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OCTOBER 10, 2012

I n f o r m a t i o n B u r e a u T E X P R O C I L | of 23

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

1 Hong Kong: Trials Confirm DuPont Enzymes Offer Sustainability Benefits for Cotton Textile Production

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2 Pakistan: EMC load management plan hits textile sector 4

3 Pakistan: Cotton market: prices make further gains on strong demand

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4 France: New textile developments now possible with Knitting

Linen 8

5 Textiles: a new generation at Massey’s in New Zealand 9

6 USA: Zara makes US e-commerce debut with home textile range

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7 Switzerland: Cotton cultivation becoming more sustainable: Cotton Inc

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8 Vietnam: Garment makers seek to improve export turnover

13

NATIONAL NEWS

1 Textile body stresses use of technology to raise cotton

productivity 14

2 Bring cotton under ECA: Indian powerloom sector to govt

16

3 Technology can help boost India's cotton productivity 17

4 Spinning mills join hands to form firm for sourcing cheaper cotton

18

5 India cotton seen stable as higher supplies meet demand from mills

20

6 Punjab textile sector keen to follow Tirupur model 22

OCTOBER 10, 2012


INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Trials Confirm DuPont Enzymes Offer Sustainability Benefits for Cotton Textile Production

HONG KONG, Oct. 4, 2012 --- DuPont Industrial Biosciences today presented results of collaborative trials with Pacific Textiles Limited Ltd, a Hong Kong-based manufacturer of custom fabrics, which demonstrate the significant sustainability benefits of bio-based enzymes used to replace traditional chemicals in cotton textile processing at bulk-scale production. DuPont’s enzymes are derived from natural resources and are biodegradable.

Speaking about DuPont’s strategy to address global energy needs and biobased solutions at the Sustainable Textiles Conference, DuPont Industrial Biosciences Vice President John P. Ranieri reported that the trials with Pacific Textiles found DuPont™ PrimaGreen® enzymes used in combination can eliminate the need for caustic chemicals, while also dramatically reducing water, energy use and processing time. Ranieri said the trial with Pacific Textile confirmed the results from an earlier lab study DuPont conducted with Cotton Incorporated that was released in May 2012.

“The results of these ongoing trials at Pacific Textiles show we have taken our more eco-friendly enzymatic processes from the lab to full factory scale,” said Mark Oostendorp, global business leader Textile Processing. “DuPont’s enzymes provide the textile industry a more eco-friendly, high-quality and cost-effective alternative to chemicals commonly used in the pretreatment and finishing process of cotton textile manufacturing.”

OCTOBER 10, 2012


The results of the Cotton Incorporated study found that the use of DuPont™ PrimaGreen®, as a replacement to traditional chemicals in cotton textile preparation, led to an average reduction of 70 percent water (by liter); 33 percent steam (in pounds); and 27 percent in energy (as kWH) across dark, medium and light shade ranges.

By bio-optimizing these processes, total production time was reduced by an average of 27 percent. In the Cotton Incorporated trial, the cotton knits produced showed good whiteness values, mote removal, maintenance of fabric strength and weight, and were receptive to dark, medium and light dye shades.

“The main advantages of using the DuPontTM PrimaGreen® process are savings in processing time and water,” said Ronald K.K. Chan, assistant supervisor at Pacific Textiles, who facilitated the trails. “The enzymes also will ensure we produce high-quality fabrics that have been created in a more sustainable and cost-effective process, which aligns with our company goal to save more energy and reduce emissions as demanded by our customers.”

The DuPont™ PrimaGreen® enzymes help save energy by allowing textile preparation to occur at much lower temperatures. In addition, DuPont’s bio-enzymes also save water volume by enabling the same water bath to be used for multiple steps in the production process.

