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Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan will allot a bigger area for cotton in the forthcoming season. Acreage under the crop may see a jump of about 20 to 25 per cent over last year’s 11.96 lakh hectares.
Growers are attracted by the high cotton prices, and they are switching back to the fiber crop from other cereals like paddy. Cotton yielded better returns in 2016-17 compared with other competing crops. Cotton is a cash crop and fetched a good price this year. Also, weather forecast of an El Nino impact — adverse for paddy — will make cotton a safer choice.
Cotton planting for kharif 2017 is set to begin by mid-April .Farmers expect one spell of rains to be sufficient for the initial sowing. Cotton acreage in Punjab may witness a sharp surge of about 60 per cent from the current 2.5 lakh hectares.
North India’s cottonseed market is likely to expand this year to around 65 lakh packets of 450 grams each from last year’s 50 lakh packets. Last year, cotton acreage had drastically dropped in the north, mainly in Punjab, as farmers suffered significant losses on account of crop damage inflicted by pest attacks, mainly the whitefly. Also, farmers moved away from Bt hybrids in several areas.
Dutch retailer C&A is expanding its clothing recycling program ‘We Take it Back’ to Belgium, Luxembourg and Switzerland. As s part of this program, C&A offers customers the chance to return unwanted clothes at 121 C&A stores. In return, customers gain a 15 per cent discount on future purchase. C&A reports the recycling program has been a great success, as C&A has collected over 2,78,000 kilos of clothing in collaboration with recycling company I:CO, in the last five years.
Jeffrey Hogue, Global Chief Sustainability Officer at C&A, exults, “Our approach is grounded in the idea that we must shift our industry from a model of ‘make, use and dispose’ to one where every apparel product is designed for its next life. The transition to a fully circular apparel industry will be challenging and will require time and a holistic systems approach. Important steps on this journey are the development of an effective collection and sorting system around the globe, the support of innovative start-ups, the development of new cycling technologies and the use of recycled materials in our clothing.”
Currently, about 60 per cent of the clothing and shoes collected by C&A is reused. A large part of the 40 per cent is recycled into new products. The C&A recycling initiative was launched in 2012 in the Netherlands. By 2020, C&A plans to offer the recycling program in all its 18 European retail countries including Brazil, Mexico and China.
US-based Talon International, Inc, a leading global supplier of zippers, apparel fasteners, trim and stretch technology products, will hold an exhibit featuring the rarest vintage Talon zippers, some of the hottest new garments using Talon zippers, and the World Records Longest Zipper in Los Angeles on March 24. Talon is a supplier of zippers, apparel fasteners, trim and stretch technology products. These are used in areas like specialty waistbands, shirt collars. Talon offers a full range of zippers for use in a wide variety of applications including ready-to-wear, outerwear, footwear, children’s apparel, performance gear, backpacks, handbags, luggage.
The zippers are made with metal, coil and molded plastic, and are available in a variety of specialty finishes and configurations. Talon is known for having built the world’s longest zipper, 3.1 miles long. Talon zippers are available in hundreds of standard colors, styles and finishes. It offers custom dye-to-match tapes and zippers to match the color of any sample or electronic data file.
Zipper sliders are available in numerous styles including short and long tabs, double tabs, single and dual functioning. It has offices and facilities throughout the United States, United Kingdom, Hong Kong, China, Vietnam, India, Indonesia and Bangladesh.
The company caters to manufacturers of fashion apparel, specialty retailers, mass merchandisers, brand licensees and major retailers worldwide.
Some of the brands it supplies to are VF Corporation, American Eagle, Abercrombie and Fitch, Polo Ralph Lauren, Kohl's, JC Penney, Victoria's Secret, Wal-Mart, Phillips-Van Heusen, Levi Strauss.
PVH is buying True an intimate apparel e-commerce retailer. PVH owns, designs, sources and markets a selection of world-renowned brands in the dress shirts, sportswear, neckwear, footwear, and accessories categories. The acquisition will enable PVH to participate in the fast growing online channel and provides a platform to increase innovation, data driven-decisions and speed in the way it serves its consumers across channels.
True was founded five years ago to change the way women shop for intimate apparel. True was started with the goal of empowering a woman to understand what flatters her specific shape best. It is a company that fits women into their bra with a fit quiz. So there are no fitting rooms, no measuring tapes.
It uses a proprietary fit quiz to recommend bras and other intimates that will best fit the responding consumer. The online quiz asks things like: How old is your bra? How do you feel about padding? Are you right- or left-breasted? Do your shoulder straps dig in? What’s your dress size?
Leveraging its consumer-centric data for over five million women who have taken its quiz, True enables women to embrace an entirely different and personalized lingerie shop that offers a fun, fashionable and truly intimate experience.
US companies that make organic textiles will be given guidelines on appropriate labeling. The guidelines will be given by organisations like Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), Organic Trade Association (OTA), and Textile Exchange. Retailers in the US have introduced organic lines. Sales of organic and eco-friendly textiles have seen double-digit growth in the last several years.
One of the fastest growing markets in sustainable textiles is organic cotton. Organics are grown without herbicides or pesticides and processed without bleach or chemical dyes. GOTS is a textile processing standard for organic fibers in the textile supply chain. The aim is to ensure organic status of textiles, from harvesting of the raw materials, through environmentally and socially responsible manufacturing, up to labeling in order to provide a credible assurance to the end consumer.
