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In
his Welcome Address, Mr. Hiren Shah, Chairman,
CITI, welcomed the Minister of Textiles, speakers
and delegates. He discussed the recent developments
in international trade after the abolition of
quotas. He cautioned against safeguard actions
and other anti import measures as all Asian countries
emerge as major players in international markets.
Different countries in this region are strong
in different segments of the industry, offering
sufficient room for cooperation and coordination
among Asian countries. However, more than 60%
of the consumption of textile products is in the
western markets. Therefore, the main stake of
this industry of Asia will continue to be North
America and West Europe. This makes it more important
for Asian countries to evolve common strategies
for the growth of their industry and increasing
their export to western markets.
In
his Keynote Address, Mr. Xu Wenying, Director,
China National Textile & Apparel Council (CNTAC),
discussed the new opportunities for the developing
countries in T&C industries in post quota
times. He elaborated on the factors for the rapid
growth in Chinese textile and apparel
industry
like rising domestic demand, reforms and investment
incentives, increased FDI and accession into WTO.
In 2004, Chinese textile and apparel export totaled
US$ 97.385 billion and is expected to reach US$
110 billion or more in 2005. On cooperation between
China and India, Mr. Xu said that the similarities
between the countries make it possible to strengthen
the cooperation and complementarity, especially
in textile industry. China is possessed with advanced
technology while India is plentiful in natural
and chemical fibre production. Hence, in spite
of the present complexity of the international
trade environment, there is scope for cooperation
in the cotton yarn, weaving and garment value
chain.
Mr
Shekhar Agarwal, Deputy Chairman, CITI and MD,
Maral Overseas, LNJ Bhilwara Group, presented
an Overview of India’s Textile & Clothing
Sector. Tracing the history of Indian textiles,
he said that India enjoyed 17.6% of the world
industrial production in 1813 and Britain’s
share was 9.5%. By the year 1900, India’s
share declined to 1.7% and British share grew
to 18.6%. Indian entrepreneurs slowly recaptured
the domestic market and by 1913, Indian mills
supplied 20% of the cloth consumed. In 1936, they
supplied 62% and by 1945 it was 72%.
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