Pacific Textiles Ltd, based in Hong Kong, is a leading manufacturer of customized knitted fabric in the textile industry. The company production base is in Panyu, South China - heart of the Pearl River Delta Region. The production plant is well-equipped with advanced production facilities, including a scalable water treatment facility and cogeneration power plant, which are keys to production efficiency and flexibility. The company provides integrated services of knitting, dyeing, printing and finishing, with an annual production capacity of approximately 87 million KG. Its finished fabrics comprise more than 5,000 designs and specifications to sell to the global market.

OCTOBER 10, 2012


The fabrics are used in a broad range of garments, including men’s, women’s and children’ clothing, sportswear, swimwear and inner-wear. It has established relationships with owners and leading brands worldwide.

Cotton Incorporated, funded by U.S. growers of upland cotton and importers of cotton and cotton textile products, is the research and marketing company representing upland cotton. The program is designed and operated to improve the demand for and profitability of cotton.

DuPont – one of the first companies to publicly establish environmental goals more than 20 years ago – has broadened its sustainability commitments beyond internal footprint reduction to include market-driven targets for both revenue and research and development investment. The goals are tied directly to business growth, specifically to the development of safer and environmentally improved new products for key global markets.

DuPont (NYSE: DD) has been bringing world-class science and engineering to the global marketplace in the form of innovative products, materials, and services since 1802. The company believes that by collaborating with customers, governments, NGOs, and thought leaders we can help find solutions to such global challenges as providing enough healthy food for people everywhere, decreasing dependence on fossil fuels, and protecting life and the environment. For additional information about DuPont and its commitment to inclusive innovation, please visit www.dupont.com.

http://biosciences.dupont.com/ - Oct 04, 2012

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EMC load management plan hits textile sector

LAHORE – The textile industry has rejected out rightly the load management plan by the Energy Management Cell (EMC), putting textile industry on six hours a day loadshedding while giving a major relief to the cement and other industries.

OCTOBER 10, 2012


Reacting strongly to such a step-motherly treatment to the textile industry, Shahzad Ali Khan, Chairman All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) Punjab, said that the Ministry of Water and Power has caught textile industry with a big surprise, especially when the domestic load is at the lowest ebb in the country.

Further, he said, the EMC was ruining the growth of textile industry by suggesting irrational load management plans time and again.

The Energy Management Cell issued Tuesday evening fresh guidelines for the DISCOs regarding load management. According to the guidelines, both the cement and continuous process industries have been given a major relief in the load shedding and the textile industry has been subjected to four hours a day closure during peak hours and 10% load reduction during off peak hours. The total duration of load shedding for textile industry, thus, comes around six hours a day in total, he said.

Chairman APTMA Punjab said the line losses of textile industry are less than 1% and the recovery ratio is 100%. Further, he said, the textile industry is providing jobs to 15 million textile workers and has contributed record $14 billion to the country’s exports a year back.

He said a continuous six hours a day load shedding in the industry would end up on further closure of capacity, which is already down by 30% and impacting badly to the employment, exports and earning of precious foreign exchange for the country.

He further added that the hydel generation in the country is over 4000MW while the total shortfall is lurking around 3000MW and the domestic demand has come down drastically due to an end to the use of air conditioners.

According to him, both the President and the Prime Minister have been assuring of uninterrupted energy supply to the textile industry while the Ministry of Water and Power was contradicting the approach of the highest offices of the country due to the reasons unknown to the industry.

He has expressed the fear that six to eight hours load shedding since May 2012 and any further lingering on of the situation would lead to closure of electricity-dependent units. Ultimately, he warned, the government would witness electricity-based riots in the country due to high unemployment.

OCTOBER 10, 2012


Chairman APTMA Punjab has urged President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf and Minister for Water and Power Ch Ahmed Mukhtar to take notice of the wrongdoing of the Ministry of Water and Power and bring the responsible ones to the task immediately. Further, he has urged them to intervene immediately and ensure uninterrupted power supply to textile industry in the larger interest of the country’s economy.

nation.com.pk - Oct 10, 2012

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Cotton market: prices make further gains on strong demand

Prices maintained an upward trend on the back of strong mills' buying, dealers said on the cotton market on Tuesday. Official spot rate, after a short break, went up by Rs 100 to Rs 5,500, they said. In the ready business, around 24,000 bales of cotton changed hands between Rs 5400-5800, they said.