OTA represents over 9,500 organic businesses across the US. Its members include growers, shippers, processors, certifiers, farmers' associations, distributors, importers, exporters, consultants, retailers and others. Textile Exchange is a non-profit that works with all sectors of the textile supply chain. It provides the knowledge and tools the industry needs to make significant improvements in the areas of fiber and materials, integrity and standards, and supply chain.
Macpi has revolutionized the apparel industry by developing and implementing the stitch-free assembling, commonly known as bonding technology. The application allows to join materials of various kinds in order to modify the aesthetics, structure and functionality. There are many achievable combinations, such as PU adhesive, filter-breathable or dotted adhesive, that do not spoil or alter the fabric’s physical features.
New style concepts may be created, depending on the combinations achieved by transferring to the garment different technical or aesthetic qualities. The construction of the garment itself can be innovative, as in the case of bonded inside linings, reducing the lead times and improving the fitting.
This technology is constantly growing and allows for a wide range of solutions able to meet the most demanding needs for stitch-free applications on garments and footwear as well as technical use for medical or military outfits. Italy-based Macpi group of companies, is active in design and manufacture of software and hardware and machinery for the apparel and laundry industry.
Macpi has since 1961 worked closely with the clothing industry to solve the problems associated with the different sectors of garment construction and finishing. Macpi produces automatic units for fabric spreading and fusing including automatic feeding and unloading of garment parts.
India will be the fastest growing apparel market in eight years, expanding at a CAGR of 11.8 per cent. The export market too will be favorable for India. Developed markets will continue to provide huge opportunity to textile exporters with their large size despite moderate growth in demand. Apart from the US and Europe, China too will become a market for Indian exporters as Chinese textiles manufacturers have lost the co¬m¬petitive advantages of lo¬wer cost of production in the last few years.
China’s competitiveness in cotton texti¬les is dropping rapidly while India’s competitiveness is improving steadily. India’s apparel exports with an expected CAGR of 21 per cent are likely to play a major role in deriving gro¬w¬th in total textile exports. The Rs 6,000 crores package to increase employment and investment in the textile and apparel sector may boost competitiveness of Indian ap¬parels in the world.
Growing urbanisation and rising per capita income in India and China would result in increased purchasing power and change in lifest¬y¬le. China and India will be key markets for the growth of textile and apparel. However, India will have to add¬r¬ess challenges to ach¬ieve a higher market share. India does not have duty free access to the European Union.
India's exports in February 2017 grew 17.48 per cent compared to February 2016. However, imports during the month under review increased by 21.76 per cent. Non-petroleum and non-gem and jewelry exports in February 2017 grew by 20.15 per cent compared to February 2016.
Oil imports grew by a massive 60.02 per cent. Non-oil imports in February were up by 13.65 per cent. For the April-February period, exports rose marginally by 2.52 per cent. Imports fell 3.67 per cent.
The merchandise trade deficit cumulatively for April-February, however, declined by 16.65 per cent against the same period the previous year. The overall trade deficit for April-February is estimated at $41.8 billion, which is a 24 per cent fall from the level of $55.02 billion during the same period last year.
For December 2016, exports to the US grew by 5.61 per cent, grew by 1.68 percent to EU and grew by 10.87 percent to Japan but fell by 6.20 per cent to China over the corresponding period of the previous year. Services exports during January 2017 were valued at $13.57 billion while imports stood at $8.4 billion, resulting in a positive trade balance of $5.16 billion.
Ethylene prices declined sharply in the first week of March in Northeast Asia as demand dropped for downstream styrene monomer while other derivatives like poly ethylene weakened significantly. The European ethylene market was bullish as the material remained tight amid firm demand.
Paraxylene prices declined in Asian markets amid weakness in both up and downstream sectors. In the US, paraxylene spot was down as mixed xylene slipped. European paraxylene contract price for March was fully settled at a roll over while spot declined on the week.
Mono ethylene glycol prices dived in Asian markets on urgent sales with sellers lowering offers to avoid incurring port costs. In China, port inventories continued to swell while the supply in the domestic market was abundant this week. European MEG prices also fell as demand softened and March contract price settling at a rollover, thus ending the huge price increases. US MEG prices retreated from their 21-month, pushing the assessment of its highest level since July 2, 2015.
Polyester staple fiber prices moved down further in China with raw material costs dropping continuously while they remained stable in India and Pakistan. Polyester filament yarn prices declined in China while they rose in Pakistan. In India, partially oriented yarn offers were generally held stable amid thin spot trades as downstream buyers purchased on a need basis to maintain production.
The cotton market in India seems to be stable. Domestic demand and prices are firm. Cotton prices vs yarn prices have settled. Volatility is more or less absent. Spinners, ginners and farmers are realising reasonable prices since February. Spinning mills suffered over the last two years and many closed doors due to cotton price volatility and weak yarn prices. This trend seems to have reversed.
In India, 65 per cent of the season’s cotton crop has arrived and if the price stability is maintained it will be a win-win for the cotton and textile sectors. However, if cotton prices skyrocket, spinners would face difficulties. The view from the spinning mills is that yarn prices are stable and there is demand for yarns and made-up goods such as bedspreads in export markets. This increases cotton demand and helps push up the price of cotton.
Indications are that cotton price this March is going to be steep when the peak arrival season ends in India. Overall, the agriculture market is expected to be bullish in the coming months. Pakistan, Bangladesh, China and Vietnam are key buyers of Indian cotton. Textile mills in southern India have contracted cotton for shipments in March and April.
