-term effect: If the United Kingdom is no longer
part of a unified market, then it can create rules and impose tariffs that may slow
trade. Likewise, the European Union can also harden its stance on the import of
British goods. Plenty needs to be discussed between both sides before a clear
impact can be seen. Considering the intensity of trade between the United
Kingdom and the European Union, both trade groups will probably (need to) sit
down and write down new deals.
It is far too early in the process to see which way these talks will go. Will the
United Kingdom remain in the European Economic Area, like Norway and
Iceland, or will it move towards the European Free Trade Association, like
Switzerland? Maybe it will just create multi- or bilateral treaties with the United
Kingdom or individual European countries? The UK's exit has to be pinpointed
within the next two years, but there is no timeframe for any new commitments
whatsoever.
What does this mean for Asia?
Already, policy makers in Japan, Korea and India are saying not much impact
in terms of their respective countries' real economies. They're trying to reassure
investors and to keep markets calm. It's true - a direct impact on Asian
economies from Brexit is unlikely in the longer term.
As OCBC Bank's Wellian Wiranto said in a note to investors: As a percentage of
GDP, exports to the UK range from 2-3 per cent for economies such as Hong
Kong and Vietnam, to even lower (0.2-1 per cent) for most of the rest - including
Indonesia and Malaysia.
But businesses in some major Asian economies, particularly India and Japan
are likely to be hit.
Japan Inc. employs around 140,000 people in the UK and has about $59bn
(£40bn) invested there. Big Japanese car manufacturers like Toyota have
already said a Leave vote may lead to 10 per cent duties on UK-made cars being
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sold in the EU. Currently, Toyota exports almost 90 per cent of the cars it
manufactures in the UK - and three quarters of those go to the EU.
Asian companies which have set up operations in the UK to gain access to EU
markets will also have to reassess. Japanese electronics firm Hitachi, for one,
has said it will rethink its UK operations in the event of a Brexit.
Over in India, the focus is on technology firms. Together, the UK and Europe
account for over-a-quarter of the country's IT exports, worth around $30bn. In
a statement, the Tata Group which has been operating in UK since 1907 said
there are currently 19 independent Tata companies in the UK, with diverse
businesses. It also said that ‘access to markets, and to a skilled workforce will
remain important considerations.’
Certainly Asian business leaders are watching the process of how the UK
transitions out of the EU very closely. If there is a material impact on EU
economies, Asia won't escape unscathed.
China is also expected to suffer due to Brexit. The Chinese market didn’t reflect
that overnight, falling by a marginal 1.3 per cent. Then again, investors all week
were certain that the U.K. would remain a part of the EU.
The yuan still has ties to the dollar. As the dollar rises, the yuan rises. As the
yuan rises, Chinese goods are less and less competitive. Chinese exports slow,
manufacturing shrinks, layoffs are rife, unemployment escalates, imports
decline, commodity prices fall and commodity economies crash. China falls into
recession for reasons above mentioned. The U.S. falls into recession because the
dollar is simply too strong.
And Europe, falls into recession because Brits - their currency crushed relative
to the euro - can’t afford as much from Germany (hitting the German economy
hard) and because of the loss of white-collar and manufacturing jobs that are
soon to leave the U.K.
In short, the global economy is hit by Brexit, which will take a while to come out
of it.
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