In Sindh prices of seeds cotton, extended overnight gains, picking up more Rs 100 to Rs 2500-Rs 2700, in the Punjab prices were higher at Rs 2500-2800, they said. Some brokers said that rising demand by mills and spinners cause a fresh increase in the rates. Commenting on the fresh flare-up in the prices, Naseem Usman said that the ginners and growers were hesitant in selling the best quality of cotton below the psychological levels.

As far as demand is concern, apparently it looks that buyers indulged in unforeseen uncertainties, trying to cover their position as much as they can, they said. According to the Reuters, the NY cotton prices were flat to slightly higher on Monday as speculative short covering and a buoyant grains market offset concerns about slowing growth in China, the world's largest textile market. New York cotton for December delivery settled up 0.41 percent at 71.78 cents per lb on ICE Futures US, moving off intraday highs after briefly piercing the 72-cent mark.

OCTOBER 10, 2012


Fibers may be prone to more short covering after speculative investors raised their bearish bets ahead of the US harvest. In the week to October 2, they switched to a net short position for the first time in two months, Friday's data showed. The Thomson Reuters-Jefferies CRB index, a global benchmark for commodities, was down 0.5 percent. The euro was also under pressure due to uncertainty over the timing of a possible bailout of Spain.

The following deals reported: 2200 bales of cotton from Shahdad Pur at Rs 5500/5600, 2000 bales from Sanghar 5400-5500, 1600 bales from Tando Adam at Rs 5500/5600, 600 bales from Matiyari at Rs 5500/5600, 1000 bales from Khair Pur at Rs 5700, 1000 bales from Upper Sindh at Rs 5700, 200 bales from Mongi Bangla at Rs 5400, 200 bales from Gojra at Rs 5400, 200 bales from Chaniot at Rs 5400, 200 bales from Chichawatni at Rs 5400, 400 bales from Khanewal at Rs 5450/5600, 400 bales from Muridwala at Rs 5400/5450, 200 bales from Mubarik Pur at Rs 5450, 400 bales from Uch Sharif at Rs 5450, 400 bales from Sillan Wali at Rs 5450, 600 bales from Vehari at Rs 5475/5500, 800 bales from Hasil Pur at Rs 5425/5600, 200 bales from Samandari at Rs 5550, 400 bales from Khan Pur at Rs 5525, 1000 bales from Mian Wali at Rs 5600/5800, 400 bales from Pak Pattan at Rs 5600/5650, 400 bales from Sahiwal at Rs 5600, 200 bales from Shujabad at Rs 5600, 400 bales from Tonsa Sharif at Rs 5600, 200 bales from Mian Chano at Rs 5600, 200 bales from Gaggo Mandi at Rs 5600, 400 bales from Chistian at Rs 5600, 3600 bales from Burewala at Rs 5600, 200 bales from Bahawal Nagar at Rs 5600, 400 bales from Fort Abbas at Rs 5600/5700, 1000 bales from Haroonabad at Rs 5700/5750, 1200 bales from Rajan Pur at Rs 5700/5800, they said.

brecorder, 2012

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OCTOBER 10, 2012


New textile developments now possible with Knitting Linen

ELC Masters of Linen launches Knitting Linen line. It is and authentic and rustic, finished and pre-washed or, conversely, definitely sophisticated by the use of chic dyes and complex stitches, linen knits have been developed using innovative yarns.

Today, by varying the knitting process, linen knits can take on multiple forms, circular for tops and t-shirts or flat for fully fashion knits can have smooth surfaces that capture the light, highlight textures and play with contrasts.

Thanks to the multiplicity of enhancements that can alter the hand and surprise the eye, linen knits are creating a new fashion signature. They provide captivating scenarios or unexpected opportunities, ideal for all fantasies and uses, which will appeal to today’s demanding customer. Style exercise : the zipped sweatshirt It is worked in 30 versions which explore all woven and flat or circular knit techniques. Linen innovates with knit applications that are fully-fashioned or cut-and-sew. It is ideal for a wide variety of looks, enriched by creative yarns and blends.

From very fine gauges to 5-gauge handknits, knitting is facilitated by the excellence of the yarns developped by the weavers of the Club Masters of Linen. As a creative support for technical and novelty stitches, linen offers new results which can be urban, sporty, casual or sophisticated. This season’s stars include : Fleece, piqué, double-face, pure linens and stretch blends, luxurious cashmere, alpaca … and metallic or waterproof coatings. In deliberately neutral colors and a broad range from whites to natural linens with metallic touches - gold, silver … A big thank you to our partners – all the trimmings, cords & ribbed edgings are in 100% linen.

OCTOBER 10, 2012


Because the needles are set in rows, the fabric is produced flat with a back-and-forth movement across the needle bed. It is particularly useful for “sized garment blanks”:

- In fully-fashioned knitting, the garment shape and size is controlled by increasing or decreasing needle utilization. Garment blanks are then assembled as sweaters.

- In 3-D for a fully-finished garment. Flat knitting machines produce fabrics from 3 to 18-gauge.

Here needles are set in a circular bed to produce tubular fabric, mainly sold by the meter for cut-and-sew manufacturing. The fabric can be worked in tubular form or slit open to form a single layer like woven fabrics. Circular knitting machines produce fabrics from 7 to 60-gauge.

Fibre2fashion – October 09, 2012

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Textiles: a new generation at Massey’s in New Zealand

Textile design graduate Kristy Johnstone has gone the extra mile, traipsing around four merino sheep stations to gather the vegetation needed for the dyed wool and fabrics, which form part of an exhibition being staged in Wellington later this month.

The exhibition Textiles: a new generation, at Bowen House from October 17 to November 22, showcases the best work from the textile design programme offered at Massey’s College of Creative Arts.

OCTOBER 10, 2012


A year ago Ms Johnstone, from Wellington, spent time travelling around sheep stations near Whanganui, the McKenzie Basin, and the northern and southern tips of Lake Wakatipu in Central Otago, collecting plant samples to form the basis of new colourings for fabrics and textiles.

Up to 60 samples were then brought back to Wellington, where the 24-year-old chopped them up and boiled them to extract their colour. Merino wool and white merino fabric was then mixed with the dyed hot water solution to reveal a palette of colours.

“I was looking for the sense of place through colour, and climate, soil and what region the plants come from, all have an effect on that.”

The colours and matching fabrics were then fixed to separate colour charts as an “authentic way” to reflect the particular sheep station they originated from.Ms Johnstone, first showed her work, including a self published thesis presentation that formed part of her Master in Design degree, at an exhibition earlier this year for postgraduate design students.

“I really like working with merino wool, I like the fact it’s from New Zealand, is a sustainable fibre, dyes well and is good to knit with,” she says. Her travels also piqued an interest in wool branding as a way of linking place through colour, as well as branding in the wine industry where labels typically base their identity on what part of the country they come from.

“Ideally I’d like to get into the wool industry and work with dye or knitted textiles.”

Massey’s College of Creative Arts


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OCTOBER 10, 2012


Zara makes US e-commerce debut with home textile range

Zara Home, Inditex's commercial concept specializing in home decor, is making its US e-commerce debut at website. The product range at the US online store will feature home textiles: bed, bath and table linens, in addition to select furniture, tableware, cutlery, and decorative accessories, including loungewear and gift items.

Zara Home offers the latest trends in interior decoration, with new introductions arriving online weekly keeping with the ethos of continuous renewal that is characteristic of all commercial concepts within the Inditex Group.

A diverse and international team of designers, with a unique vision has made Zara Home the brand that transforms interiors into warm and fashionable spaces.

Visitors to the site can shop the range of products in each of the four distinctive collections. Country, Ethnic, White and contemporary define the aesthetic of the rich bedding, detailed accessories and gift items. Country, inspired by nature and depicted with dark tones reminiscent of a forest, also features soothing linen and taupe tones for this season.

A layered mix of fabrics such as cashmere, leather and velvet also fills the Country collection. Grays, lilacs and ecru with paisley and floral accents define the Ethnic collection. The White Collection, as expected, celebrates the wide range of soothing white tones and materials such as silks, cottons and linens create depth and warmth. The British influence was a significant trend this year and is presented in the Contemporary collection through the vibrant flag motifs with a pop urban and eclectic style.

The children's home selections are titled with suitably descriptive names, such as Enchanted Woods; a whimsical, happy spirit imbues this collection.

Launched in 2003, Zara Home's international appeal has always played an important role in its identity. The concept is present in 32 countries with more than 325 stores and offers e-commerce in 18 countries. This has been reflected both in the growth of its sales –which reached 300 million euros in 2011, and in its commercial expansion.

OCTOBER 10, 2012


Zara Home is part of the Inditex Group, one of the world's largest retailers with over 100 companies operating in textile design, manufacturing and distribution. In addition to Zara Home, Inditex has seven fashion concepts: Zara, Pull&Bear, Massimo Dutti, Bershka, Stradivarius, Oysho, and Uterque.


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Cotton cultivation becoming more sustainable: Cotton Inc

INTERLAKEN SWITZERLAND (Commodity Online): The LCA (life-cycle assessment) was one of the major focus of first Open Session of International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC’s) 71st Plenary Meeting, which took place on October 8 in Interlaken, Switzerland.

The new results in the session stated that the cotton has made great strides over the last 30 years, including reductions in: Land usage: 30%, Soil loss: 68%, Water usage: 75%, Energy usage: 36%, Greenhouse gases: 30%

A presentation by Berrye Worsham, CEO of Cotton Incorporated outlined how the LCA was developed, as well as some of its top findings.

Worsham emphasized that Cotton Incorporated's leadership went through the exhaustive, two-year LCA process to determine exactly what cotton's footprint was, not just what could be used to combat misconceptions about the fiber's environmental impact.

"Cotton is doing well, but we know we can do better," he said. "The key is continual progress. This LCA was all about measurement and improvement, and you can't make measurable progress if you don't know where you started," added Worsham.

OCTOBER 10, 2012


The final message of the first session was, those who attack the cotton industry for its perceived impact on the environment will need to have their facts straight, thanks to a major research project undertaken by Cotton Incorporated: a life-cycle assessment (LCA) for cotton.

Cottonyarnmarket – October 10, 2012

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Garment makers seek to improve export turnover

HA NOI (VNS)— The textile industry has called on its members to work harder to achieve its US$18 billion dollar export target this year.

This was announced yesterday by the secretary of the Viet Nam Textile and Apparel Association (Vitas), Le Tien Truong, who is also deputy CEO of the Viet Nam National Textile and Garment Group (Vinatex).

The call came after garment export turnover reached only about $10 billion in the first nine months of the year as demands of major markets declined.

"Vinatex is now seeking new partners in South Korea and Canada and increasing exports to mainland China, Turkey, Africa and the Middle East," Truong said.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade is also holding trade promotion programmes in Hong Kong, Thailand and Malaysia.

Truong added that Vinatex would support companies exporting high added-value suits, shirts and luxury pants.He said Vitas would help establish distribution systems and brand names for companies.

The textile industry has been upgrading factories to produce high quality fabrics and products with higher export profits."The textile industry has been producing polyester fabric to cut down on imports. By 2015, 80 per cent is expected to be produced domestically," Truong said. — VNS

Cottonyarnmarket – October 10, 2012

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OCTOBER 10, 2012


NATIONAL NEWS

Textile body stresses use of technology to raise cotton productivity

Cotton production during the current year is expected to decline to 33.4 million bales from 35.3 million bales last year

The Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI) has strongly advocated the extensive use of technology to resolve the problems of stagnating area and production of cotton in India.

CITI Chairman S V Arumugam said in a note on Tuesday that technology could resolve the problems of stagnating area and production of cotton.

Area under cotton in the country is stagnating between 11 and 12 million hectares and cotton production during the current year is expected to decline to 33.4 million bales from 35.3 million bales last year. Improving productivity is the only way to ensure that the increasing cotton requirements of the industry are met. He observed that cotton accounts for over 60% of fibre consumption in the country and over 80% of fibre consumption in export production. “Given the importance of cotton for the textiles sector of the country, it is important to use technology as a tool for increasing cotton productivity,” Arumugam added.

Explaining cotton productivity in the country, Arumugam stated that from about 200 kg per hectare in 1980s productivity reached 300 kg per hectare in 1990s. A combination of agricultural extension activities under government’s Technology Mission on Cotton (TMC) and introduction of Bt technology during the beginning of 21st century has helped to achieve sustainable productivity of around 500 kg per hectare.

OCTOBER 10, 2012


Currently about 90% of the area under cotton in the country uses Bt seeds and the Bt seeds have contributed substantially to improvement and sustainability of productivity in the country.

While resistance of Bt seeds to American bollworm has played a major role in the improvement in productivity during the last 10 years, there are other pests and other issues that need to be tackled for a quantum jump in the productivity in the coming years.

World average in cotton productivity is nearly 800 kg per hectare and concerted efforts are required to take Indian productivity to somewhere near that. The National Fibre Policy envisages that by the end of the current decade the requirement of cotton in the country will be over 48 million bales as against the current production of around 34 million bales.

In addition to protection from pests, weed management and irrigation are major areas to be tackled for achieving this level of production. For this it is essential that all available modern technology is used for seed development as well as plant management in the cotton farming sector.

The need for providing formal bank credit at affordable cost to the farmers in order to tackle distress among cotton farmers and enable them to adopt modern technology for improving productivity and increasing their income from cotton farming, he added.

Business Standard – October 09, 2012

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OCTOBER 10, 2012


Bring cotton under ECA: Indian powerloom sector to govt

Representatives of the powerloom sector in India, especially from the southern state of Tamil Nadu have once again made a plea to bring cotton under the Essential Commodities Act (ECA).

To press their demand for inclusion of cotton under ECA, a delegation of Indian powerloom sector is soon going to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Union Textiles Minister Anand Sharma, and hand over a memorandum in this regard.

President of the Confederation of Indian Powerloom Industries and Tamil Nadu Powerloom Federation, Mr. MS Mathivanan, said over the last 20 years, the federation is urging the Government for inclusion of cotton under the ECA, but to no avail.

He said India each year produced around 3.6 billion metres of powerloom fabric, but factors like cotton exports, power outages and weak market have pulled the production down to about 50 percent.

In spite of large quantity of raw cotton now being exported from India to different countries, cotton growers receive only minimum support price, he said.

Moreover, global cotton demand is waning as countries like the US, China and Australia are now largely engaged in cotton production.

While cotton prices in India have dropped from Rs. 40,000 per candy to Rs. 35,000 per candy (1 candy = 356 kg), yarn prices have not reduced to the same extent, Mr. Mathivanan said.

OCTOBER 10, 2012


He urged the Centre to impose a ban on cotton exports, stating that hit by seasonal adversities the country’s cotton output would keep low this year.

Mr. Mathivanan said the local powerloom industry consumes around 67 percent of the total cotton produced in Tamil Nadu, but powerloom fabric exports have hardly surged by three to four percent till now.

Around 150,000 of over 500,000 powerlooms operating in the state of Tamil Nadu are concentrated in Komarapalayam, Somanure, Erode and Pallipalayam regions, he said.


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Technology can help boost India's cotton productivity

Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI) has stated that given the importance of cotton for the textiles sector of the country, it is important to use technology as a tool for increasing cotton productivity. In a statement here, Mr. S.V. Arumugam, Chairman, CITI said that area under cotton in the country is stagnating between 11 and 12 million hectares and cotton production during the current year is expected to decline to 33.4 million bales from 35.3 million bales last year.

Improving productivity is the only way to ensure that the increasing cotton requirements of the industry are met. He observed that cotton accounts for over 60 per cent of fibre consumption in the country and over 80 per cent of fibre consumption in export production.

Explaining cotton productivity in the country, Mr. Arumugam stated that from about 200 kg per hectare in 1980s productivity reached 300 kg per hectare in 1990s. A combination of agricultural extension activities under government’s Technology Mission on Cotton (TMC) and introduction of BT technology during the beginning of 21st century has helped to achieve sustainable productivity of around 500 kg per hectare.

OCTOBER 10, 2012


Currently about 90 per cent of the area under cotton in the country uses BT seeds and the BT seeds have contributed substantially to improvement and sustainability of productivity in the country. Mr. Arumugam added that while resistance of BT seeds to American Bollworm has played a major role in the improvement in productivity during the last 10 years, there are other pests and other issues that need to be tackled for a quantum jump in the productivity in the coming years.

World average in cotton productivity is nearly 800 kg per hectare and concerted efforts are required to take Indian productivity to somewhere near that. He added that the National Fibre Policy envisages that by the end of the current decade the requirement of cotton in the country will be over 48 million bales as against the current production of around 34 million bales.

In addition to protection from pests, weed management and irrigation are major areas to be tackled for achieving this level of production. For this it is essential that all available modern technology is used for seed development as well as plant management in the cotton farming sector.

Mr. Arumugam requested government to focus on using technology for improving cotton productivity. He also stressed the need for providing formal bank credit at affordable cost to the farmers in order to tackle distress among cotton farmers and enable them to adopt modern technology for improving productivity and increasing their income from cotton farming.


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Spinning mills join hands to form firm for sourcing cheaper cotton

A little over 50 spinning mills have come together here to form Cotton Sourcing Company (COSCO) in an effort to streamline procurement of cotton in the Coimbatore region and safeguard them from price vagaries.

OCTOBER 10, 2012


At a conservative estimate, the procurement by COSCO might touch Rs 3,000 crore in the current season that began this month.

The company is also forming a joint venture with Aries Logistics Ventures Ltd styled Transco for transportation of cotton.

The prime reason for the formation of COSCO is that though Tamil Nadu accounts for nearly 40 per cent of cotton consumption, it produces much less. This has necessitated procurement of cotton from States such as Gujarat, incurring huge transportation costs and supply delays.

COSCO is a newly formed public limited company that will function as a one-stop shop to meet the entire cotton sourcing requirements of its member companies. Currently, it has 51 members.

According to M.S. Rajarathinam, CEO, COSCO, the company will aim at sourcing quality cotton at a cheaper price. Collective bargaining will also help it.

Farmers will benefit from timely payment for the cotton procured within five working days as COSCO has tied up with bankers.

The member mills will periodically inform COSCO about their requirement. COSCO has opened branches in cotton growing States such as Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra and Karnataka for sourcing.

Rajarathinam said that with the procurement set to commence from November, it would not be possible to quantify the cotton to be purchased for the current season. But keeping in view the capacity and requirements of its members, COSCO might procure cotton valued at Rs. 3,000 crore. COSCO has begun trial procurement and full fledged operations will commence next month.

OCTOBER 10, 2012


Rajarathinam said the procured cotton would be directly delivered to the mills with the logistics partner taking care of lifting goods from the ginners and delivering them to the mills. Currently, the transportation cost amounted to Rs 4.80-5 a kg.

Cottonyarnmarket.net – October 09, 2012

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India cotton seen stable as higher supplies meet demand from mills

Mumbai: Cotton spot prices in India are expected to remain stable this week after four flat days as higher supplies from the new season crop are likely to meet demand from textile makers.

"Mills have started buying as cotton stocks with them are very low and this could support prices despite higher supplies from the new season crop and poor demand from exporters," said Arunbhai Dalal, a trader based in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

Cotton prices in India, the world's second-largest producer, have been declining since mid-September on rising supplies in spot markets as the harvest began.

Export demand is also expected to slide as China, the world's largest consumer and India's biggest buyer, is likely to cut imports by over 50 percent as it tries to trim bulging stocks.

India's exports could be just 7 million bales in the 2012/13 year that started on Oct. 1 from a record 12.9 million bales in the previous year.

However, aggressive buying by mills in the last four days have prevented prices from falling further.

OCTOBER 10, 2012


Local textile mills, which were holding off purchases waiting for the new season crop, started buying to meet an anticipated rise in consumer demand during the coming festival season and that could steady prices.

A majority of Indians will celebrate Dussehra this month and Diwali in November. Demand for textiles rise during festivals as Indians tend to buy new clothes during the celebration.

Besides buying by mills, hopes of government intervention to protect farmers' interest are also preventing prices from declining, despite a steep fall in overseas market, Dalal said.

Global prices have been falling sharply on waning world demand and an expected rise in global output, with the December cotton contract in New York down by about 25 percent since April 1, when farmers in the United States start planting.

At 1151 GMT, the contract was trading up 0.41 percent at 72.19 cents per lb.

On Tuesday, the most-traded domestic spot Shankar-6 variety closed marginally up at 33,100 rupees (USD 630) per candy of 356 kg (around 80.4 cents per lb), data from the Cotton Association of India showed.

The October cotton futures contract closed up 1.61 percent at 16,400 rupees (USD 310) per bale on Tuesday. (about 83 cents per lb)

Cotton futures started trading on the Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX) in late 2011, but volumes have been thin and prices volatile. (USD 1 = 52.6250 Indian rupees) (1 bale = 170 kg) Cottonyarnmarket.net – October 09, 2012

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OCTOBER 10, 2012


Punjab textile sector keen to follow Tirupur model

Senior bureaucrats, pollution control board officials and textile entrepreneurs from Punjab visit Tirupur

A high-level team of senior bureaucrats, pollution control board officials and textile entrepreneurs from Punjab visited Tirupur knitwear cluster to study the Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) systems installed by various effluent treatment plants here, and thereby, adopting the technique back in Punjab. The 14-member delegation also held talks with Tirupur dyers, apparel manufacturers and Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) officials during the visit here on Monday in an attempt to assess the feasibility and benefits of the ZLD methodology followed in Tirupur cluster subsequent to a court direction last year.

The Punjab team comprised among others Bhawna Garg, an IAS officer and Special Secretary (Environment) to Punjab Government; Ravinder Singh, Chairman of Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB); Babu Ram, Member Secretary of PPCB, and textile businessmen from Ludhiana cluster.

Disclosing the details of visit, R. Kannan, District Environmental Engineer, TNPCB, told The Hindu that the Punjab team observed the operation of modern membrane bio-reactor installed at Angeripalayam Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) and the conventional bio-reactor at Arulpuram CETP which were treating the dyeing effluents using biological methods and attaining zero liquid discharge in the process. At present, the textile entrepreneurs in Ludhiana cluster in Punjab are treating the effluents using lime ferrous methodology, which is a primitive technique, and then discharging the treated effluents into River Sutlej.

OCTOBER 10, 2012


They too now wanted to switch over to the techniques that help them attain zero liquid discharge and thereby, attain highest standards in pollution control, he said.

The Ludhiana cluster is primarily producing winter garments using a combination of man-made fibres and cotton whereas the Tirupur cluster predominantly makes apparels using cotton as raw material. Due to this, effluent treatment process they have been following till now was slightly different, Mr. Kannan said.

Cottonyarnmarket.net – October 09, 2012

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